Congratulations to IIRP alumna Mary Ellen Mannix, for her recent online radio interview, in which she explains James's Project – jamessproject.com. According to the web site, Mannix's son "James was diagnosed prenatally with a minor congenital heart defect. Despite this advantage he lost his life at eleven days of age due to a variety of preventable medical errors and poor communication in his medical care."
Now Mannix has launched James's Project, the mission of which "is to find, support and help work that protects infants in their first year of life. James’s Project aims to reduce infant mortality by focusing on patient safety isssues that affect the start of life. Our tools are education, communication and collaboration." ... "Creating effective communication strategies and opportunities in healthcare is critical to improving the system. It can help save lives. James’s Project safe guards the physical, emotional, and familial growth during the first year."
Restorative practices is a wonderful way to approach teaching, learning and collaborating with people.
During a recent interview on Kind Ethics, a program on BlogTalkRadio, Mannix explains the project and the fascinating way that restorative practices ties in to her work in this field. While working to reduce error in the medical system, Mannix emphasizes the need for a community perspective and bringing together all stakeholders:
"Looking at it from a community perspective in terms of reducing medical errors, there are stakeholders in any treatment in any outcome of any kind of healthcare delivery, and those stakeholders make up the community. This is where my restorative practices comes out, which is a wonderful way to approach teaching, learning and collaborating with people. Those stakeholders – you have your physicians, your providers, your nurses, the patients, the patients’ family, and lawyers and the law. You have to keep all of those things in mind when you come together and decide on treatment decisions. When it comes to pediatrics, these patients are relying on these other stakeholders because their voices aren’t yet heard, or they may not even have a voice."
During the interview Mannix also advises parents to advocate for their children by being "patient, persistent and polite."
Currently Mary Ellen is working with her state senator to ensure that all Pennsylvania newborns receive appropriate screening for the most common birth defect – SB 1202 The James Mannix Bill.
Listen to the full interview here.
Follow Mannix's blog here.
