A Government Travesty May Cause More American Deaths

Suppose you knew of a hospital program that in the span of 18 months had saved 1500 lives, saved $200 million, and cost practically nothing to implement? Sounds like nothing short of a miracle, right? Particularly if you are one of the 1500 or their loved ones....

Now suppose someone told you that the program was closed down and not only cannot continue, but may not be replicated in other hospitals, because the very fact that it requires paperwork makes it unethical.

Unethical? It saved 1500 lives, lost NO lives, made NO one else sicker. How can that be unethical?

The program was developed by Johns Hopkins to prevent MRSA and other hospital infections. It was implemented one year ago -- and the results were "stunning." All it required was use of a five point checklist used by the health professionals who interfaced with a patient. They would check off the steps they are expected to take anyway -- from washing their hands first to donning surgical gowns before they put an IV line in. The results? Infection rates were cut by two-thirds and ICU infection rates went from 4 percent to zero. Nada. None.

It's OUR government who has deemed it unethical. The Office for Human Research Protections has shut down the program saying that since the patients (the 1500 whose lives were spared) didn't sign a consent form, then they were being experimented upon -- therefore the practice is unethical.

Are you as appalled as I am? A simple checklist is put into the same category as Nazi experiments in the 1940s? Put this in the category of "you have GOT to be kidding me!" Since when did paperwork become a threat to human life?

If you are as appalled as I am, please take a moment to write your congress representative. Here are the links to the info you need about who they are and how to get in touch:

To write your US representative: http://www.house.gov/writerep/

To contact your US senator: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Hesitating? Just think for a moment about those 1500 people. What if you had been one of them -- or your loved one had? I've lost three friends to hospital infections. How many have you lost?

And if 1500 lives could be saved in ONE state in ONE year -- how many can be saved across the country?

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