As a grassroots organizer for the Safe Patient Project of Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, I have the honor of collaborating with an extraordinary network of advocates, most of who endured a personal medical harm experience and had the strength to channel their suffering and loss into patient safety advocacy through policy and public awareness. Two of these amazing advocates in our Safe Patient network are mothers Helen Haskell and Julia Hallisy of the Empowered Patient Coalition, who are using their experience and wisdom to help patients and caregivers avoid medical harm in the hospital.

If you are in the San Diego area this weekend, join us on Saturday at the Balboa Park Club Santa Fe Room (in Balboa Park) for our free patient safety training from 9:30-1. (RSVP here). Julia and Helen, who will lead the training, have written a detailed Guide to Hospital Care for Patients and Families,to help people navigate and understand their options as a patient or advocate. You can read their bios here. As an added bonus, hospital guides will be available for free to attendees. Topics they’ll cover in the training are choosing an advocate, preparing your documents, and discussing wishes; understanding and working with your medical team; making the most of your medical record and much more.

Some of the dangers patients currently face in our U.S. hospitals are hospital infections, medical errors, unsafe drugs and bad doctors. More than 100,000 people die from medical harm, including hospital-acquired infections every year in the US, and millions more are injured. If you have a personal story to share about a medical harm experience belonging to you or a loved one, please consider sharing your story with Consumers Union’s Safe Patient Project here. With your voice, we can become a powerful agent of eliminating medical harm.

You can watch our interview of Helen below, about how she formed Mothers Against Medical Error after the death of her son Lewis due to medical error.