Alliance for Safety Awareness for Patients

Alicia Cole has an emotionally moving and important story to tell regarding the short comings of our healthcare system. She is a very talented presenter who is enduring a significant handicap. Her willingness to share her story so others will never have to endure what she is currently going through is a strong motivator for healthcare professionals to change the system. To become more patient centered and less profit driven.

Alicia Cole is founder of the Alliance for Safety Awareness for Patients (ASAP). She was one of the keynote speaker at the 2010 Conference for Healthcare Transparency and Patient Advocacy in Lexington, KY. Her message was riveting and relevant. As she shared her story you could hear a pin drop. After being the victim of a iatrogenic infection (hospital acquired), she has chosen to channel her energies (in spite of ongoing health issues) as a patient advocate to help make healthcare safer for others. All laypeople and healthcare workers from the bedside to the C-Suite should make an effort to hear Alicia speak. GO! Hospital acquired infections kill > 90,000 people each year.

This is s non profit agency that is truly advocates for patients. Lisa Cole, CEO of the organization is a true believer of patient awareness and safe practice in the medical field. I fully support this type of organization and find it to be one that truly has the right of patients at the heart. Please join or support this organization. Any and all of help is needed to make sure that patients will always have safe and clean medical practice.

Alicia Cole blessed my high school academy in the month of september of 2009. I attended Blair High Schools Health Careers Academy in the city of Pasadena, where over 200 future health professionals are trained and given the tools to be amazing leaders in healthcare. As future health professionals we were always looking for ways to learn the business as much as possible. Mrs Cole agreed to share her amazing story of survival from MRSA. She tugged at the heartstrings of students and parents alike and gave us all great assurance of what our future was to look like that day. Her story of a hospital aquired infection proved to us that there are flaws in the health profession and made us determined to fix them in our bright futures. The city of Pasadena greatly thanked Ms. Cole for her time and courage and truly was one of the most memorable experiences yet.

Unfortunately, my friend Lisa almost died from a hospital infection. Fortunately, she survived. Lisa promised herself that if she survived, she would share her experiences and educate the public. Because of Lisa's near death experience, Alliance For Safety Awareness For Patients was born. ASAP is Lisa's way of keeping her word and showing her committment as an advocate working to educate the public on hospital infections as well as ways to prevent hospital infections. There is no doubt in my mind that Lisa's efforts will have a direct result on reform and accountability for those who have been affected...and sadly, for those who stand to be affected by these types of infections. Lisa is one of the few to survive such an experience. Through difficult times and stressful situations, Lisa consistently keeps her word to be an advocate for this cause. Considering all that Lisa has gone through, she is being very selfless and courageous as she shares her experiences and educates the public.

Alicia Cole, the founder of ASAP, has been one of the greatest inspirations of my life. Her mission to help save lives has touched me in so many ways. I'm so inspired by her tenacity and determination to make a difference in this world. I share her story and her mission all the time; others are left not only inspired, but also educated about hospital infections and what they need to do to protect themselves and their loved ones. My hope is that by sharing Alicia Cole's journey, I'm also helping ASAP save lives.

Last year, I phoned a friend of mine in panic. One of the young women in my family was in the hospital with something the doctors could not diagnose. We were having trouble speaking with them and concerned that the right tests were being performed. My friend referred me to Alliance For Safety Awareness For Patients. I went on their website and received information on how to speak with the doctors, was comforted in what we needed to know about her long stay in the hospital and became pro-active in her treatment; in the doctors finally finding out what was wrong with her and a peace of mind came over us because we were able to speak to the doctors with a knowledge of what to ask for. Our emotions weren't getting in the doctors' way any longer. We were calmed. I recommended this organization to many friends. I'd never seen a website like this. It is full of information that is very clear and easy to read. It put the power back into my family's hand, which made for a speedier recovery because we, again, were no longer just operating from emotion. I think this is a very valuable service. I honestly do not have any constructive criticism. I found this website to be thorough and easy to navigate.

I am extremely proud to contribute my time to this extremely beneficial organization. I am not only a personal friend of Ms. Cole but an admirer of her fight and struggle of a very important cause. She not only took on this monumental challenge, for her own necessity, but from the beginning of her ordeal, thought of how others were facing similar situations. Against every obstacle, health, financial, legal, and on and on, she gathered the fortitude to pick up the metaphoric slingshot to take on the Goliath challenge that has created this noble nonprofit. I am forever grateful for what ASAP does and even more gratefully will continue to help wherever and whenever I possibly can.

I am constantly referring my pre-med students, pre-dental and nursing students, friends and family to the ASAP website for patient safety and medical information. It is a great resource. Not only is the information important but it can help save lives.

This is a wonderful organization with an abundance of crucial information for anyone needing information navigating the hospital/ healthcare system. Alicia Cole is an inspiring and charismatic speaker who has shared the tribulations of her life experience with the hope that it will prevent others from suffering the same ordeal. As a middle school teacher of students with high-functioning autism at an at-risk low performing school, I am hoping that sometime in the future, she will be able to visit my school to educate and empower our youth.

I have been a surgical nurse for 30 years, and because of Ms. Cole's story, I initiated Terminal Cleaning in the Surgical Suites at the facility where I work. I cited references on MRSA/Staph, and gave her Web address as proof of the devistation that MRSA/Staph can cause to the human body.

I am a survivor of a near-fatal infection that my father brought home from his HMO and passed on to me. I wish I knew then what I know now! I have been a volunteer for ASAP since its beginning. I hand out brochures at doctor's offices and drugstores, post life-saving information online and create computer graphics. Everyone has to see a doctor or be hospitalized at some point in their life; It gives me great pride to know that, through ASAP, I have helped people have a better chance of avoiding infection and/or medical errors. Alicia's energy and caring knows no boundaries. It has been a great honor knowing her and volunteering my time to her endeavors.

My father has been in-and-out of the hospital during the last few years. I am embarrassed to share with you my ignorance of the numerous and various ways in which germs and illnesses are spread and how rapidly they can spread. ASAP (Alliance for Safety Awareness for Patients) provided me with excellent information on how to make my father's hospital stays shorter and safer... from asking medical staff to wash and sterilize their hands BEFORE putting on their gloves to washing their stethoscopes before using them on my father, plus much, much more. I am grateful for the fully practical information and suggestions this charity provides and for the kindness Ms. Cole showed when I spoke with her in this regard. You can deal with Ms. Cole with confidence, knowing that her information and strong, kind-hearted nature could save your life.

I met Ms. Cole at an outpatient PT clinic where she told me about her involvement of ASAP. As a future health care provider, her personal story made me much more aware of the safety standards that need to be enforced and increased. I believe that ASAP is a catalyst in pushing safety awareness for patients in a much needed manner, but not just safety for patients, but for the general public as well. Knowledge is power, but actions are crucial.

Tragedy strikes and dumps you at a crossroad. You take the uphill path and attempt to make a change in the world so that others will not suffer the same painful experience, or worse. Laws have already been impacted by this amazing woman on her journey for accountability and integrity within the healthcare industry. This organization conveys lifesaving information that will impact each one of us at some time in our lives. ASAP provides education for patients and their families, responsibility for healthcare providers, and it's founder, Alicia Cole, is an inspiration for all of us.

I made an online PSA for Kidsafe. It was very helpful to me, my school and lots of kids who did not know about deadly infections. I am happy that Alicia is doing this to let people know how to stay safe. I think one day this will save a lot of lives in America.

It is an honor to be a part of the work that ASAP for patients is doing! It's so important to inform the public about hospital infection rates, prevention and simple ways to protect ourselves from dangerous infections. I love to help get the word out by organizing fundraising opportunities like a holiday boutique or jewelry sales and spreading the word in any way possible about this organization. Through it's campaigns, Alicia Cole has directly helped the public by participating in the Governors' Board for infection reporting of hospitals, and speaking to medical students to help them understand the importance of preventing/treating infectious diseases properly in order to save lives. Allowing her to do more with this organization through donations and support is very important and someday can help save the life of your loved one!

A friend told me about her niece who'd gone into the hospital for a minor procedure and developed life-threatening symptoms. I sent her to the ASAP website and suggested that she give Alicia a call. Alicia spent more than an hour going over a checklist of what the girl's parents should do and questions they should ask her doctors. This service was offered free-of-charge and was very beneficial to the girl's parents and ultimately to their daughter's recovery

As an educator working in school counseling I have had the pleasure of introducing Ms. Cole to my students. Although her plight has greatly changed her life, she has been a relentless warrior in educating young people about the importance of being responsible and accountable, particularly if the choose to pursue a career in healthcare. I was most impressed by the pledge she encourages future healthcare providers to make by promising to make infection control and patient safety a part of their daily routine.

Life changing! Her lecture about patient safety and advocacy impacted my views on how to be a better nurse. She emphasized that basic things (such as hand washing and patient care) should not be forgotten by healthcare workers. Those things are so easy to do, yet healthcare workers sometimes forget the impact or result of not doing so. Those little mistakes nearly cost Ms. Cole her life. Fortunately, she is here with us to share her experiences. Her lecture was very touching, and you can feel her passion through her words. She wants to promote safety awareness for patients to everyone (especially those in healthcare) to help reduce nosocomial infections. With her busy schedule (between her non-profit and physical therapy), she even made time to speak to my class in such short notice for Women's History Month. This lady is incredible. She has impacted the way I practice nursing in such a positive way. I even gave one of her posters to my little niece and nephew to remind them to wash their hands so they don't spread germs.

Alicia is a God send to so many people. Her inspirational viewpoint on life sustains so many lives. She is using her trials to help others endure their own health matters. Alicia is tireless in the face of major adversity. Her advocacy, encouragement, legal battles, social networking rigors, only fuel her enthusiasm to infuse the world with knowledge to protect themselves while in hospitals.

Watching Alicia struggle with her pain and still be so passionate about promoting her cause to help others, has been inspiring. I have used her information in my own doctor/hospital visits to make sure that I remain healthy. ASAP's info needs to continue pushing health care professionals to do a better job of keeping patient's healthy through their actions.

I am a television news producer who has covered Alicia's story. I have been very moved by her effort to use her personal tragedy to help improved the lives and safety of others. Alicia is a passionate advocate for hospital safety. Patients have no better friend.

Alicia is a brave and wonderful person who suffered terribly at the mistakes of a major L.A. hospital. She nearly died from hospital contracted infections that ravaged her body, ruined her career and destroyed her economically. Despite these setbacks, she formed a powerful non profit organization to help people anywhere with their illnesses and how to get the best medical attention. She sponsored a bill in CA that was signed into law by the Governor that will help the lives of all the people of CA as well as set a hospital care standard for all of the U.S. This is an organization that will touch the lives of countless people and make hospital care safer for of us