Today we’d like to introduce you to Deirdre Gilbert. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Deirdre Gilbert has earned her M.A. in Educational Administration, her B.S. in Political Science and Mass Communication (Cum Laude) from Prairie View A&M University; she is a native Houstonian, a graduate of the public school system attending elementary, middle, and high school graduating from Madison high. Deirdre has resided in Harris County for over 40 years before settling in Fort Bend County for over 10 years. Deirdre is an educator with 26 years of experience working in Houston, Aldine, and Fort Bend School Districts and is a former Houston Independent School District teacher’s union representative. Her mother was a key influence in her life. She was a community activist and the first black woman to run for Constable in Harris County. Deirdre is best known in the community and around the country for her fight, both personally and publicly, for justice for those of medical negligence. After losing her only child, Jocelyn, because of medical negligence, Deirdre confronted the medical community and the state agencies that support it. She stood not only for herself and in memory of her daughter, but on behalf of people around the state and across the country who have felt powerless in the wake of such devastating loss.
Deirdre has worked tirelessly in her own community, where she’s worked on issues such as denial of voting rights in local elections within Missouri City, and MUD District issues. She has spoken before the Texas Legislature and U.S. Congress in Washington D.C on civil rights. Deirdre has helped to shape legislation regarding whistleblowers, medical malpractice, and education. Deirdre is not afraid of a battle and is willing to speak for those who are unable to speak for themselves. In addition to helping those in her community, state, local and national, she also works for a non-profit that help veterans find employment.
Deirdre has been capturing the attention of media nationally for some time. In 2007, she released her first book entitled, “Can I Just Have a Little Bit? A Little Bit of What?” Her recent work, “Momma Help Me Please,” was inspired by the first love of her life, her daughter Jocelyn.
Deirdre is an avid speaker at book clubs, churches, professional, civic, and community organizations.
She has been featured in Beautifully Said Magazine and African American Newspaper; mentioned in Harper’s Magazine by Ralph Nader a strong advocate for justice, received professional recognition in Women on the Move section of the Houston Business Journal, featured in Bronze Magazine several times and in Saved Magazine along with other powerful women in ministry such as Joyce Meyers. Deirdre was mentioned in Washington Post, Stat News, and several online publications, TV, and radio regarding her stance on medical malpractice and social and civil justice issues. This journey has led to the first Blog Talk Show “Life” Radio Show that focused on “victims” of medical malpractice and then rebranded with another show called “Med/Mal Radio Show-What’s Your Verdict and just recently Malpractice Diaries-MD –We Tell the Secrets they Keep.
Since 2011, Deirdre Gilbert has not backed down from her challenges, founding non-profits such as the National Medical Malpractice Advocacy Association (NMMAA), serving as its National Director, and Executive Director of the Jocelyn Y. Dickson Foundation. NMMAA is a non-partisan educational organization that was created to promote transparency, accountability, and integrity in the medical profession. Through NMMAA’s educational endeavor, she advocates high standards of ethics and morality to ensure non-abuse of the powers entrusted to the profession by the American people. Under her direction, these non-profits have gained support from members of Congress, garnered attention and recognition among state lawmakers, and sparked open dialogue and inquiry into medical negligence. With her husband of 11 years, Mr. Kurt E. Gilbert, beside her, she has spoken boldly before Medical Boards, Government Agencies, the State Legislature, and the US Congress calling for repeal of TORT Reforms, review of the Information Act as it relates to medical doctors, greater accountability in the hospital industry, and Justice for All who fall victim to healthcare abuse. The core of her message is consistent, Justice for All.
Deirdre achieved a milestone twice, first when she was asked to speak at the Whistleblower’s Summit in Washington, DC 2016, and again in 2019 when she provided testimony at the Senate Judiciary Committee Hearings about the devastating effects of medical malpractice. She has spearheaded the nation’s 1st Medical Malpractice Conference that convened medical professionals, attorneys, civil rights leaders, social justice organizations, patient safety advocates, and legislative leaders. Her third milestone was when she threw her hat in the political ring and decided to run for Justice of the Peace, Pct. 2, Fort Bend County, TX. Deirdre assisted with having H.R. 614 resolution filed in the Texas Legislature, recognizing Medical Malpractice in the State of Texas. In addition, Deirdre created a new initiative, “The Medical Malpractice Right to Justice Project’s mission to assist those harmed by medical negligence and whose cases was never heard in a court of law, to bring these cases before a court based on evidence ranging from misstated/understated or erroneous death certificates, misstated/understated/overstated or erroneous expert reports, altered or falsified medical records, existence of individual, hospital, physician, and institutional agencies conflict of interest.
Deirdre was awarded 2020 recipient of the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for her work in civil and social justice. Deirdre Gilbert was instrumental in getting the 1st proclamation in 2013 recognizing July as Medical Malpractice Month. Since then, the organization has been given recognition from the State of Missouri’s Governor Jeremiah W. Nixon, the State of Colorado’s Governor John Hickenlooper, and the State of Georgia’s Governor Nathan Deal. The organization has also received several congressional, state, and local recognition. Deirdre created the first PSA that aired on Harkins movie screens across the states September 2016, promoting and educating the public on “Preventable Medical Mistakes.” In 2019 NMMAA received the 1st Enrolled House Resolution 86 (R) HR 614 by the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas Legislature recognizing July as Medical Malpractice Month.
Deirdre Gilbert was vital in the creation of the first chapter of attorneys in the State of Louisiana and Virginia that have acquired lobbyist that handles the legislative needs of NMMAA. The lobbying action is geared towards bill drafting and legislative reform to help those harmed by egregious acts from medical malpractice.
Deirdre has worked tirelessly with The Government Accountability Project, The Black Heritage Society, and Greater Houston Coalition for Justice, Make It Safe Campaign, The National Association for Probate Reform & Advocacy, former NAACP-Health Chair Committee Missouri City Chapter, and the National Action Network to create the first medical malpractice health initiative, National Congress of Black Women, State of Texas Sunset Advisory Committee.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
After 22 years of overcoming challenges and illnesses most have never even heard of, my daughter Jocelyn Yvette Dickson invites you to hear her story. We enter her story when, in less than 24hrs, reckless doctors, bumbling nurses, and indifferent medical examiners negate her life-long struggle and strip her of the right to not only breathe, but receive, at the very least, adequate medical assistance from those who have been deemed trustworthy, knowledgeable, skilled, and caring enough to provide it when needed. We meet her, lifeless, still, abandoned, left alone to be found in pools of blood by her mother and grandmother, still awaiting the results of a simple procedure to remove a small piece of corn dog lodged in her throat. They rolled her into ICU knowing she was already deceased, with sponges that the doctor just threw in her stomach. Her autopsy revealed a horror no mother should ever have to go through. She had sustained three perforations; she had sepsis, peritonitis, and was totally brain dead. Her voice echoed in the ER as she said to me for the last time “momma help me please.” Her silenced voice, the voice that once struggled to be heard, begins to speak. It tells the story of a tiny fighter entering this life with a diagnosis of C.H.A.R.G.E. Syndrome and all that meant or implied, including the fight to breathe, to cry, to hear, to see, to sit, to stand, to walk, to learn, to survive and cope in a world that can be heartless and cruel to the least of us. She shares her fight for quality of life right alongside her fight for life itself, as it is, one poor medical decision after another, whittled away, and her mother’s fight for justice. Her silenced voice speaks volumes about medical negligence, malpractice lawsuits held in secrecy, and the blind policies, practices, and reforms of the Texas Health and Human Services Dept., the Texas Medical Board, The Joint Commission’s Public Information Policy, the Office of the Attorney General, and government agencies that protect them.
My daughter’s story is my story about fighting and the right to fight. It is a story about fighting for everything the average person takes for granted, life, protection under the law, justice. It is equally about the struggle for right to life and the struggle for justice when that right, even the right to struggle, is senselessly and carelessly, without regard, without recourse taken away. It is about me, a mother who will not be silenced, continuing my daughter’s struggle, taking up the mantle of that struggle for countless others who have been silenced, as it is about Jocelyn Yvette Dickson, my daughter herself. This is what brought me on the journey to run for Governor of Texas.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about National Medical Malpractice Advocacy Association?
From Agony to Advocate
A Victim’s Organization
The National Medical Malpractice Advocacy Association (NMMAA) was founded in 2013 by a group of everyday people who personally were victims, or knew someone who was a victim, of medical malpractice. It was created on the belief that every American citizen has the right to life and have justice served when they have been harmed by others. From its inception, the NMMAA has had a strong desire to raise awareness and petition for change. Our organization has faced the reality that, often, no justice is served for the victims of those harmed by medical negligence.
The NMMAA is the first non-partisan civil rights organization of its kind with patient advocates throughout the United States. Our organization dedicates itself as a national network to end medical malpractice through partnerships with local and national organizations across America.
The NMMAA is the first and only organization that has received numerous proclamations from states across the United States for its advocacy related to medical malpractice.
Advocacy
The National Medical Malpractice Advocacy Association (NMMAA) has been faced with challenges in the area of medical malpractice. Although we have made some strides through education, legislation, and our grassroots efforts, it is still an insurmountable task if we do not solicit the help of our community. Advocacy is our tool that will advance our mission, empower our supporters, ignite public debate and discussion, and lead us to solutions for this pressing problem. Advocacy can help us address the systemic causes of medical malpractice rather than the symptoms. The NMMAA advances to promote changes that address the underlying causes of medical malpractice in our country. We are dedicated in ensuring that those of less power have their voices heard. We have found out that our public officials do not know the whole story and how their policies are affecting our community, but we at NMMAA have found some successful innovations and initiatives that can ultimately change the face of “medical malpractice.”
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Contact Info:
- Email: info@gilbert4gov.com
- Website: https://gilbert4gov.com/
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/gilbert4gov22
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dicksongilbert2019
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/gilbert4gov22
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_FebrrGGWXjIdlheraGrwA
- Other: https://www.nmmaa.org/
