Alicia Cole is listed among “25 of the Nation’s Best Practices in Patient and Family Engagement” by the Caregiver Action Network.
Honored by President Obama in a national address for her advocacy work, Alicia now serves on the Presidential Advisory Council for Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria (PACCARB). Appointed to a four year term by Secretary of Health & Human Services, Sylvia Burwell, Alicia was selected as a Co-Lead for the Stewardship & Prevention Working Group of that esteemed council.
Her comeback from barely clinging to life in 2006 as the survivor of multiple antibiotic-resistant hospital infections, near-fatal sepsis and necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating disease) fuels her passion to save others from the anguish and suffering she endured. The battle to save her life following routine fibroid removal included: six additional surgeries; nine powerful antibiotics; nine blood transfusions; near amputation of her leg; an open abdomen for three years, and ten years of weekly aftercare.
While bedridden and recovering, Alicia, with a talk-to-type program, began using social media to share her experience and advocate for quality improvements in healthcare. She helped co-sponsor and lobbied successfully for passage of two California laws for infection prevention education for health care workers and public reporting of hospital infection rates known collectively as “Nile’s Law” (SB158, SB1058.)
In 2016, Alicia was one of five to receive the prestigious Humanitarian Award from the Patient Safety Movement at its Global Summit. The other recipients were President Barack Obama, Vice-President Joe Biden, Senator Barbara Boxer, and German Professor Kai D. Zacharowski, MD, PhD, FRCA.
Alicia currently serves on the Patient & Family Executive Council for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Partnership for Patients 2.0. She also sits on the Environmental Services and the Education & Awareness Sub-committees of the California Department of Public Health’s HAI Advisory Committee.
In between doctor’s appointments, the former Ohio State Alum returned to school and obtained a Post-Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Management & Leadership from UCLA School of Public Health. She also earned a Patient Safety Certificate through the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management’s annual Learning Academy.
For more on Alicia go to www.AliciaCole.com.
