More than 4,500 health-care facilities globally are supporting this new
initiative designed to highlight and promote hand hygiene, the correct
techniques and how to inform and educate health-care staff as well as
patients and the general public.
Significantly, the WHO Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care will be
launched May 5, 2009 together with a revised suite of hand hygiene implementation
tools which will be available for download at no cost from the following website:
http://www.who.int/gpsc/en/.
“Catawba Valley Medical Center is dedicated to preventing infections
and providing quality patient care,” said Michelle Mace, Registered
Nurse, Masters of Science in Nursing, Certified Pediatric Nurse, CVMC
infection prevention director. “Hand hygiene among staff, patients
and visitors is a key factor to prevent infections. In recognition of
the WHO national hand hygiene awareness day, we will be having educational
activities throughout the month of May, in addition to our on-going everyday
education. To support this initiative, we have alcohol based hand sanitizer
in more than 750 locations throughout the organization,” Ms. Mace
continued.
At this time of influenza spread, taking the simple steps of hand hygiene
at the right time in the right place and the right way will contribute
to reducing the level of health care-associated infections world wide
and thereby contribute to reducing the global burden of disease.
Catawba Valley Medical Center is a not-for-profit, public healthcare system
providing and promoting the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual
well-being of the public in addition to serving as a center for health
education, wellness services, preventative medicine and acute care. CVMC,
twice recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as a Magnet
facility, was recently named as a “Distinguished Hospital for An
Outstanding InPatient Experience” by J.D. Power and Associates as
well as a Hospital of Choice by the American Alliance of Healthcare Providers.