I filled you in on this event earlier this month. Below are the details I’ve been waiting to announce…

Summa Health System
Grand Rounds Presentation

The Emily Jerry Story:
A Tragedy, a Trial, and a Triumph

Christopher Jerry
President & CEO, Emily Jerry Foundation

Eric Cropp
Former Pharmacist & “Second Victim”

Sponsored by the Department of Medicine and the Department of Pharmacy

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Read more…

Yesterday morning I took part in the following Webinar offered by PharmCon at freece.com:
Emily’s Act Revisited: The Pharmacist, The Family and the Medication Error That Changed Their Lives -LAW-
Continuing Education Credits for Healthcare Professionals

Program Overview
This presentation reviews the effect of a tragic medication error on the lives of the two victims, patient Emily Jerry and pharmacist Eric Cropp. Over the span of four years since the incident, much has changed in the lives of the families involved and in the practice of pharmacy. This compelling and emotion presentation is presented by Eric Cropp and Chris Jerry. This is the sequel to “Emily’s Act: Impact on Public Safety and Medication Errors”, which many participants stated was the most moving continuing education program they have ever attended.

To learn more about the repeat presentation on Thursday, August 25th visit the freece site by clicking here.

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Here are some of the reviews we received from participants. I truly appreciate their candor and honesty. I am also ecstatic that I am making a difference in their education by relaying Emily’s story. Comments are below…

Click here to read the rest.

The Emily Jerry Foundation and eBroselow LLC are pleased to announce a
partnership to promote pediatric dosing safety and standardization.

Over two decades ago, Dr. James Broselow invented the Broselow Tape to
make pediatric treatments faster and safer. The Broselow Tape, now
used in virtually every emergency room and EMS unit in the US, is
considered the gold standard for pediatric dosing. More recently, Dr.
Broselow and his partner Dr. Bob Luten, a nationally-recognized ER
doctor and author of resuscitation-related courseware, broadly expanded
the concepts of the Broselow Tape in their Artemis emergency pediatric
care software.

Artemis addresses the problem that in EMS and emergency room settings,
code situations requiring acute dosing with children are error-prone.
They are particularly stressful and challenging due to the sensitivity
of children to drugs and due to the complex calculations required.

Contributing to the problem, there is no national standard for acute
pediatric dosing. In 2010, eBroselow and the nonprofit Pediatric
Pharmacy Advocacy group, the worlds largest organization for pediatric
pharmacists, launched the Artemis initiative to address this lack of a
standard.

eBroselow is based in Blacksburg, VA and has a shared vision of saving
children’s lives. eBroselow donated the Artemis system to the Haiti
earthquake rescue efforts, with great success. Artemis is available for
hospitals through contacting eBroselow.com. Its companion app, SafeDose,
is available on the iPhone, Android, and Blackberry app stores.

It’s always exciting for a speaker to hear how his/her presentation was received by the audience. Below are some examples of feedback Pharmacy OneSource obtained from attendees after the free webinar:

“Very insightful. I highly appreciate both sides of the story and how you both have come through the pain to help others not have this occur. God bless you both. Thank you.”

“Excellent work. Continue to stress the systems aspect of patient safety.”

“Great topic to bring awareness… Stories are the best way to get people thinking and changing with regards to patient safety.”

“Great. Have heard Chris and Eric before but more details available today, which was very helpful.”
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Read More…

I was honored to be a guest lecturer to Sanford-Browns students on the Cleveland Clinic campus a little under a month ago. It is therapeutic for me to tell my story and know that I am taking action, and helping the cause so other parents never have to go through the struggle my family has.

Pharmacy Technology Program Director Kristen Kay Malacos and Christine Koch, President of Sanford-Brown were kind enough to write a recommendation letter on my behalf. I have posted it below:

Sanford-Brown College
July 20, 2011

To Whom It May Concern:

This is a letter expressing my personal recommendation for
Mr. Chris Jerry. Mr. Jerry has been an extremely beneficial
resource for my students, and has provided them with vital
information for preparing for a career in pharmacy technology.

On June 30th, 2011, my students were given the opportunity
to hear Mr. Jerry speak at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in
Cleveland, OH. My students and I were amazed with his story,
and impressed with his motivation, courage, and strong desire
to advocate for patient safety and patient caregivers. Since
his speech, I have noticed a huge difference in the determination
and focus of my students. Mr. Jerry’s compelling message has
inspired them to become better students, so eventually they can
become even better pharmacy technicians. Sanford-Brown College
is grateful for having been given the opportunity
to hear his powerful message.

I would highly recommend Mr. Jerry for a speaking engagement.
He gives an inspiring talk about forgiveness, compassion, and how
to turn a tragedy into an opportunity for change. Through his relentless
work on the Emily Jerry Foundation, he is also providing an outlet
for both caregivers and patients, who are victims of medication errors,
to tell their story and get support from the pharmacy community.
Mr. Jerry has been a huge benefit for future pharmacy technicians
from Sanford-Brown College, and I hope other pharmacy workers,
both future and current, can have this same opportunity.

Sincerely,

Kristen Kay Malacos, Pharmacy Technology Program Director

Christine Koch, President

17535 Rosbough Drive, Suite 100 I Middleburg Heights, OH 44130
p: 440.239.9640 I f: 440.239.9648

To download a pdf of the recommendation letter click here.

My patient safety lecture went extremely well last week at the Cleveland Clinic. There were over 350 people in attendance including pharmacists & pharmacy technicians from the Cleveland Clinic and pharmacy technician students from Sanford-Brown College, which sponsored the event. We took a low budget video on my iphone and will be uploading edited clips shortly! The Emily Jerry Foundation is currently planning other talks at the Cleveland Clinic in the near future as well, so watch for announcements on this site.

I am humbled by all the special people that helped make this speech a reality. I’d especially like to convey a special thank you to Sanford Brown College for sponsoring this event, and to the Cleveland Clinic for graciously hosting us.

The following individuals were instrumental in the success and implementation of this worthwhile endeavor:

–Kristen Malacos, Pharmacy Technology Program Director, for Sanford Brown College

–Dr. Morton P. Goldman, System Director, Academic Affairs and International Business Development, Assistant Professor Department of Medicine CCLCM, Cleveland Clinic

–Erin M. Ortiz Blanco, Pharmacy Technician Training Coordinator, Cleveland Clinic

–Dr. Shannon Connor Phillips, Quality Officer, Cleveland Clinic

A sincere Thank You to those listed above and to everyone else involved in the event! May this be the first of many more to come.