Patient Safety Movement Foundation Holds Demonstration In Washington, D.C. To Unite For Safe Care

Patient And Health Worker Safety Advocates Will Walk From Freedom Plaza To The U.S. Capitol To Kick Off World Patient Safety Day Activities

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, the nonpartisan nonprofit Patient Safety Movement Foundation will lead a demonstration in the nation’s capital to raise awareness for the patient safety crisis that claims more than 200,000 lives annually in the U.S. due to preventable medical harm.

The demonstration begins at 10am ET from Freedom Plaza and participants will walk down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol Lawn, where they will hold a remembrance of loved ones lost needlessly to preventable medical errors. The demonstrators will also demand the creation of a National Patient Safety Board to implement data-driven standards, transparency, accountability, and aligned incentives.

The demonstration kicks off the Foundation’s Unite For Safe Care activities for World Patient Safety Day -- the World Health Organization-established day of awareness and action each September 17th. At 5pm ET, the Foundation will broadcast its free Unite For Safe Care virtual event on YouTube Live, co-hosted by eSports phenomenon Jake Lyon and keynoted by President Bill Clinton, and featuring a special musical performance by pop icon Belinda Carlisle.

“COVID-19 has exposed the safety gaps in our healthcare system that already cause 200,000 deaths a year,” said Dr. David B. Mayer, CEO of the Patient Safety Movement Foundation. “Many of us also have very personal stories of loss and tragedy related to preventable medical harm. Now is the time for change and improvement as we work toward zero preventable patient deaths by 2030.”

The Patient Safety Movement Foundation’s Unite For Safe Care campaign is co-convened with the American Society of Anesthesiologists, The Leapfrog Group, and the International Society for Quality in Health Care.

About the Patient Safety Movement Foundation

Each year, more than 200,000 people die unnecessarily in U.S. hospitals. Worldwide, 4.8 million lives are similarly lost. The Patient Safety Movement Foundation (PSMF) is a global nonprofit on a mission to eliminate preventable deaths from hospital errors. PSMF uniquely brings patients and patient advocates, healthcare providers, medical technology companies, government, employers, and private payers together under the same cause. From our Actionable Patient Safety Solutions and industry Open Data Pledge to our World Patient Safety, Science & Technology Summit and more, PSMF won’t stop fighting until we achieve zero.

For more information, please visit www.patientsafetymovement.org.