Terre Haute, Ind. - A mother and health advocate, who claims her daughter died as a result of mistakes made by medical professionals, will speak at Indiana State University on Nov. 23.
Since the death of her 18-month-old daughter in February of 2001, Sorrel King has undertaken a mission to prevent patients from dying or being harmed by medical errors.
King's daughter died at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore after she had been treated for two weeks for second-degree burns on 60 percent of her body. King attributes her daughter's death to healthcare providers' failure to recognize that she was dehydrated and improperly medicated.
King has since established the Josie King Foundation with the goal of uniting healthcare providers and consumers, and funding innovative safety programs to ensure patient safety. It's a pressing matter, according to King's Web site, which claims as many as 98,000 patients die annually in U.S. hospitals as a result of medical errors.
King, also the author of the book "Josie's Story," was featured in Good Housekeeping's October issue.
King will speak Nov. 23 at ISU's University Hall Auditorium beginning at 12:30 p.m. A book signing will follow at the conclusion of King's remarks.
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Contact: Ruth Thompson, administrative assistant, College of Nursing, Health, and Human Services, Indiana State University at 812-237-3683 or ruth.thompson@indstate.edu.
Writer: Rachel Wedding McClelland, assistant director of media relations, Communications and Marketing, Indiana State University at 812-237-3790 or rachel.mcclelland@indstate.edu.