Help prevent 100,000 unnecessary deaths a year

Will you or a loved one spend time in a hospital any time soon?

Two million people will get a hospital-related infection this year, and 100,000 will die from it-- every single one a preventable death.

Protocols exist for IV lines and central line and urinary catheters, the most common (but hardly sole) sources of infection, but hospitals are inconsistent in applying them. 85 percent of the 95,000 people who will get MRSA, a drug-resistant and life-threatening inftction, get the infection in a hospital!

The Consumers Union is calling on the U.S. Congress to pass a national standards law to reduce the chances you'll get worse, not better, when you need to be hospitalized. You can sign a petition urging Congress to take action.

Photo from Bert Becker's photostream at Flickr Creative Commons