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Congressional Legislation
Hospital-acquired infection public reporting bills and antibiotic resistant protection and prevention bills under consideration in Congress.
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State hospital infection reports now available:
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More About The Issue
Spread the Word. Not the Germs!
The CT Center for Patient Safety has a quiz about hospital-acquired infections for Hospital Infection Prevention Week. The CT Center’s Germ Warfare Committee is one of the most active state organizations in the country. They led the way to passage of that state’s public reporting law.
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Drug-resistant staphylococcus bacteria
Drug-resistant staphylococcus bacteria, which once threatened mainly patients in hospitals and nursing homes, have spread beyond the institutional walls and are now striking young, healthy people at a growing rate. The bugs, mainly new strains of the types lurking in hospitals, are spread by contact with infected skin or simply by sharing towels, clothing, or other personal items.
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Patient Safety Minnesota Department of Health (January 20, 2005)
Minnesota releases adverse events report released. The report identifies 27 different “medical errors” (such as operating on the wrong part of the body or wrong patient) and “adverse events” (such as patient falls, suicide, and abduction), it does not include hospital-acquired infections. A new bill filed in the MN legislature (HF 87) will require inclusion of hospital infections in the future.
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Stay safe in the hospital
The January issue of Consumer Reports on Health newsletter tells patients and their relatives how to get the best care and prevent hospital infections and medication errors. Click here to see the new online version of this newsletter where more health information is available - some free and some with subscription.
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MISSOURI: General Assembly passes hospital infection reporting bill
SB1279 was passed on May 5 and is now waiting for Governor Bob Holden’s signature. The bill requires the Department of Health and Senior Services to collect and publicly report the infection rates of individual hospitals. Primary sponsors Sen. Sarah Steelman and Rep. Rob Schaaf, M.D., worked with a host of co-sponsors and stakeholders including family members of people affected by hospital-acquired infections, the Missouri Hospital Association, and Consumers Union.
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Carter Dettor, Amelia, VA
At age 75, Carter Dettor maintained an active lifestyle that included running one hour every morning on his treadmill, taking care of his large yard, and hiking in the mountains near his home. It was Carter’s love of hiking that prompted him to undergo knee replacement surgery in April 2007. Read more »
Share
your hospital infection story.
Have you or a loved one contracted a hospital infection when you went in for surgery or other illness? Over a 1000 people have shared their hospital infection experiences. We would like to hear your story. Read
their stories. |
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Read
the stories of those on the ground, working to stop
hospital infections in their local communities.
South Carolina activists
Lisa Toolen
Lisa Toolen’s son, Jimmy, was an active and healthy 15-year old who had out-patient knee surgery in 2005. They never imagined that it could turn into such a life changing event for her family. But that was before he developed a debilitating infection from his surgery that threatened his life and ultimately may leave him permanently disabled. Since his initial surgery, Lisa’s son has had five more surgeries and is preparing for another one to repair the damage caused by the antibiotic resistant infection that has wreaked havoc on his health. Ms. Toolen attended all the public hearings to support the hospital infection disclosure bill, telling legislators about her son’s story and the continuing struggle to save his leg. She also was interviewed by print and television media, which helped to educate the public about hospital-acquired infections.
Helen Haskell
Helen Haskell, founder of Mothers Against Medical Error (MAME), was another key advocate for the Stop Hospital Infection Campaign in South Carolina where she worked with a coalition of other activists (individuals with hospital infection experiences) and organizations (John Ruoff, SC Fair Share; Theresa Arnold, SC AARP; and other) to get the hospital infection public disclosure bill passed into law this year. Helen became a patient safety advocate after her 15 year old son died from a medical error in 2000. She successfully worked for passage of the Lewis Blackman Hospital Safety Act in 2005 in honor of her son. The law requires all doctors wear identification tags, so patients will know if a doctor or medical resident is attending a patient.
The Stop Hospital Infection campaign worked with South Carolina Fair Share (SCFS), South Carolina AARP and Mothers Against Medical Error (MAME) as well as individuals with hospital infection experiences.
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