ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Christopher Jerry, founder of the Emily Jerry Foundation and a national advocate for increasing the adoption of new technologies to minimize death and injury from medication errors, will serve as the keynote speaker at the Intelligent Hospital Preconference Symposium to be held just prior to the 2014 HIMSS Conference. The Symposium will be held at the Hilton Hotel in Orlando, Fla., on February 23 at 8 AM ET.
Jerry founded the Emily Jerry Foundation after his two-year-old daughter, Emily, tragically died from a medication error in a hospital setting in 2006. Diagnosed with a yolk sac tumor as a toddler, Emily was completing her final chemotherapy treatment when a hospital pharmacy technician mistakenly formulated a lethal dose of concentrated sodium chloride solution.
“One preventable death is too many,” said Jerry. “With the advanced and proven technologies we have today, we can clearly prevent the vast majority of patient injuries and deaths in hospitals and other healthcare settings. The Emily Jerry Foundation was conceived to advocate for the people who can no longer speak for themselves, the ones who died too early because of largely preventable medication errors. The medical community must come together and help us advocate for patient safety.”
According to a study in the September 2013 issue of Journal of Patient Safety – “A New, Evidence-based Estimate of Patient Harms Associated with Hospital Care” – patient deaths from medical errors – or preventable adverse events (PAEs) – in hospital settings may be as high as 400,000 deaths per year.
Jerry’s keynote presentation, “The Emily Jerry Story: From Tragedy to Triumph – Improving Patient Care and Safety Through the Adoption of Technology,” will take place during the Intelligent Hospital Preconference Symposium, jointly hosted by IEEE, the world's largest professional association dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity, and the RFID in Healthcare Consortium (RHCC). The Symposium brings together some of the brightest, most influential physicians from the top hospitals in the country, to share case studies and discuss how the implementation of innovative technologies are creating dramatic improvements in patient care, patient safety, and operating efficiencies.
Jerry’s attendance at the Symposium and HIMSS conference is provided by MEPS Real-Time, Inc., a company on the leading edge of providing products and services focused on increasing patient safety in healthcare settings. BD Medical, a segment of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), will be co-hosting Jerry’s presentation with MEPS Real-Time, Inc. on Tuesday, Feb. 25, in the HIMSS Intelligent Hospital.
Following is a complete list of events where Jerry will speak during the week of the HIMSS conference:
- Sunday, Feb. 23, 8:00 AM at the Hilton Hotel Orlando: Jerry will present the keynote speech at the Intelligent Hospital Preconference Symposium.
- Monday, Feb. 24, 5:30 PM at the Orange County Convention Center, Leadership Theater, Intelligent Hospital Pavilion: During the RHCC and Intelligent Hospital Awards banquet, Jerry will accept an award on behalf of the Emily Jerry Foundation that recognizes leaders in advanced healthcare technology solutions. Q&A with press to follow.
- Tuesday, Feb. 25, 1:45 PM at the Orange County Convention Center, Leadership Theater, Intelligent Hospital Pavilion: Jerry will present a talk on how medical facilities can be made safer by identifying technology proven to minimize ‘human medical errors.’ Press conference with Q&A to follow in the Intelligent Hospital Welcome Center.
Those interested in making a donation to the Emily Jerry Foundation may do so during the HIMSS conference at the IEEE kiosk at the Intelligent Hospital Pavilion (Hall E, Booth 8265), online at emilyjerryfoundation.org, or by mail with checks payable to The Emily Jerry Foundation, 7665 Mentor Ave., Suite 343, Mentor, Ohio, 44060.
About the Emily Jerry Foundation
Founded in 2006, and based in Mentor, Ohio, the Emily Jerry Foundation is determined to help make the nation’s world-renowned, medical facilities safer for everyone, beginning with babies and children. The Foundation is accomplishing this very important objective by focusing on increasing public awareness of key patient safety related issues and identifying technology and best practices that are proven to minimize the “human error” component of medicine. Through its ongoing efforts, the Emily Jerry Foundation is working hard to save lives every day. For more information, visit www.emilyjerryfoundation.org.
About BD
BD is a leading medical technology company that partners with customers and stakeholders to address many of the world’s most pressing and evolving health needs. Our innovative solutions are focused on improving drug delivery, enhancing the diagnosis of infectious diseases and cancers, supporting the management of diabetes and advancing cellular research. We are nearly 30,000 associates in 50 countries who strive to fulfill our purpose of “Helping all people live healthy lives” by advancing the quality, accessibility, safety and affordability of healthcare around the world. For more information, please visit www.bd.com.
The Intelligent Hospital
The “Intelligent Hospital” was created to help raise the level of awareness and to educate the healthcare industry on the many applications of RFID and RTLS technologies integrated within the clinical scenarios. Visitors to the Intelligent Hospital Pavilion will see first-hand how these technologies are able to deliver real time data from the patient’s room/bedside to the clinicians smart mobile devices, thus providing care givers with real time visibility of people, assets, and processes. For more information, visit www.intelligenthospital.org.
About IEEE
IEEE is a large, global professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities, IEEE is the trusted voice on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics. Learn more at http://www.ieee.org.
About MEPS Real-Time, Inc.
MEPS Real-Time, Inc. is the market leader in developing cutting-edge RFID solutions for hospitals. Our goal is to safely and accurately manage high-value, critical-dose medication dispensing and delivery to patients. For more information visit www.mepsrealtime.com.
About the RFID in Healthcare Consortium
The RFID in Healthcare Consortium (RHCC) is a not-for-profit, global organization founded to elevate awareness and to educate the Life Sciences community on the adoption of new technologies. The RHCC is an educationally focused, vendor neutral, technology and frequency agnostic, association dedicated to promoting the use and adoption of auto-ID, NFC, RFID, RTLS, sensors and wireless technologies in the healthcare, assisted and independent living and nursing home industries. For more information, please visit: www.rfidinhealthcare.org/rhcc/rfid-healthcare.
