Yesterday we visited Arlington National Cemetery, which was an incredibly moving experience as we looked around us at the vast number of people who lost their life fighting for our country. A few of us saw the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider. Later in the day when we visited the Lincoln Memorial at sunset my emotional response grew even further as I looked around me and saw the lives of the living – men, women and children – who could be the next victim of medical error. There was so much joy surrounding me, and yet internally I felt sadness, frustration, guilt, and distress as I thought about the beautiful lives that could be taken away in just a moment. I thought of Lewis Blackman and Michael Skolnik – the terrible way their lives ended and the aftermath that their families were faced with. I do not wish that upon anyone.
We are here at Telluride to fight for the lives of the living because that is who will be affected by the changes we make. It is a crucial step to stop, reflect, mourn the lives we’ve lost and learn from what happened. Now, let us move forward and look at the lives that are in front of us and provide them with an even better system.