[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 112 (Thursday, July 23, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1909]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     RECOGNIZING PATIENT SAFETY DAY

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                           HON. BILL DELAHUNT

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 23, 2009

  Mr. DELAHUNT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to invite my colleagues in 
the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Patient Safety 
Day, which will be observed across our country and around the world 
this weekend.
  Every year, as many as 98,000 Americans die and thousands more are 
left seriously injured as the result of an avoidable medical error. 
These incidents are extremely costly to our society--in monetary terms, 
but more importantly in the devastating pain and suffering that 
individuals and families experience in the wake of such a tragedy. As 
the wealthiest nation in the world, we can and must do more to ensure 
that our health care system promotes healing, prevents harm, and 
protects patients from dangerous medical errors.
  Today, my thoughts and prayers are with John McCormack, a 
Massachusetts state trooper, loving father, and a constituent of mine. 
In 2000, John lost his precious 13-month-old daughter, Taylor, after 
doctors postponed emergency surgery to relieve pressure on her brain. 
Channeling his grief and anger, John seized the opportunity to advocate 
for medical malpractice reform at the state level to ensure that no 
family need experience a similar loss. In 2004, the Massachusetts 
legislature passed Taylor's Law, a measure safeguarding the ability for 
patients and their families to be present with an attorney and confront 
doctors at disciplinary hearings.
  John fought admirably to turn his heartbreaking experience into a 
positive for our Commonwealth's families, but we must also ensure that 
meaningful steps are taken at the federal level to strengthen the 
safety of our health care system. Ten years ago, the Institute of 
Medicine (IOM) issued a seminal report, To Err is Human, which offered 
a forward-thinking, constructive set of recommendations toward that 
end. With health care reform front-and-center on Congress's agenda, now 
is the moment for us to draw on those ideas and to work together--as 
legislators, health care providers, patients, and consumer advocacy 
groups--to accomplish the goal of quality health care for every 
American.
  Patient Safety Day, which has been celebrated for the past eight 
years on July 25, falls at an opportune time. There could be no better 
occasion for us to remember those whose lives have been lost or harmed 
due to preventable medical errors and to commend the physicians, 
nurses, and other medical providers who dedicate their lives to 
providing safe, quality, compassionate care to those in need. I 
encourage all Americans--at home, at work, or wherever they may be--to 
join hands and hearts in a moment of silence this Saturday at noon and 
6 p.m. in their respective time zones in honor of Patient Safety Day. 
And I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle in efforts to improve the quality and safety of our health care 
system.

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