Maryland Launches Hospital Hand Hygiene Program

The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has launched the Maryland Hospital Hand Hygiene Collaborative campaign to enhance the prevention of healthcare-associated infections in Maryland hospitals, at the recommendation of the Maryland Health and Quality Cost Council, according to a DHMH release.

HAIs are the most common adverse event encountered by hospitalized patients and cost the nation an estimated $30 billion in added healthcare costs. Lt. Governor Anthony Brown said in the release, "This hand hygiene collaborative will protect staff and patients from infection in the healthcare setting . . . This initiative makes good public health sense and will save healthcare dollars at the same time."

The Collaborative is supported, in part, through a cooperative funding agreement to support surveillance and prevention of HAIs that was received by the DHMH from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, according to the release.

Maryland hospitals are already enrolled in the CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network and are reporting data on infections in ICUs as well as collecting data on MRSA and healthcare work influenza rates.

According to the release, reduction of HAIs are a top priority as they are among the leading causes of preventable death in the United States and they are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitals. Additionally, HAIs carry a significant financial burden for hospitals and patients.