CCSC Awards Recognize Achievements in Eliminating HAIs

For the third year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Critical Care Societies Collaborative (CCSC) called for applications from teams of critical care professionals and healthcare institutions with demonstrated systems of excellence for reducing and eventually eliminating targeted healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).

Targeted HAIs for the 2013 awards cycle are as follows:
- catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI)
- central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI)
- ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP)

Awards for reducing CAUTI, the most prevalent HAI, are new this year. Hospitals, units, and teams demonstrating sustained reduction or elimination of the targeted HAIs for a minimum of 25 months combined with national leadership in disseminating information about their success were eligible.

Winners were announced May 20, 2013 during the Super Session at the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) 2013 National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition in Boston.

Award recipients (alphabetized by state) are:
- Intensive Care Unit, Franciscan St. Francis Health, Mooresville, Ind. (CAUTI)
- Surgical ICU and Trauma Burn ICU, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor (VAP)
- Medical Surgical ICU, HealthEast St. Johns Hospital, Maplewood, Minn. (CLABSI)
- Beth Israel Medical Center, New York City (CAUTI)
- ICU, Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center, Charlotte, N.C.; ICU,Novant Health Matthews Medical Center, Matthews, N.C.; and ICU,Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center, Huntersville, N.C. (VAP)
- Cardiac Intermediate Unit, East Carolina Heart Institute at Vidant Medical Center, Greenville, N.C. (CLABSI)
- Medical Intermediate Unit, Vidant Medical Center, Greenville, N.C., (VAP)
- Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (CLABSI)

In addition to the eight awardees, 11 healthcare organizations received honorable mentions for their efforts toward eliminating HAIs within their facilities. Facilities receiving honorable mention in this years awards program are listed at: www.aacn.org/haiawards.