Message to CAALA Members

CAALA Attendees:

We’ve all been following, and many have participated in, the Ice Bucket Challenge, which has been incredibly successful in raising awareness and money to help find a cure for ALS. What a brilliant idea—raising over $65 million in just over a month! It got us thinking that we should issue the Patient Safety Challenge to help raise money and awareness to support the Troy and Alana Pack Patient Safety Act by Sending a Message that Patient Safety Matters.

Up to 440,000 patients die each year because of preventable medical errors by hospitals and doctors,­ making it the third leading cause of death in America—behind only heart disease and cancer.  In California, that means more than 40,000 patient deaths at the hands of physicians each year. The Troy and Alana Pack Patient Safety Act protects patient safety by requiring drug and alcohol testing of doctors, cracking down on prescription drug abuse and overprescribing, and holding doctors accountable for negligence. Since 1975, the current cap of $250,000 for the loss of life or injury caused by medical negligence has never been increased to keep up with the cost of inflation. 38 years? Enough is enough. By adjusting the cap for inflation, this measure ensures victims of negligence and their families are fairly compensated and can hold doctors accountable for their negligence.

Many of you have contributed to Prop 46—and we say thank you. But we want to issue a new challenge, the Patient Safety Challenge. We aren’t asking you to pour a bucket of ice water over your head. We are asking that you Send A Message That Patient Safety Matters by texting Prop46 and your donation amount to 41444. We will be launching the Patient Safety Challenge this weekend at the CAALA Convention. CAALA has set up a live streaming text messaging system to allow attendees to donate to Yes on 46 during the convention. CAALA has accepted the challenge and will be challenging other TLA’s to do so as well. For those that Accept the Challenge in Las Vegas, make sure to pick up your Gold sticker and proudly place it on your badge so others will know that you Sent a Message That Patient Safety Matters.

The text messaging account will remain open through the election. Send a Message that Patient Safety Matters by forwarding this email to your friends and family asking them to text and contribute as well.  Send A Message by liking YesProp46 on Facebook and following @YesProp46 on Twitter. Please Accept the Patient Safety Challenge and join us in spreading the word that Patient Safety Matters.

The system is in place, so, while in Las Vegas, Send a Message that Patient Safety Matters – Text 41444 right now, we did!

• Geoff Wells
• John Feder
• Thomas V. Girardi
• Amy Solomon
• Bruce Broillet
• Browne Greene
• Brian Panish
• Adam Shea
• Dave Ring
• Ricardo Echeverria
• Michael Alder
• Brian Kabateck
• Brian Chase