FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 18, 2018
Historic Bill Passes to Mandate AFE Education
HARTFORD, Connecticut – The Connecticut Legislature, in a bipartisan manner, passed a historic bill which mandates the Connecticut Department of Public Health, in consultation with the Amniotic Fluid Embolism Foundation and an OBGYN recommended by the Connecticut State Medical Society, to develop and distribute educational materials to all health care professionals regarding the signs and symptoms of amniotic fluid embolism (AFE). The materials will also be distributed to the Connecticut State Medical Society, Connecticut Affiliate of the American College of Nurse-Midwives, Connecticut Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Society, Connecticut Nurses Association and Connecticut Hospital Association for distribution to their respective members and posting on their Internet web sites, and to each school of medicine in the state for dissemination to its students.
AFE survivor Patricia Shea, a respected attorney with extensive experience in government relations, lobbied the legislature’s Public Health Committee to raise a bill on AFE awareness for public hearing. She organized the Connecticut survivors to write letters to their legislators about their experiences with AFE. Survivors, Diana Masulli and her family, Diane Fortin, and Tina Boldini’s provided powerful personal testimony at the hearing. Through the leadership of Senate Co-Chair Terry Gerratana, bill language was crafted that passed out of the Public Health Committee with bipartisan support and ultimately was included in HB 5127 which passed both Chambers unanimously and goes on to the Governor for his signature.
Tina, Patti, Diana, and Diane at the CT Capitol to provide testimony for SB 166.
“I am so proud to have been involved with this effort to create awareness of AFE and for being able to work with such a wonderful group of survivors. It was an amazing feeling to witness to the impact of their testimony on members of the Committee and to see this legislation through. I am grateful to Sen. Gerratana and leadership of the Public Health Committee, as well as to the Department of Public of Health, the Hospitals, ACOG and the State Medical Society for coming together to support AFE awareness and education.”
AFE Foundation Executive Director, Miranda Klassen shares, “This is certainly something to celebrate and underscores the important work of the AFE Foundation. We are incredibly grateful to Patti for stewarding this bill and for the families who supported the process. We are hard at work developing the educational content and look forward to sharing more updates with our supporters.”
The bill is now awaits Governor Mallow signature. Materials shall be posted on the Connecticut Department of Health website on or before January, 2019