NY State Department of Health Funds Projects to Reduce HAIs

Link: NY State Department of Health Funds Projects to Reduce HAIs.

Seven non-profit health organizations will share in more than $1.2 million in funding for demonstration projects that focus on the prevention of infections acquired in hospitals, the New York State Department of Health announced. "Hospital-acquired infections are a major public health problem in the United States, affecting 5 to 10 percent of hospitalized patients nationally each year," said state health commissioner Richard F. Daines, MD. "More than 1.7 million infections are estimated to be contracted in U.S. hospitals each year, responsible for 99,000 reported deaths." "We are committed to the prevention and reduction of infections acquired in hospitals across the state," said Daines. "Each of these projects involves multiple healthcare facilities collaborating to increase patient safety, and ultimately to the reduction of morbidity and mortality associated with these infections. This investment will drive prevention, control and educational approaches that can be replicated statewide, targeting some of the most dangerous hospital-acquired infections, including drug-resistant infections such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile, bloodstream infections and ventilator-associated pneumonias." The projects should generate additional knowledge and experience with prevention and control strategies to reduce and eliminate hospital-acquired infections. The demonstration projects will identify potential quality-of-care improvement strategies, systematically implement them, and measure their effectiveness in reducing targeted infections.