ELIZABETH FITZGERALD

BSHCA, BSHIM, CPC, CPCO, CPMA, CRC
Medical Audit Educator
Hartford HealthCare

Elizabeth “Liz” Fitzgerald, who resides in Middletown, CT and had the tragic loss of two sons due to the opioid crisis.  Kyle was prescribed OxyContin when it was deemed safe for use at the age of 16, Liz lost Kyle on 3/22/2013, at the age of 25 due to opioid intoxication.  The family once again suffered another loss, Kyle’s brother Matthew four years later due to a fentanyl poisoning.   This was a direct result of the use of the prescription drug OxyContin which hijacked his brain at the age of 18, and the loss of Matthew on 9/4/2017 at the age of 32. Liz is a mom who has lived this horror and goal is to fight for change and began telling their story to bring awareness of the crisis and how this highly addictive medication approved by the FDA was legally being prescribed for “pain”.  Liz has over 20 years of experience working in Healthcare with the emphasis on regulatory compliance and is committed to integrity and ethics as an educator on documentation and regulatory guidelines to physicians and qualified healthcare professionals.  

Liz’s advocacy journey started after the tragic loss of her second son, while attending protests in Stamford CT at the Perdue Pharma Headquarters; Liz was introduced to other advocates which she immediately immersed herself to bring about change. Liz also sat in on court proceedings in Boston with other parents and advocates fighting for justice for their loved ones dealing with addiction and loss of life due to the Sacker Family.  In January 2018, Liz was asked to do a Public Service Announcement (PSA) to share her story regarding her boys to bring about awareness education and resources to others.  Liz is actively sitting on the State of CT OSAC committee and also on the subcommittee for Compliance and Finance oversight for the funds coming into the state. Liz’s experience with revenue cycle in Healthcare is also an asset to understanding the distribution of these funds.  As an Educator, Liz also provided education to CREC schools with the PSA presentation to high school students about the dangers of both prescription and illicit drugs. As the opioid crisis has morphed into the illicit fentanyl we have become an alliance to bring awareness to Southington High School, supporting other advocates such as Demand Zero, with Lisa Deane’s film Finding Hope to provide education to teens and let them know the realities of loss due to experimenting with pills.  In moving forward with advocacy and hopes of legislative changes, Liz attended a Rally in Washington DC at the Chinese Embassy last August to bring awareness of this deadly poison taking our children’s lives.  As a result of the tragedies Liz has experienced she is committed to continuing advocating for legislative change with the focus on support to all who suffer and all the families who lost loved ones due to the opioid epidemic.