Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Who: Victoria Nahum, a national speaker on hospital-acquired infections, decided to dedicate her life to raising awareness of hospital-acquired infections after three family members became infected in less than a year. Nahum and her husband founded Safe Care Campaign to educate hospital workers and the public at large about hospital-acquired infections, also known as “HAIs”. Nahum, who travels around the country to tell her story, will deliver her speech to the Presbyterian Hospital Matthews and the Charlotte community on Thursday, April 23.
What: Nahum will share her program, “Change One Thing, Change Everything — The Power of One” with Presbyterian employees and community members. Nahum, who has spoken at Presbyterian Hospital before, will share her amazing and heart-rending story of her three family members who were hospitalized in three different states within 10 months’ time. One of these family members, Nahum’s son, tragically died as result of his infection at age 27. Josh’s story has been featured on a number of national and local TV and radio programs including CBS Evening News with Katie Couric and Fox News, as well as CNN’s “The Empowered Patient.”
Nahum has not only witnessed the consequences of HAIs, but she also has experienced them firsthand. An infection survivor herself, Nahum has carried staph in her chest wall for nearly six years.
Why: Presbyterian Hospital Matthews welcomes Nahum and her testimony as a part of the organization’s continued commitment to quality care and the remarkable patient experience. Presbyterian Healthcare has long emphasized the importance of infection prevention efforts through their nationally-acclaimed hand-washing campaign that reduced MRSA rates by 53 percent across the healthcare system earning Novant Health and Presbyterian Healthcare a prestigious Ernest A. Codman Award from the Joint Commission in 2008.
When: Thursday, April 23, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.
Where: Presbyterian Hospital Matthews (Community Rooms A-D)
1500 Matthews Township Parkway
