Contact: Gina Speciale, Publicist
(619) 813-3581
grspeciale@yahoo.com
NEW BOOK EXPOSES VULNERABILITIES IN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE
“Jihad and American Medicine: Thinking Like a
Terrorist to Anticipate Attacks via our Health System”
SAN DIEGO—(Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007)—How
safe is the American healthcare system? In the new book
“Jihad
and American Medicine,” author Dr. Adam Dorin exposes the
weaknesses in our medical system that could be
potential targets for terrorists. The book will be
available
November 30.
“Healthcare workers are uniquely positioned to fly 'under
the radar of homeland security' and carry out terrorist
missions virtually unimpeded,” said Dorin.
“Jihad and American Medicine” details the safety and
security risks associated with conventional, biological,
chemical and nuclear terrorism.
“We shouldn’t wait to change things until after something
happens,” Dorin said. “There are things health care
providers can do now to make the medical arena safer and
more secure.”
Dorin discusses the primary security risks in hospitals that
could be potential targets for terrorists. Among them
include poor tracking of drugs from factory to bedside, and
poor control of multi-dose medicine vials and intravenous
fluid bags (which could be spiked without detection).
“The methods currently in place meant to minimize potential
security risks are relatively lax and extremely vulnerable,”
Dorin said. “Not only will shoring up the safety mechanisms
in medicine prevent disasters, but it will also save lives
by minimizing medical errors.”
Medical errors claim approximately 100,000 preventable
deaths per year in the U.S. alone.
Meant to be a counter-terrorism manual, “Jihad and American
Medicine” examines the history of medical-related terrorism
over the past 10,000 years including recent events involving
healthcare serial killers, the threat of counterfeit drugs,
drug ‘tainting’, and hospital security.
Dorin also offers practical tips that patients and doctors
can take in their daily lives to help protect themselves.
He addresses what patients need to know about Internet-based
pharmaceutical supplies, what to look for in health care
settings and how to prevent exposure to toxins and poisons.
He also instructs physicians on how they can change the way
they practice and operate within the community to prevent
terrorism and better respond in instances of emergency.
Dr. Adam Dorin is a physician, author and expert in
healthcare safety and security. He is the medical director
and an anesthesiologist at Sharp Grossmont Plaza Surgery
Center in
San Diego, Calif. Dorin earned his M.D. at the
University of Maryland and completed his residency training
in anesthesiology and critical care medicine at
Johns Hopkins University in
Baltimore, Maryland. More information on the book
and Dr. Dorin is available at
www.adamdorin.com.
“Jihad and American Medicine” is available from Greenwood
Publishing Group at
http://www.greenwood.com/catalog/C9637.aspx
Gina Speciale, Publicist