SEPSIS ALLIANCE

Sepsis Alliance, the first and leading sepsis organization in the U.S., seeks to save lives and reduce suffering by improving sepsis awareness and care. More than 1.7 million people are diagnosed with sepsis each year in the U.S. with more than 350,000 adults dying and over 50% of survivors experiencing post-sepsis syndrome and other lingering effects, including amputations. At Sepsis Alliance’s founding in 2003, only 19% of U.S. adults were aware of the term “sepsis.” After over ten years of educational efforts for the general public and healthcare professionals through Sepsis.org, Sepsis Alliance Clinical Community, Sepsis Alliance Institute, and Sepsis Alliance Voices, awareness is at 66%. Over 30,000 healthcare professionals across the country have attended sepsis webinars and courses to elevate their practice. Sepsis Alliance is the convener of Sepsis Innovation Collaborative, a multi-stakeholder public/private collaborative dedicated to innovations in sepsis diagnosis and management. For more information, please visit www.sepsis.org and connect with Sepsis Alliance on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @SepsisAlliance.

Sepsis Alliance provides education and support for members of the public, sepsis patients and their families, sepsis survivors and their families, and those who have lost a loved one to sepsis. Sepsis Alliance also provides education for healthcare providers across the continuum of care, and a peer to peer community for providers to share best practices. Additionally, Sepsis Alliance supports advocacy efforts to promote policy changes to improve sepsis care and patient outcomes. All resources are provided free with an aim to create greater access to education. Sepsis Alliance aims to improve the health disparities present in sepsis care and outcomes.

Sepsis Alliance has staff focused on programs that will improve awareness, education, and survivor support. An active volunteer Board of Directors and Advisory Board help with specific areas of work and support fundraising efforts for the organization. Sepsis Alliance also works with a wide range of partners in healthcare, industry, and media and an army of volunteers. All help fund, create, and distribute awareness-building and education materials to the public, the healthcare community, policymakers, and those whose lives have been impacted by sepsis.

What Sepsis Alliance Has Accomplished:

1. Sepsis Alliance has helped to raise awareness of sepsis from 19% to 66%.
2. We launched Sepsis Awareness Month in 2011.
3. We have grown our board of directors by 40% in the past year and added an advisory board to support the organization on medical, legal, and other issues.
4. We have launched a website (www.sepsis.org) that has become the go-to resource for patients and loved ones looking for answers.
5. We attended and helped recruit attendees to the first U.S. Senate Hearings on Sepsis, held in September of 2013.
6. We have developed unique and creative ways to raise awareness, through direct-to-consumer campaigns to educational materials and advertising.
7. We have launched an annual gala called Sepsis Heroes that brings individuals from across the continent together to recognize champions in raising sepsis awareness.
8. Sepsis Alliance helped found the Global Sepsis Alliance, supporting the efforts of over 1 million caregivers in more than 70 countries.
9. Sepsis Alliance was a leading force behind World Sepsis Day, which was founded in 2012 and supported this year by over 2400 hospitals and organizations across the globe.
10. Sepsis Alliance launched the Faces of Sepsis™ initiative to support sepsis survivors and their families and loved ones. More than 1,500 stories have been submitted and a Faces of Sepsis film was released in 2014.
11. Sepsis Alliance launched the Sepsis Alliance Summit, a free virtual conference to educate and inspire healthcare providers across the continuum of care.

What We Have Yet to Accomplish:
1. We aim to achieve 100% awareness of sepsis, particularly among young adults.
2. We hope to convince hospitals and healthcare facilities to universally declare sepsis to be a medical emergency as they have for other conditions, such as stroke and cardiac arrest.
3. We aim to provide additional resources for individuals and family members who have survived sepsis.
4. We hope to see national legislation calling for sepsis standards and accountability.