Many packed into the Zeke Bryant Auditorium to hear Mr. Edward Salazar share the heart-wrenching story of his 27-year-old son's death. The focus of the presentation, held on February 6, was patient safety. Mr. Salazar reminded health care providers and students in attendance that patients are not "just patients," but also wives, husbands, sisters, brothers, sons and daughters.  

His story demonstrated that it can be deadly when a health care provider does not recognize when there is a problem with a patient or when they recognize a problem but do not act. Mr. Salazar shocked many attendees by stating that medical errors are the third leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States. Mr. Salazar is an active member of the Patient Safety Movement. The movement’s mission includes unifying the health care ecosystem (hospitals, health care technology companies, government, patient advocates, clinicians, engineers, etc.); identifying the challenges that are killing patients to create actionable solutions; and asking hospitals to implement Actionable Patient Safety Solutions.  

The Patient Safety Movement’s goal is zero preventable patient deaths by 2020.  

The School of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences hosts quarterly presentations on pertinent health topics to provide students with opportunities to collaborate and engage with each other, faculty and the community.