New York is on the way to becoming the first state in the country to mandate specific protocols to reduce deaths from Sepsis, a bacterial infection that produces toxins which disrupt the body's normal reaction to infection.
Tuesday at the State Capitol, NY Health Commissioner Dr. Nirav Shah outlined reforms to fight Sepsis, a disease he says affects 750,000 Americans annually and kills more people annually than Aids, prostate and breast cancer combined.
Shah stresses that early detection is the key to successful treatment.
New York's new Sepsis-fighting protocol and other tweaks in hospital procedure have been dubbed "Rory's Regulations" after 12-year old Rory Staunton from Queens, who died from Sepsis days after he cut his arm playing basketball. Rory's dad Ciaran says the family learned about their son's blood test results when they got a bill in the mail from the laboratory that handled the procedure.
Governor Andrew Cuomo pledged in his State of the State address that New York would set a "gold standard" for patient care.
Dr. Shah promises New York's proposed regulations will protect pediatric patients by requiring, among other things, that hospitals communicate critical test results in plain language to parents before their child is discharged .
The Stauntons say they will continue to advocate for awareness about Sepsis - they plan to take their crusade National.
