In 1990, Ilene Corina was working as a letter carrier with the United States Postal Service and was also the mother of Michael, who was then 3 years old. Michael had been suffering from chronic ear infections and his pediatrician recommended that he have a tonsillectomy. Michael had the surgery and was sent home later that day to recuperate. But the following week, Ilene and her husband, George, spent hours taking Michael back and forth between the doctor’s office and the emergency room, because Michael was bleeding at the site where the surgery was performed.  Despite doctors and nurses telling his parents repeatedly that the bleeding was normal and everything was fine, Michael Corina bled to death.

His death was one of thousands chalked up to doctor error every year. “There was no support system in place, so I was forced to seek support from lawyers,” Ilene explains. “No one should go through this alone. Education and peer support play a large role in reducing the rate of errors.”

To help provide that forum, in 1996 Ilene founded Persons United Limiting Substandards and Errors in Health Care (PULSE) of New York. PULSE is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness about patient safety and reducing medical errors through advocacy, education and support. It seeks to empower the public to make informed decisions, increase effective communication between healthcare providers and the public, and create community partnerships that will ultimately lead to a safer healthcare environment.

“People who work in healthcare want to do the right thing. It’s the system that’s fallen apart. PULSE is about the patient, healthcare provider and the
family working together. We offer education and support and advise that the advocate become an active member of the healthcare team,” says Ilene.
Ilene cited some very sobering statistics. According to a July 2006 report by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 1.5 million people are injured by medication errors each year. It is estimated that on average, there is at least one medication error per hospital patient per day. Ilene asks, “What other industry allows that kind of safety record? People need the same education they get for breast cancer or birth control. We need to program people to look at the medications they are taking and read the labels.”

According to Ilene, the mission of PULSE is to get its message in front of as many people as possible. As she says, “I want to get to everyone: It’s that important. I have to. Our best audience is the hospitals. They want to hear what the patients are saying.”

Ilene has worked with Nassau County youth programs and spoken at groups such as AARP and at local libraries. “I have been trying to build a tunnel [between patients and healthcare] where a patient can feel comfortable questioning the medical community,” she explains.

Ilene is a board commissioner of the prestigious Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, an independent organization that evaluates and accredits healthcare organizations, and is also a board member of the National Patient Safety Foundation. 

Ilene says, “I just want to save one person. We are the last line of defense. Your voice may change the outcome.”

To learn more, call PULSE at 516-579-4711 or 800-96-PULSE, e-mail at PULSE516@..., or visit at www.pulse
america.org or www.pulseofny.com.