Richard P. Kidwell, C’76, constitutional parliamentarian of the Mount’s National Alumni Association, will be featured this Thursday, October 5, on the first episode of the new PBS series, REMAKING AMERICAN MEDICINE. The four-part series examines the “quality crisis and the innovative solutions being undertaken by providers, patients and their families to transform the care provided by [healthcare] institutions.”  According to the PBS website, “as many as 98,000 Americans die in hospitals each year of preventable medical errors. One million more are injured. In fact, medical errors kill as many people per year as breast cancer, HIV-AIDS and car accidents. The four programs air on PBS Thursdays, October 5-26, 2006, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET (check local listings). Peabody Award and Emmy Award-winner John Hockenberry, formerly of NBC and NPR, hosts.”

Kidwell appears in the episode titled Silent Killer, which “sets the stage for the issues that are explored throughout the series. The program highlights the efforts of Sorrel King, whose 18-month-old daughter Josie died at one of the most respected hospitals in the world, Johns Hopkins. King has gone from grieving victim to engaged activist, partnering with Johns Hopkins to make safety a top priority at the institution.”  Kidwell was the Johns Hopkins attorney who handled the Kings’ claim.

He is now the associate counsel and director of patient safety and risk management at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Kidwell is a member of the Mount’s Athletic Hall of Fame and a trustee emeritus. He and his wife, Candice, C’76, recently moved to Pittsburgh from Baltimore, Md.

“I am serving as the Alumni Association constitutional parliamentarian because I want to stay connected to the Mount and my alumni colleagues and contribute in any way to maintaining the Mount tradition of camaraderie that starts freshman year in Emmitsburg and continues throughout our lives.”

Click here to learn more about the PBS program.