Sherrill Reintroduces Bipartisan Life-Saving Legislation to Improve Sepsis Research

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), alongside Representative Larry Bucshon, M.D. (IN-08) reintroduced the “Sepsis Harm and Cost Reduction Act’’ or ‘‘Lulu’s Law’’ this week. This bipartisan legislation would establish a state grant program to enable healthcare professionals, researchers, innovators, public health officials, and others fighting sepsis on the frontlines to have access to critical information about sepsis and would establish a national strategy for treating and eliminating sepsis. 

Each year, over 1.7 million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with sepsis, including 75,000 children. More than 350,000 people die from sepsis every year in the U.S. – one every two minutes; more than from prostate cancer, breast cancer, and opioid overdoses combined.

“New Jersey has the third highest sepsis mortality rate in the United States – and to better aid families facing this diagnosis, and ultimately save lives, we need to invest in sepsis research and treatment,” said Rep. Sherrill. “As we recognize Pediatric Sepsis Week, I’m taking action by introducing Lulu’s Law, a bipartisan and critical piece of legislation—named for a young girl from New Jersey who tragically passed in 2014 from sepsis—to win the fight against this ‘hidden killer.’” 

“Sepsis is a critical health condition affecting patients and families across Indiana and the nation, and Congress must support those who are developing a strategy to combat it,” said Rep. Bucshon. “As a physician, it is my hope and belief that Lulu’s Law will help providers, researchers, innovators, and ultimately patients by providing a better understanding of sepsis and what is needed for treatment and prevention.”

Lulu’s Law is named in honor of Ana Lucia ‘Lulu’ Haynes, a four year old from Montclair, New Jersey. After coming down with flu-like symptoms in 2014, Lulu was taken to the hospital, where she passed within 24 hours. Her life was tragically cut short as a result of sepsis. Lulu’s Law will help improve medical research on sepsis and will ultimately help save lives in New Jersey and around the country.

“We’re losing nearly 20 children each day in the U.S. to sepsis – and one in three who do survive are left with long-term complications,” said Thomas Heymann, President and CEO of Sepsis Alliance. “That’s why, this Pediatric Sepsis Week, it is so heartening to see the reintroduction of Lulu’s Law, the latest in a series of serious efforts to tackle the enormous national burden of sepsis. Sepsis Alliance applauds and sincerely thanks Representative Sherrill and Representative Bucshon for their leadership on this vital bill.”

“Lulu had a big, bright, exuberant personality. She was also a helper in the classroom and had an eye for those who needed assistance. Her confident, generous spirit is what inspires us to educate and enact this vital national initiative to save lives, especially those of children.” said Lukas Haynes, Sepsis Alliance Board Member and father of Lulu Haynes.

“Sepsis is complex, often difficult to identify, and takes a tremendous societal toll in the United States. To tackle the number one killer in American hospitals, we need a comprehensive national action plan and an improved data collection infrastructure,” said Dr. Steve Simpson, Chairman of the Board, Sepsis Alliance. “Lulu’s Law will help us find cures, get them in the hands of experts, and educate the public and professionals alike.”

Sepsis is the body’s overwhelming and life-threatening response to infection that can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death. According to theSepsis Alliance, sepsis is the number one cost of hospitalization in the U.S., estimated at $62 billion annually. 30% of patients diagnosed with severe sepsis do not survive and up to 50% of survivors suffer from post-sepsis syndrome. 

Our ability to manage sepsis, however, is hampered by the lack of quality, comprehensive, consolidated data. Sepsis-relevant data are notoriously unreliable, inconsistent, and often missing in medical records and cause-of-death statistics. Without reliable data, doctors are unable to define the optimal course of care for different types of sepsis patients. 

This bipartisan legislation would allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a national sepsis data trust, and would fund State-based pilots and programs to establish interoperable State-based sepsis data trusts. The Sepsis data trust would track information related to sepsis cases for medical research to improve treatment. The key to preventing sepsis-related deaths is early recognition and intervention coupled with improved awareness on sepsis. Lulu’s Law will increase knowledge and help save lives from those impacted.

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