National Patient Safety Advocate Gives National Nurses Week Presentation at Parrish Medical Center

TITUSVILLE, FLA. (May 15, 2025)—A mother whose toddler daughter died from a preventable medical error, and who has become a nationally recognized patient safety advocate, spoke during National Nurses Week 2025 to Parrish Healthcare Care Partners, commending them for their work on patient safety.

Sorrel King is an author of the best-selling book, Josie's Story: A Mother's Inspiring Crusade to Make Medical Care Safe. She speaks nationally on health care safety, and is president and co-founder of the Josie King Foundation, a patient safety advocacy organization.

The Foundation is named after King’s 18-month-old daughter, Josie, who died in 2001 of dehydration after being hospitalized for second-degree burns. The hospital treating Josie was found to have ignored dehydration warning signs.

King said that throughout the U.S., medical errors claim some 250,000 lives every year, and that these are preventable tragedies. Parrish Healthcare’s patient safety emphasis is an example of what can save lives, she told the hospital’s employees, Medical Staff Members and volunteers, collectively called Parrish Care Partners.

In King’s presentation, she emphasized the role of communication and collaboration in patient safety, and that patients and caregivers must be encouraged to speak up if they suspect an unsafe medical situation.

“Sorrel’s story is both heartbreaking and deeply motivating,” said Lisa Dickerson, Parrish Healthcare’s Chief Nursing Officer. “It was timely and powerful to hear firsthand of her experience, and the importance of compassionate, vigilant care. It was uplifting to our Care Partners to hear her perspective, because it validates the work they do to promote patient safety.”

Among its patient safety work, Parrish Healthcare is the only U.S. hospital to earn integrated care certification from the Joint Commission, the nation’s leading health care accrediting organization. Parrish Healthcare is the county’s sole health system to be Commission on Cancer accredited by the American College of Surgeons; is an American College of Surgeons Surgical Quality Partner; and Parrish has earned multiple ‘A’ grades from the Leap Frog Group, a national patient safety advocacy organization.

“As a nurse, I have been personally inspired by Josie’s Story and it was such an honor to have had the opportunity to meet and hear Sorrel in person,” said Kristie Foreman, Director of Critical Care Services. “Her visit to Parrish Medical Center served as a moving reminder of the impact healthcare professionals have on the lives of their patients and families.” Foreman serves on the planning committee for National Nurses Week and was instrumental in bringing the author to Parrish Medical Center.

The Josie King Foundation’s website says its mission is to “prevent patients from dying or being harmed by medical errors by uniting healthcare providers and consumers, and funding innovative safety programs, we hope to create a culture of patient safety, together.”

King’s presentation was one of a series of National Nurses Week activities to celebrate and honor not just Parrish Healthcare’s nursing teams, but every member of Parrish’s family of Care Partners, “whose dedication and compassion are the cornerstone of the hospital’s healing mission,” Dickerson said.

The Josie King Foundation’s website is josieking.org.