Quaid helping launch system to prevent medication errors similar to what his kids faced

Quaid announces system to prevent medicine errors

LAS VEGAS — Actor Dennis Quaid is helping launch a national program to help prevent medication errors like the one that hurt his newborn twins in 2007.

Quaid on Monday was expected to announce the National Alert Network for Serious Medication Errors at a conference in Las Vegas for pharmacists and other health professionals.

The alert system will send e-mail alerts to roughly 35,000 pharmacists, doctors, nurses and other medical professionals when a serious or potentially serious error happens in giving medication.

Quaid’s newborns were given overdoses of a blood thinner by a Los Angeles hospital in November 2007. The hospital was fined, apologized and settled with the Quaids.