Sepsis Alliance hosted the 8th Sepsis Heroes, the organization’s annual fundraising gala, on September 12, 2019 at Marquee in New York City.
Click here to see photos from the 2019 gala.
The 2019 class of Sepsis Heroes ranges from a former four-term Governor to a children’s hospital in Texas. Scroll down to learn more about the 2019 Sepsis Heroes.
The 2019 Sepsis Heroes were:
- Governor Tommy Thompson, the former Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary and four-term Governor of Wisconsin, is one of the nation’s leading health and welfare advocates dedicated to improving sepsis treatment and saving lives. He leads Stop Sepsis, Save Lives Coalition, a coalition of stakeholders dedicated to championing sepsis awareness and the importance of early diagnosis and appropriate intervention in the halls of Congress and with the nation’s top lawmakers.
- Maile Le Boeuf, a Northern California resident, developed maternal sepsis after giving birth to her second child. Despite the physical and emotional challenges she still faces, Maile is a dedicated sepsis advocate. She shares her deeply personal story with media, during educational webinars, and at public events large and small to educate the public about the signs and symptoms of sepsis, and to provide healthcare professionals with a patient’s perspective.
- Texas Children’s Hospital, located in Houston, Texas, implemented an innovative approach to sepsis care that resulted in a drop in sepsis mortality over the past two years among both mothers and children. Key to this approach is a computerized algorithm they developed to help identify and diagnose sepsis early. This algorithm runs in the background, covering nearly all patients in the facility.
- Trevor O’Hern, an Indiana resident, had never heard of sepsis before it took the life of his 18-month-old niece Josslyn. In honor of his niece, Trevor and his family worked with legislators in Indiana to successfully pass House Bill 1275. This bill requires that all hospitals in Indiana have a sepsis protocol in place.
- Stop Sepsis at Home, an initiative of the Home Care Association of New York, created the nation’s first sepsis assessment tool, algorithm, and protocol designed for home health clinicians, with applicability to other community health settings and providers. The initiative has been adopted by home health providers serving 55 of New York’s 62 counties, with the remaining counties planning to adopt it.
- Darrell Raikes and Kentucky FCCLA – Erin Kay Flatley Spirit Award Winners – In 2017, not long after surviving sepsis and spending more than a month in the intensive care unit (ICU), Raikes approached Kentucky FCCLA and asked the organization of passionate high school students to help raise sepsis awareness. The students of Kentucky FCCLA took on the challenge. Working with Darrell, they started the FCCLA Sepsis Awareness state-wide campaign to educate their fellow young adults about sepsis and to support Sepsis Alliance.
