On October 22, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., GNYHA participated in “Infection Control is Everyone’s Business,” a roundtable discussion about infection prevention success stories, specifically in the areas of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABs), C. difficile, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and MRSA. The event was sponsored by the Association of Professionals in Infection Control (APIC) as part of the 22nd anniversary of International Infection Prevention Week.
     
Terri Straub, R.N., M.B.A., GNYHA’s Vice President of Quality and Patient Safety, discussed the history of GNYHA’s quality and patient safety initiatives, from the Board of Governors’ 2004 endorsement of public reporting of hospital-acquired infections to the tremendous success of the 38-hospital GNYHA/United Hospital Fund (UHF) CLABs Collaborative. Ms. Straub said that the collaborative approach championed by GNYHA and UHF—also underway are collaboratives aimed at reducing C. difficile, Improving Perinatal Safety, MRSA, and promoting rapid response teams—has enabled a densely clustered group of competitive hospitals to share best practices and embrace a sweeping cultural shift in the way they approach quality and patient safety. She also emphasized that hospital CEOs must set the tone for how errors are treated and for shifting the entire workforce from a culture of blame to an environment of sustainable problem-solving.
     
The roundtable also included APIC President Janet Frain, R.N.; Denise Cardo, M.D., Director, Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Barbara Smith, R.N., B.S.N., Nurse Epidemiologist, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center; Coretha Weaver, R.N., Infection Control Coordinator, Erlanger Health System, Chattanooga, TN; and Sherry Hillis, M.P.H., Infection Control Coordinator, Blount Memorial Hospital, Maryville, TN.
     
Collectively, the group discussed strategies, challenges, and approaches that produced tangible improvements in their respective institutions and significantly reduced the incidence of health care-associated infections. The event was covered by a number of health care trade publications including Modern Healthcare, Hospitals & Health Networks, and Bureau of National Affairs.