Kona Community Hospital Infection Rates Decline

Patients entering the doors of Kona Community Hospital may have a little more peace of mind.

The third quarter 2012 Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI) Surveillance Report at Kona Community Hospital indicated that infections at the facility have been declining throughout the year.

HAIs are infections brought on by a bacteria, fungus or virus while receiving treatment in a healthcare setting.

Kona Community Hospital (KCH) Infection Control Director, Lisa Downing, explained today that the hospital has been developing policies and programs to improve infection prevention measures.

“Wherever patient care is provided at KCH, we are focusing on adherence to infection prevention guidelines” said Downing. She attributes the decline to a hospital-wide effort across every department to safeguard against infections.

KCH spent the last two years working with the Healthcare Association of Hawaii (HAH) to reduce bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary infections, and the difficult to treat Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA.)

The hospital has also been participating in a statewide Surgical Unit Safety Program (SUSP) to target and reduce surgical infections. The 27 month program was undertaken along with Johns Hopkins Medicine, the American College of Surgeons and the World Health Organization.

Kona Community Hospital is a 94-bed full-service acute care facility with a Level III trauma center supporting the west region of the Big Island. It is a member of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, a special agency of the state of Hawaii established in 1996.