The legislation which Governor Bruce Rauner signed in Urbana today requires protocols for diagnosing and treating sepsis at all Illinois hospitals.
The legislation is named for Gabby Galbo. The Monticello girl died in 2012 at the age of five. In her case, a tick bite led to sepsis, which went undiagnosed by doctors at a hospital for several days.
At the bill-signing ceremony, Gabby’s father, Tony Galbo, said sepsis can strike anyone, causing death or serious after-effects.
GALBO: “Since my daughter’s death, over one million people have died nationwide. Illinois and New York are the first two states in the United States to take action. And they have broken ground, and the rest of the 48 states need to break ground, so the rest of the United States does not have to suffer the losses.”
Sepsis occurs when the body’s immune response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs.
The governor’s bill-signing ceremony was held at Presence Covenant Medical Center in Urbana, which has had sepsis protocols in place since 2007.
Gabby Galbo had been treated at Urbana’s other hospital, Carle -- which paid $4 million to settle a lawsuit after the girl’s death.
