Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths

The Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths (RID) -- www.hospitalinfection.org -- works to correct a deadly situation that kills as many people in the US each year as AIDS, breast cancer, and auto accidents combined. Each year in America, 2,000,000 patients contract infections in hospitals, and an estimated 103,000 die as a result. The death toll is staggering. So is the economic cost. Yet, these infections are almost all preventable. We have the knowledge to solve this problem. No major scientific breakthrough is needed. What has been lacking is leadership. This is why Betsy McCaughey, the former lieutenant governor of New York, started RID and currently leads RIDs efforts. RID primary goals focus on providing patients with information on how to protect themselves from infection in the hospital. We also work to build public awareness of the importance of this issue. This includes work with state legislators and other policy makers to develop hospital infection report cards so the public has access to hospitals infection rates and can choose the safest hospitals. Due to the pressing importance of this issue, our publications have appeared in the New York Times, New York Sun, Wall Street Journal, and on numerous television shows, such as Good Morning America and the CBS Morning Show.