We had the opportunity to attend the premier of the Discovery Channel documentary “Surfing the Healthcare Tsunami; Bring Your Best Board” on Friday April 27th in Washington DC at the National Press Club. While there I met Sully Sullenberger who incredibly landed US Airways Flight 1549, which had been disabled by striking a flock of Canadian geese during their initial climb out, in the Hudson River off Manhattan, New York City, on January 15, 2009. All of the 155 passengers and crew aboard the aircraft survived. Sully is not only a great guy in my opinion, he’s a true American Hero!
This patient safety documentary features the initial interview I did last year with Eric Cropp, where I publicly forgave him for what happened with Emily. I have always felt very strongly about the fact that when these horrible tragedies occur in medicine, that the real focus should always be on “where did the system break down?’ and not on any one individual who clearly had no malice. In looking at things from this perspective, I truly believe that we can learn from these horrible events and implement measures and safeguards to prevent these same medical errors from occurring over and over again.
This documentary aired on The Discovery Channel for the first time Saturday, April 28th at 8:00am. It can be viewed below…
