Kimberly-Clark Celebrates Record Attendance for HAI Education Bus Tour

Now in its third tour around the country, the Kimberly-Clark Health Care HAI Education Bus celebrates its attendance record and number of facilities visited. Since its launch in 2008, the bus has visited a total of 186 facilities, delivering more than 50,000 accredited education certificates. In its second year alone, the Kimberly-Clark Health Care HAI Education Bus has visited 108 facilities in 93 cities across the country.

The Kimberly-Clark Health Care Knowledge Network has added five new continuing education (CE) courses and/or continuing medical education (CME) courses on HAI management and prevention for healthcare workers to choose from.

The new courses are:

-- Influenza: A Seasonal and Pandemic Threat

-- Standard Precautions: Is Staff REALLY protected?

-- Costs of Healthcare-associated Infections

-- Does the Glove Fit? Critical Considerations for the Selection

-- Strategies to Prevent and Control Multi-Drug Resistant Organisms

Physicians and nurses now have 25 different courses that cover a range of infection prevention topics. The top three most popular courses taken last year were:

-- MRSA: Time of Action

-- Standard Precautions: Is Staff REALLY protected?

-- Guess Who’s Coming to Surgery?

“We are extremely pleased with the overwhelming positive response the bus has received from healthcare workers throughout the country over the past two years,” said Joanne Bauer, president of Kimberly-Clark Health Care. “We recognize that hospitals make it their mission to deliver the best patient care possible, and by working together to provide the latest research in HAI prevention to their staff, we can help fulfill that goal.” 

At each facility, Kimberly-Clark Health Care works alongside the infection prevention director to provide important educational information to staff members. Often they too can be found on the bus taking various accredited courses.

According to Mary McNally-McFadden, director of infection prevention and occupational health at Georgetown University Hospital, “The Kimberly-Clark HAI Education Bus was over the top! I applaud Kimberly-Clark for taking the initiative to educate healthcare providers on safe practices designed to reduce healthcare-acquired infections. In this time of economic challenges, it was a great way for our nurses to seek education and also receive contact hours for their time.”

The bus tour also features a philanthropic element through its partnership with MedShare International, a nonprofit organization that collects and redistributes surplus medical supplies and equipment to underserved healthcare facilities in developing countries. Facilities visited by the HAI Education Bus can participate in a collection drive and donate medical supplies and equipment to MedShare International that would otherwise go into local landfills. According to Healthcare Without Harm, hospitals generate more than two million tons of medical waste each year. Since its inception in 1998, MedShare has donated more than $42 million worth of medical supplies and equipment, saving more than 800,000 cubic feet of space in U.S. landfills.

To have the HAI Education Bus visit your facility, contact your Kimberly-Clark Health Care representative or contact Mark Semmelmayer at marks@kcc.com. To learn more about the bus and view past facility stops, visit www.haibus.com.