Eight Institutions Receive the IDSA Antimicrobial Stewardship
Center of Excellence Designation
The Infectious Diseases Society of America announced today the recipients of its Antimicrobial Stewardship Centers of Excellence designation. The eight awarded institutions have created stewardship programs led by infectious diseases-trained physicians and pharmacists that advance science in antimicrobial resistance. The institutions also have achieved standards aligned with evidence-based national guidelines, such as the IDSA-Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America guidelines and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Core Elements. A total of 187 programs nationwide have received the designation since the program’s launch in 2017.
“Solving the next public health emergency starts with addressing the threat of antimicrobial resistance at every level,” said Steven K. Schmitt, MD, FIDSA, president of IDSA. “These eight institutions are working to counter the growing problem of resistance, one of the greatest threats facing our future. By honoring them, we are building a community fighting antimicrobial resistance.”
A recently published CDC fact sheet analyzes the threat of AMR in the U.S. and the impact COVID-19 had on health care facilities. CDC says the number of reported clinical cases of C. auris increased nearly five-fold from 2019 to 2022. Additionally, CDC shows that six bacterial antimicrobial-resistant hospital-onset infections increased by a combined 20% during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period, peaking in 2021 and remaining above pre-pandemic levels in 2022. “Fighting antimicrobial resistance remains a priority for IDSA as we continue to support legislative efforts to strengthen the U.S. response to antimicrobial resistance by advocating for passage of the Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act,” Dr. Schmitt said.
The core criteria for the CoE program place emphasis on an institution’s ability to implement stewardship protocols by integrating best practices to slow the emergence of resistance, optimize the treatment of infections, reduce adverse events associated with antibiotic use and to address other challenging areas related to antimicrobial stewardship. A panel of IDSA member experts in antimicrobial stewardship, including ID-trained physicians and ID-trained pharmacists, evaluate CoE applications against high-level criteria established by IDSA leadership for determining merit.
The institutions recently awarded the CoE designation are:
Baptist Health
Jacksonville, FL
Children's Hospital New Orleans
New Orleans, LA
John D. VA Medical Center
Detroit, MI
Keck Hospital of USC (University of Southern California)
Los Angeles, CA
Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital
Somerset, KY
Ocean University Medical Center
Brick Township, NJ 08724
University of Southern California (USC) Norris Cancer Hospital
Los Angeles, CA
University of Toledo Medical Center
Toledo, OH 43614
About IDSA
The Infectious Diseases Society of America is a community of over 13,000 physicians, scientists and public health experts who specialize in infectious diseases. Its purpose is to improve the health of individuals, communities and society by promoting excellence in patient care, education, research, public health and prevention relating to infectious diseases. Learn more at idsociety.org.