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A Team Of Japanese Physicians and Nurses Tour Holy Cross Hospital
Visit focused on infection control program at hospital
A team of 30 prestigious Japanese physicians and nurses with special interest in infectious diseases took a tour of Holy Cross Hospital on June 11th. The tour focused on Holy Cross's successful infection control program and its policies and procedures used to minimize the risk of spreading infections. The group visited the Emergency Department, Outpatient Radiation Therapy and Infusion Therapy, Heart Lab/Cath Labs and Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit, as well as isolation and standard patient rooms"We are honored and feel privileged to have this team of physicians and nurses visit our hospital," said Susan Mableson, Infection Control Manager. "It is important to share with the world the practices we implement at Holy Cross to prevent the spread of infections." The physicians were in town for a conference with the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) held at the Broward County Convention Center. The group was particularly interested in mutual challenges for both countries related to hospital acquired infections and the recent Swine Flu epidemic that caused some of the Japanese representatives to stay behind.
Raul Tapia, MD, Pathologist and Chairman of the Infection Control Committee at Holy Cross, discussed his role as liaison between medical staff and the infection control department. Ricardo Reyes, MD, Infectious Diseases and Internal Medicine, Margaret Gorensek, MD, Infectious Diseases and Internal Medicine, Nora Triola, RN, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, Deborah Lambrinos, Executive Director of Quality/Performance Improvement, Maria Wiener, Infection Preventionist and John Johnson, President & CEO, Holy Cross Hospital, were all onboard to welcome the group and answered questions about Holy Cross's award winning departments and excellent patient care. Sister Rita Levasseur was also present and led the group in a reflection.
The infection control department at Holy Cross Hospital focuses on promoting patient safety by reducing the risk of acquiring and transmitting infections. These diseases are usually caused by bacteria or viruses and can be spread from human to human contact, animal to human, human contact with an infected surface, airborne transmission through tiny droplets of infectious agents suspended in the air or in the water or food.
