Lutheran Medical Center’s Labor and Delivery Department launched a new initiative to promote an infection free facility and protect the health of its employees, patients and visitors. The Clean Campaign reminds hospital employees of the importance of infection prevention through hand washing, maintaining a clean work environment and using clean equipment.
Last October, the Greater New York Hospital Association in collaboration with 1199SEIU, invited Lutheran Medical Center and several other area hospitals to participate in two days of infection control seminars in New York City. The Hospital Association wanted the staff in attendance to return to their respective hospitals armed with information they could use to teach their colleagues how to effectively promote infection control.
The new initiative by the Labor and Delivery Department officially got underway with the staff of nurses dressed as various bacteria. Prior to the official launch the L&D Department developed literature detailing 12 easy ways to stay healthy; of them hand washing topped the list. Each L&D staff member is now considered a quality coach and according to Director of Infection Control, Judith Medefindt, they keyed in to the scope of the wider issues of infection control and even educated the patients on ways to stay infection free.
“I think it’s great what they’ve done; they’ve taken the initiative to spread this awareness,” said Medefindt. “This campaign is good for infection control, and for everyone to participate in it, makes it truly successful. Hand hygiene is everyone’s responsibility.”
The initiative is devised to reach the entire population at Lutheran. Nurse Manager of the Department, Marie Versaggi, said: “This Clean Campaign can foster a better understanding of how to actually save lives through something as simple as hand washing. We tried to spread the word not the germ.”
Learn more about LMC, 150 55th Street, online at www.lutheranmedicalcenter.com.
