Thank You, Tony Galbo, For Helping Us #MakeGeorgiaSepsisSafe
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I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Mr. Tony Galbo for working with the James D. Moore Memorial Foundation for Sepsis Awareness to help us in our efforts to #MakeGeorgiaSepsisSafe. This process has been a long arduous endeavor; but nonetheless, one that is most needed and long overdue for the State of Georgia.
We sincerely appreciate you for taking the time and putting forth the initiative to reach out to our State Lawmakers with regard to them supporting Senate Bill 361.
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Dear, Chairman Watson, and Members of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee;
My name is Tony Galbo, I am writing to ask for your support for the proposed mandatory sepsis Protocol Legislation SB361 (Jay’s Law) authored by Senator Jackson and sponsored by Senators Jones, Karinshak and Jordan.
In May of 2012 my five-year-old daughter, Gabriella Galbo, needlessly died of septic shock after an infection went repeatedly untreated by doctors. After her passing, my wife and I worked to get sepsis legislation passed in Illinois, and in August of 2016 SB2403 Gabby’s Law was passed and signed into law by Governor Bruce Rauner.
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This law is to ensure that every hospital in the state of Illinois adopts, implements, and periodically updates sepsis protocols, helping to further prevent needless deaths from sepsis. As I am sure you are familiar, sepsis is the body’s overwhelming immune response to an infection, and can affect any person, of any age, and can result from any infection.
Lack of protocols and recognition cost patients timely, lifesaving treatment, 288,000 countless deaths, and in addition sepsis costs hospitals an estimated 26-52 billion dollars a year across the U.S. Lives lost, and billions spent, all as a result of something which is highly preventable, and treatable if the proper protocols for recognizing and treating are in place. Currently, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, and Indiana all have state-mandated sepsis protocols in every hospital. No individual should have to enter into any hospital, in any state, and wonder if they have protocols in place against the safeguard of sepsis, a condition that requires the same urgency as a heart attack or stroke.
Last year, I was contacted by Karen Moore, your constituent from Savanah Georgia, who lost her husband James to sepsis in 2009, in the hopes that I could help her initiate sepsis legislation in Georgia. James went to the E.R. and was in septic shock and was in critical condition. His signs and symptoms for sepsis were ignored for many hours. By the time he was transferred to the ICU James was in MODS ( Multi-Organ Dysfunction), ARDS ( Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome). If James’s symptoms were recognized when he got to the E.R. they could have started fluid resuscitation to keep his blood pressure up, taken CBC, CMP, Latic Acid and Blood Cultures and started James on Broad Spectrum Antibiotics to try to combat his infection which was unknown at the time.
For every hour severe sepsis goes untreated your mortality rate goes up by 8%. By the time James was admitted to the ICU his mortality rate went up by 50%-60% and how much time went by before they started life-saving treatments. They had squandered any and every chance of trying to save James.
Karen and James should’ve celebrated their 21st wedding anniversary this year. Karen is also a sepsis survivor and was saved because her E.R. doctors knew the signs and symptoms. Karen has tirelessly educated herself and has been educating others on the signs and symptoms of sepsis and through her advocacy has saved countless lives. Karen has been working with Senator Jackson and Representative Gordon on getting SB361 (Jay’s Law) introduced into law.
Jay’s law will mandate all hospitals have the most current sepsis protocols for both pediatric and adult patients. Every patient showing signs and symptoms will be screened for sepsis as urgent as a heart attack and stroke patient.
Mandatory sepsis protocols will save lives, every second matter. I’ve testified for both Illinois SB2403 (Gabby’s Law) and Indiana HB1275 (Josslyn’s Law) and was present for both stakeholders’ meetings.
Both Illinois and Indiana’s Hospital Associations and Department of Health supported sepsis legislation. I’ve been invited to the CDC many times to discuss sepsis, been to the CMS in Baltimore, I am co-chair for the sepsis working group for The Patient Safety Movement Foundation. Attached below is a summary of my daughter’s story, and what was initiated in Illinois. I urge you to support in helping to make Georgia sepsis safe so that no other family will have to suffer the needless consequences of this preventable condition. Please feel free to contact me with any further concerns and or questions. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Tony Galbo
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GEORGIA It’s Time To Act
We Need Your Help To #MakeGeorgiaSepsisSafe!
Please join us in the fight for Statewide Sepsis Protocols in Georgia. It only takes a minute to ASK your lawmakers to SUPPORT and Co-Sponsor Georgia Senate Bill 361 – #JaysLaw.
Find your legislator by using the following link – https://openstates.org/ga/legislators/
Then contact both your House and State Representatives via a telephone call, postal letter or email and ask them to co-sponsor and support GA SB361 – Jay’s Law.
We need your support!
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