The Healing Garden

Becky Martins from Voice4Patients sent along this note about an important project. The Healing Garden is a living memorial dedicated to those patients and their loved ones who have suffered a medical error.

I became a patient safety advocate following my father's preventable death in 2000 and founded Voice4Patients.com; a comprehensive web resource that provides patient safety information for consumers. Prior to that, I had been a long time advocate for end stage renal disease patients.

A number of years ago, there was a workgroup of consumers who had hoped to obtain the funding to buy land and have a memorial wall with the names of victims of medical error. As you can imagine, land in DC is expensive. Still, survivors wanted a way to honor their loved ones.

The living memorial garden has been created as a healing space to reflect upon and honor those whose journeys ended before we were ready to say our good-byes, as well for those who have experienced a medical trauma and live with the lingering emotional and physical effects. The garden includes a 40' diameter medicine wheel. There are four sections of flowers planted around the wheel in honor of the children, spouses, siblings and friends, and our elders. We had requests from those who work steadfastly everyday in the healthcare system, who also asked to be included to honor their commitment and dedication (and their hope and intention for a safer healthcare system). These champions are reflected in the walking path that leads into the garden area.

The healing space is located in midcoast Maine. There is no fee to have a flower planted, people only need to submit the information of who to plant the flower for and which section of the garden. Our family will be opening the garden to visitors in the Summer of 2010.

Thanks for posting the information,
Becky Martins


They will be planting bulbs this weekend. To make a donation or arrange for a flower to be planted, visit http://www.voice4patients.com/other_content/Living_Memorial%20Garden_Medical_Harm.pdf.

Transparency Forum -- Sept. 24th at Mt. Auburn

September Healthcare Transparency Forum – Honest Talk about Medical Mistakes

Lack of information about infections and errors in the nation’s healthcare industry are life threatening and costly secrets. There is a growing demand for honest and open public dialogue about keeping consumers safe. On Thursday, September 24th, 2009, at 7pm at Mt. Auburn Hospital, patients, consumers and health care providers will discuss the challenges of healthcare transparency in patient care.

Moderated by award winning television journalist and community leader, Liz Walker, the forum will feature health care professionals including Linda Kenney, MITSS Executive Director; Jim Conway, MITSS Board Member and SVP at IHI; Jeanette Clough, CEO from Mt. Auburn Hospital; Paul Levy, CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; and, Dr. Richard Miller, thoracic surgeon at Southcoast Hospitals Group.

The goal of the forum, which is part of a 4-part series called Better Living with Liz Walker airing on WCVB-TV, is “…to help create patient provider dialogues that inform and empower,” according to Walker.

We urge you and your colleagues to attend this important forum. If you would like more information, contact Winnie Tobin at (617) 232-0090 or e-mail to wtobin@mitss.org. We hope to see you there.

Consumer Health Quality Council at HCFA

Our friends at Health Care for All have asked us to pass on this message about an opportunity to become involved with their Consumer Health Quality Council.

Has someone in your family received poor health care in Massachusetts?

Have you been an advocate for someone or helped them navigate the complex health care system?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, please consider joining the Consumer Health Quality Council, a coalition of consumers who advocate for improving the delivery of health care in Massachusetts. The Consumer Council was founded by Health Care For All close to three years ago to respond to growing concerns about the quality of health care nationally and in Massachusetts.

The Consumer Council’s mission is to empower those impacted by health care quality issues to have a voice in our health care system, to engage fellow consumers to be active partners in their health care, and to advocate for high quality, safe, and accessible health care for all Massachusetts residents.

Here are two examples of how Consumer Council members share their stories to advocate for change in how health care is delivered:

Robena Reid’s mother, Marie, entered a Boston area hospital in December of 2006. Her mother was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer affecting the pleural membrane surrounding her lungs.While in the hospital, her mother contracted an intestinal infection caused by clostridium difficile. Because of this hospital-acquired infection, her mother was unable to receive treatment for the cancer and passed away. Robena has become an advocate for improving care and testified at the Massachusetts State House, with the help of Health Care For All, to encourage public reporting of hospital-acquired infections.

Lucilia and Joe Prates’ father, Antonio, went into a hospital to have kidney stones removed in January of 2005. As a result of the procedure, Antonio became a victim of a hospital-acquired infection and an adverse medical event, which ultimately led to his death in August of 2005. Lucilia and Joe share their father’s story in hopes of improving the quality of care that others receive.

You can view additional videos of Consumer Council members’ stories at www.hcfama.org/quality/stories . Since its inception, the Consumer Council has been successful in advocating for state laws that aim to improve the delivery of health care and make it safer for patients and families. Massachusetts leads the nation in many measure of health care quality, but there is a lot of room for improvement. We can, and should, always strive to do better.

The Consumer Council and Health Care For All urge those of you who have received poor quality care to start speaking up and sharing your stories and to work with us toward the common goal of providing high quality care to all residents of Massachusetts. For more information about the Consumer Health Quality Council and how to become a member, please contact Kuong Ly at Health Care For All: kly [at] hcfama [dot] org or 617-275-2940.

Boston "Champion in Health Care" in MITSS Midst

Congratulations to Deb Washington, MITSS’ Community Outreach Committee Co-Chair, for being named a Champion in Health Care by Boston Business Journal this month. Deb is the Director of Diversity in Patient Care Services at Massachusetts General Hospital and a founding member of the MITSS Community Outreach Committee. Her voice contributes depth and dimension to the committee and always addresses the needs of the underserved.

In March, Deb was also honored as the inaugural recipient of the Arnold Z. Rosoff Agent of Change Award by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and the Ad Club of Boston. MITSS full heartedly agrees with the Boston Business Journal, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and the Ad Club of Boston that Deb is an asset to the Boston community.
Congratulations Deb!

Click here for a link to the Boston Business Journal article:
www.boston.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2009/08/10/focus9.html

Click here to see a clip of Deb talking on the new relationship of patient and healthcare providers on InsiderMedicine:
www.insidermedicine.com/archives/If_I_Knew_Then_-_Deborah_Washington_RN_MSN_Massachusetts_General_Hospital_on_Nursing_and_Patient_Care_2932.aspx

Click here to see a clip of Deb discussing diversity in healthcare on InsiderMedicine:
www.insidermedicine.com/archives/In_the_Spotlight_-_Deborah_Washington_RN_MSN_2180.aspx

Erin O'Donnell
Support Team Member

Patient Safety Day -- July 25th

Our friend, John McCormack, passed this along...

PATIENT SAFETY DAY

National, World, Global Patient Safety Day

JULY 25th - CANDLELIGHT MOMENT OF SILENCE AND HOPE

Remembering patients and families who have lost their life (or quality of life) due to medical errors -and in tribute to those who work to improve the safety and quality of healthcare for future patients."Together, lighting the path to safe healthcare - today and everyday: safe, high quality healthcare is neither accidental nor static."

Time: Moment of Silence at Noon and 6 p.m. your timezone

There will be a meeting in Boston in front of the statehouse this Saturday, July 25th, at 11 am for a moment of silence remembering those who have been harmed by medical error.

rL Solutions to Sponsor 2nd Annual MITSS HOPE Award

MITSS is proud to announce that rL Solutions will sponsor its Second Annual HOPE Award. The HOPE Award was established in 2008 to recognize people -- patients, families, healthcare providers, hospitals (or teams or departments therein), academic institutions, community health centers, grass roots organizations, EAP programs, etc. -- who exemplify the mission of MITSS: Supporting Healing and Restoring Hope to patients, families, and clinicians impacted by adverse medical events. The winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize to continue their work.

Nominations are due by September 14, 2009, and the award will be presented at the MITSS 8th Annual Dinner and Fundraiser to be held at the Boston Marriott Copley Place on Thursday, November 12th, 2009.

For more information about the award, or to nominate someone, visit us at http://www.mitss.org/; call Winnie Tobin at (617) 232-0090 or e-mail wtobin@mitss.org; or, mail us at MITSS, 830 Boylston Street, Suite 206, Boston, MA, 02467.

About rL Solutions:

rL Solutions provides proven risk management, patient feedback, claims and infection control software to help healthcare organizations improve patient safety and healthcare quality. rL Solutions brings together innovative technologies, stellar client service, and a broad ecosystem of partners to give its 500 clients a complete safety and quality solution. With products that are easy to use and easy to implement, rL Solutions is a world leader in the healthcare market. For more information, visit http://www.rl-solutions.com/.

Progress Slow in Stopping Hospital Harm

MITSS Executive Director, Linda Kenney, is featured on a Channel 5 (WCVB Boston) news story on hospital errors. Included is the compelling story of a nurse harmed at the hospital where she works.

Check out the video at -- http://www.thebostonchannel.com/video/19984320/index.html