Channel 5’s 'Chronicle' interviews Chancellor Collins about patient safety
The award-winning television news magazine “Chronicle” spent several hours on the Worcester campus this week to interview Chancellor Michael F. Collins for a future story on patient safety and how UMass Medical School is educating students about medical errors and communication among care givers.
Producers had taken note of the Medical School’s Summer Read program, implemented by the Chancellor in 2009, that culminates in a student dinner and book discussion and the Convocation keynote address. This year, students, faculty and staff read The Best Practice by former Boston Globe reporter Charles Kenney. The book includes the heart-breaking story of Josie King, a toddler who died as a result of medical errors. Josie's mother, Sorrel King, has become a vocal advocate and driving force in improving communication and safety to reduce hospital errors.
Chancellor Collins invited King, along with Kenney and George Dover, MD, the Johns Hopkins physician in charge at the time of Josie’s death, to take part in a dialogue with students and faculty following the keynote address at Convocation. In her compelling presentation, King urged students to listen to their patients, remember why they entered the medical field, and to change the culture in medicine for the better.
In addition to interviewing Chancellor Collins, the “Chronicle” team spent time with several medical students and spoke to Stephen Heard, MD, chair and professor of anesthesiology and surgery, about programs medical centers can implement to reduce hospital-acquired infections.
Stay tuned to UMassMedNow for updates on when the segment will air. “Chronicle” can be seen weeknights at 7:30 p.m. on WCVB-TV, Channel 5.
