When Dr. Evelyn McKnight was battling breast cancer in 2002, the last thing on her mind was hepatitis C. So when she and her husband Thomas learned she had contracted the virus from unsafe injection practices during her treatment, they were shocked. Now she's sharing the story of how she turned this tragic event into an ongoing campaign for patient safety.

Dr. Evelyn McKnight, an audiologist and mother of three, is a nationally recognized patient safety advocate and survivor of one of the largest viral outbreaks in American healthcare history.

For more information and full episode transcription go to Contagious Conversations.

Key Takeaways:

[1:16] What drew Dr. McKnight to her career as an audiologist.

[4:01] Dr. McKnight shares her journey battling a recurrence of breast cancer and learning she had been infected with hepatitis C while receiving treatment.

[6:03] Dr. McKnight talks about receiving the diagnosis of hepatitis C.

[7:33] Dr. McKnight describes the climate at the moment she and her husband, Thomas, formed the HONOReform Foundation.

[9:33] There are still unsafe injection practices out there in America.

[10:44] How would Dr. McKnight assess the evolution of patient advocacy, both in terms of awareness and resources for patients?

[12:39] Dr. McKnight's story has helped provide many resources for many people.

[13:58] We still see lapses in infection control practices even today. How often do we see these lapses in the United States overall?

[16:41] Patients need to be empowered and need to be engaged as members of their healthcare team.

[17:01] Dr. McKnight talks about where these lapses might occur if someone is getting treatment like chemotherapy or maybe having surgery.

[17:57] Dr. McKnight shares her work in helping start the Safe Injection Practices Coalition with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the CDC Foundation, and she also talks about the impact it has had on patient safety.

[19:33] Who are some of the stakeholders that were engaged in the overall success of the coalition?

[21:49] Dr. McKnight talks about her new fund, the Evelyn and Thomas McKnight Family Fund for Patient Safety.

[22:27] Who is the first recipient of the McKnight Prize for Healthcare Outbreak Heroes?

[24:55] Dr. McKnight shares her thoughts about how far she's come since 2002.

[26:03] As a patient, what can we do to protect ourselves when we are having medical treatment?

[28:16] Dr. McKnight gives her advice for the future public health leaders of America.

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Injection Safety @ CDC.gov
• One and Only Campaign
• CDC Foundation
• Visit CDC.gov for detailed information about COVID 19