(L to R): Ciaran Staunton, Senator Chuck Schumer, and Orlaith Staunton in 2024.Senator Chuck Schumer, X
End Sepsis, the movement launched by Irish parents Ciaran and Orlaith Staunton following the death of their 12-year-old son Rory in New York in 2012, announced yesterday, June 5, that the SEPSIS Act has been reintroduced into Congress.
If passed, the bill would guarantee an investment of $20 million annually that would expand outreach and education to hospitals to encourage adoption of the CDC’s comprehensive new sepsis guidelines, Hospital Sepsis Program Core Elements.
It would also finalize and implement a sepsis outcome measure, improve data collection on pediatric sepsis, and create an incentive program for hospitals to improve sepsis outcomes.
End Sepsis said in a statement on Thursday that the legislation represents a major milestone in its national effort to combat the sepsis crisis.
The bipartisan bill is being co-sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), and Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ).
Sen Schumer, who previously introduced the SEPSIS Act in 2024, said on Thursday that he will continue to urge the Trump Administration and the CDC to ensure that sepsis is prioritized on a federal level.
“I am grateful to my dear friends Ciaran and Orlaith Staunton from New York who went through the worst thing a parent could endure – losing their 12-year-old son Rory to sepsis a decade ago," Sen Schumer said.
"Instead of retreating to darkness, they turned their grief into action to raise awareness for the disease and are working to create a future where no parent has to experience the same pain.”
End Sepsis noted on Thursday that "in a powerful show of support," the bill has also been endorsed by the American Hospital Association and the Federation of American Hospitals, two leading voices in the healthcare sector.
BREAKING: The SEPSIS Act has been reintroduced in Congress!
We're proud to announce that this bipartisan bill, championed by Senator @SenSchumer , @SenatorCollins@AndyKimNJ, was officially reintroduced on June 5th. https://t.co/dJmZuMLV44 pic.twitter.com/x14fv9uXwV
— END SEPSIS (@EndSepsis) June 5, 2025
To mark this important development, End Sepsis returned to Capitol Hill this week to engage with lawmakers and staff.
There, they met with key members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, where we emphasized the staggering human and economic toll of sepsis on American families and the healthcare system.
Meetings included productive conversations with senior staff from the offices of Senators Tim Scott (R-SC), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Josh Hawley (R-MO), and Ashley Moody (R-FL), in addition to direct engagement with the offices of co-sponsors Senators Schumer and Collins.
End Sepsis says that it has long championed the need for a comprehensive federal response to sepsis, and that it remains fully committed to securing the passage of this landmark legislation.
"With bipartisan leadership and broad healthcare industry backing, we are laser-focused on moving this bill forward to protect millions of Americans from one of the leading causes of death and healthcare costs in the nation," End Sepsis said.
In a statement, Ciaran and Orlaith Staunton thanked Senator Schumer for his "unwavering leadership in championing this lifesaving bill."
They added: “13 years ago, sepsis claimed the life of our 12-year-old son, Rory.
"Since then, we’ve dedicated ourselves to ensuring other families don’t endure the same heartbreak.
"Sepsis takes hundreds of thousands of lives each year, strains our healthcare system, and costs $64 billion annually.
"This bill is a major milestone in the fight against a preventable and treatable condition.
"As a child, Rory liked nothing better than helping people and lifting them up. He is still lifting us all up now and urging us to fight even harder. Our promise to him is that we will.”