CareFusion Foundation Announces Clinical Excellence Grant Recipients

The CareFusion Foundation announces the recipients of more than $500,000 in grant funding to help develop and share infection prevention best practices. Grants of up to $50,000 were awarded to 11 U.S. nonprofit healthcare institutions as part of the Foundation's inaugural Clinical Excellence Grant Program.

"Infection prevention is a critical concern among hospitals today," says Dr. Carlos Nunez, chief medical officer for CareFusion. "We're pleased to help fund new and innovative programs to address infection prevention and support organizations that are prioritizing efforts to reduce healthcare associated infections and improve patient care."

Programs selected to receive grant funding in 2013 include:
- Baton Rouge General Medical Center, Baton Rouge, La.
Expanding antimicrobial stewardship through the use of rapid diagnostics

- Boston Medical Center, Boston
Preventing post-operative pulmonary complications: ICOUGH education project

- Children's National Medical Center, Washington, D.C.
Implementation of standardized infection prevention protocol to eliminate surgical infections in pediatric patients undergoing posterior spinal fusion for scoliosis

- The Cleveland VA Medical Research & Education Foundation, Cleveland
Monitoring and feedback intervention to improve the quality of preoperative bathing

- NYU Langone Medical Center, New York
The effects of antibiotic stewardship on surgical site infection rates at an orthopedic institution

- Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Penn.
Prospective evaluation of procedural povidone iodine rectal preparation (PIRP) to reduce infectious complications following ultrasound guided prostate needle biopsy

- RML Specialty Hospital, Hinsdale, Ill.
The impact of managing clutter on infection rates in a long-term acute care hospital

- Sharp Healthcare Foundation, San Diego
"It's OK to Ask" hand hygiene education and awareness program

- St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center, Syracuse, N.Y.
Collaborative pilot program to reduce C. difficile rates in a long-term care environment

- University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora, Colo.
Determining high-touch areas in the operating room with levels of contamination

- Wayne State University Hospital, Detroit
Automating surveillance for ventilator associated events

Programs selected for funding will address a range of infection prevention practices including patient and staff education, hand and environmental hygiene, skin preparation and clinical studies to establish tracking and prevention models for some of the most common health care associated infections (HAIs).

The 2013 Clinical Excellence Grant program is designed to help organizations implement programs to measurably improve infection prevention practices in a health care setting or provide patient education and outreach related to infection prevention. To be eligible for grant fundinga one-time endowment of up to $50,000 per organizationU.S.-based nonprofit health care institutions were invited to submit a written proposal detailing their program plan and expected results. Preference was given to evidence-based programs with potential to serve as best practice models for reducing HAIs.