It’s the 2014 MITSS “Hope” award season. Nominate! Attend!

It’s that time again!  I’ve attended this event three times, and I’m always touched and moved by how many good people have responded to a real setback – a medical “adverse event,” as they’re so euphemistically called.

MITSS is Medically Induced Trauma Support Services – for both the patient victims of medical accidents (including family) and the clinicians involved, for whom accidents can be severely traumatizing too.

MITSS founder Linda Kenney almost died from an all-too-possible accident … a local anesthetic got into a blood vessel and stopped her heart; she woke up three days later in an ICU. Out of that experience – and the healing that eventually happened with both her family and the involved anesthesiologist – she started MITSS. Linda won’t call herself a hero, but I will … same for her partner, Winnie Tobin. (They’re on Twitter as @MITSS_Support.)

Do you know someone who’s responded to such an event by Supporting Healing and Restoring Hope?  That’s what the MITSS HOPE award is about.  The process isn’t hard – you just write a 500-1000 word essay, and fill in a form as described here.

Please participate.  Here’s a bit more, from the award’s home page:

Nominations now being accepted for
2014 MITSS HOPE Award

MITSS is now accepting nominations for the 2014 HOPE Award.  We would like to thankRL Solutionsfor continuing to sponsor this award.  The HOPE Award “Honors Outstanding People Everywhere” who have furthered the MITSS mission of Supporting Healing and Restoring Hope to patients, families, and clinicians impacted by adverse medical events.  The award recognizes people – patients, families, healthcare providers, hospitals (or teams or departments therein), academic institutions, community health centers, grass roots organizations, EAP Programs, etc. – who best exemplify our important mission.

There is a $5,000 cash prize, and the winner will be announced at the MITSS 13th Annual Dinner and Fundraiser to be held on Thursday, November 13th, 2014.  All submissions must be received no later than Friday, September 19, 2014.

For more information about eligibility, please click here.

For information about submission requirements, please click here.

For a downloadable one page informational sheet about the HOPE Award, please click here.