Patient Outreach Initiative
On May 29th, 2013 patients and families who have struggled in the health care system came together to reach out to other patients and families. There have been many patient advocacy organizations created by patients for patients. However the voice of the patient needs to be further strengthened. We are not being heard. Our first and foremost goal is unite these many successful initiatives as a national and international voice for the patient. We also hope to encourage other people to become active patient advocates. In January of 2014 we changed our name to the Patient Outreach Initiative to more accurately reflect our mission and will work within the supportive umbrella of the Empowered Patient Coalition.
Our Mission:
Champion the Patient Voice
As our first goal we are contacting successful patient organization and asking them to share their experiences in the hopes that these early adoptors will inspire others to become patient advocates. We are also working to disseminate a disclosure checklist.
Founders
Fred Southwick, M.D. Professor of Medicine, Patient Safety Expert, and former Harvard Advanced Leadership Fellow who suffered an above the knee amputation following an elective achillles tendon repair, He is author of Critically Ill: A 5-point plan to cure healthcare delivery
Linda Kenney is the Executive Director and President of MITSS (Medically Induced Trauma Support Services, Inc., founded the organization in 2002 as the result of a personal experience with adverse medical event that nearly took her life, when she identified the need for support services in cases of adverse events and outlined an agenda for change. Since that time, she has been a tireless activist for patient, family, and clinician rights. In 2006, Linda was the first consumer graduate of the prestigious HRET/AHA Patient Safety Leadership Fellowship. That same year, she was the recipient of the National Patient Safety Foundation’s esteemed Socius Award, an annual award given in recognition of effective partnering in pursuit of patient safety. She has authored and contributed to a number of publications on topics including the emotional impact of adverse events on patients, families, and clinicians. Linda serves on the boards of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors, National Patient Safety Foundation and Planetree.
Julia Hallisy, DDS Founder of the Empowered Patient Coalition, practicing dentist, and long time patient advocate. Her daughter suffered an amputation following a surgical error near the end of her short life. She is author of The Empowered Patient. Dr. Hallisy has worked with the Consumer’s Union Safe Patient Project, NQF, IHI, AHRQ, NeHC, the California Nurses Association, the IOM Initiative on the Future of Nursing, and is a member of the patient advisory council of the Avoid Readmissions through Collaboration (ARC) Program.
Ilene Corina, following a personal tragedy, started the nonprofit grassroots patient safety organization PULSE of NY in 1996 www.pulseofny.org. Through PULSE of NY she teaches patient safety in the community, has developed the Family Centered Patient Advocacy Training and has over fifteen years experiencing working with community groups about safe patient care. Ilene received a full scholarship to the American Hospital Association/National Patient Safety Foundation Patient Safety Leadership Training; she is a board member of the National Patient Safety Foundation, The Joint Commission, Healthix and the ACOG Patient Safety Council on Women’s Health Care. She is the director of Community Outreach for the Cautious Patient Foundation and helps start up Cautious Patient Communities throughout the country. www.cautiouspatientcommunities.org. She has won numerous awards and recognition for her work, which are described at www.patientsafetyconsultants.com.
Carolyn Canfield is a “Patient Perspective Consultant” who volunteers with healthcare teams, patients, families and organizations to embed the patient voice in improvement processes. She has been Patient Advisory Council member for the Vancouver Island Health Authority; Institute for Healthcare Improvement patient advisor at National Forums 2011-2013. She prematurely lost her husband due to a preventable sentinel event that attracted no clinical interest in learning.
Tanya Barnett is the owner of Seek Balance Counseling and Mediation Services, and a strong patient safety advocate (a member of Patients For Patient Safety Canada, and WHO Patient Safety Champion), presenter and writer. But foremost, she is a mother, grieving the loss of her 17-year old daughter due to medical harm. Creating the video, Do No Harm: Jess’ story, is not only helping to raise public awareness of the unacceptable rate of medical harm but also, through the dedicated efforts of Dr. Mark Graber (founder of the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine) in the U.S., and by Dr. Peter Zelas, at the University of North Sydney, Australia, is now helping teach med students the tragic consequences of diagnostic error. Jess is like an echo; still here long after the source is gone. Tanya’s patient safety focus is post-error processes; preparation of both patient and healthcare worker for the disclosure dialogue, the inclusion of the patient voice in exploration of the error (which helps the patient/family honor their loved one through prevention), and working with a restorative process that helps both physician and patient sow the seeds of mutual healing.
