The New Jersey Antimicrobial Stewardship Collaborative is a voluntary incentive program that encourages health care facilities to assess how well they are applying the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship, a set of key principles to guide efforts to improve antibiotic use, advance patient safety and improve outcomes. Together, the NJDOH and the CDC aims to improve antibiotic use in inpatient health care settings such as acute-care facilities through the implementation of antibiotic stewardship programs to ensure that hospitalized patients receive the right antibiotic, at the right dose, at the right time, and for the right duration.
“Keeping our patients safe by improving how we use antibiotics goes a long way to reduce the threat of antimicrobial resistance, and I am encouraged that we have been recognized for our commitment to treating infections according to national priorities” said Mary Ellen Clyne, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Clara Maass Medical Center.
Antimicrobial Stewardship promotes the use of the appropriate agent, dose, duration, and route of administration of antimicrobial agents both in the acute care setting and in the post-acute care setting in order to improve quality of patient care and patient safety while reducing costs that are attributable to inappropriate antimicrobial use.
Participating acute care and post-acute care facilities were eligible to reach one of three award levels: Gold, Silver, or Bronze.
Contact:
Stacie J. Newton
Office: 973-450-2989
Mobile: 201-424-9678
E-mail: Stacie.Newton@rwjbh.org