MRSA Notes

In Azle, TX, a small town, northwest of Dallas/Fort Worth, Harris Methodist Northwest Hospital has been proactive in their community in teaching its residents about MRSA and how to avoid it.

In January 2005, the hospital decided it was time to do something to prevent or reduce the cases of MRSA.
Ingle says hand cleanliness is the most proactive way to combat the infection. Armed with that knowledge, the hospital decided to take its cleanliness program to areas it felt it could affect the most people – Azle schools and civic organizations.
The hospital educated more than 1,400 students about MRSA last year alone.
Azle teachers and coaches put the practical information to good use, encouraging their students to make cleanliness a priority.
Ingle says the community-wide effort has paid off. This year’s staph infection numbers are down considerably over last.
“The number of MRSA cases is down 57 percent at areas where we were able to provide some education – school-age kids,” she said. “We’re really excited about that.”
Ray Ivey, director of administration for Azle ISD, said he wants to make the program a regular part of the district’s curriculum.
“We have a lot of new teachers and coaches, so they need to know about it too,” he said.
Ivey said student health is not something to be taken lightly.
“We want to keep kids in school – and their minds on their work,” he said.
The hospital’s success dealing with the infection has also gained the recognition of its peers.
In fact, Texas Health Resources, which owns and manages HMNW, has distributed the hospital’s educational information on MRSA to sister hospitals throughout the Metroplex.

Way to go - I hope more communities will follow suit. A grassroots effort to educate everyone is going to be where its at, I think!

Source

CA MRSA, Education, HA MRSA, MRSA, MRSA in Schools/Athletics, MRSA in the U.S., Texas

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