Capitol Report | February 2021
New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) Director Greg Olsen moderated a live social media broadcast panel last week featuring HCA President Al Cardillo, sepsis survivors, and the Sepsis Alliance. The session, which can be watched here, commemorated National Sepsis Survivors Week.
Sepsis, a condition that is often fatal and always life-threatening, especially affects the home care population, Cardillo explained. In fact, 80% of sepsis hospitalizations have onset in the community, which is why HCA’s Stop Sepsis at Home program here has led the nation in developing the first home care screening tool and protocol to detect this lethal condition.
Last week’s broadcast featured powerful personal testimonials by sepsis survivors Jillian Thibault and Katy Grainger. Thibault, a New Yorker from the Capital Region, holds a key consumer adviser role in HCA’s efforts to pioneer a new pediatric sepsis program, address sepsis in special-needs populations, and integrate sepsis response across the continuum.
HCA profiled her story in 2019, including her multiple chronic bouts of sepsis due to a severe medical condition, gastroparesis, affecting her digestive functions and requiring daily infusions of intravenous nutrition through a line that is prone to infection.
During the session, Sepsis Alliance President Thomas Heymann provided a critical overview of sepsis facts, national data and medical information. Sepsis Alliance — along with End Sepsis: The Legacy of Rory Staunton — is a core partner on HCA’s Stop Sepsis at Home initiative.
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