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Programs & Services

HAI Prevention in North Carolina

In 2009, the North Carolina Joint Study Committee on Hospital Infection Control Disclosure recommended that North Carolina "implement a mandatory, state-operated, statewide hospital-acquired surveillance and reporting system… operating within the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health (DPH)". In response, North Carolina developed a prevention plan, laws and requirements, educational resources and specific infection reduction goals. Learn more about State HAI Infrastructure and Advisory Group.

Key components of North Carolina's statewide healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) program are awareness, prevention and surveillance efforts, as well as coordination with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), local health departments, healthcare providers and other organizations.

In 2016, the HAI Program changed its name to the Surveillance for Healthcare-Associated Infections and Resistant Pathogens Patient Safety (SHARPPS) Program, which reflects the broader scope of work conducted on a daily basis. The SHARPPS Program conducts surveillance, provide guidance, education, and training, and assist with outbreak investigations relevant in all types of healthcare settings.

Current awareness and prevention programs include:

  • Be Antibiotics Aware: Smart Use, Best Care Campaign – The North Carolina Division of Public Health is an active partner in the Be Antibiotics Aware: Smart Use, Best Care (formerly Get Smart about Antibiotics) Campaign, a national public health campaign, and encourages appropriate antibiotic use and the prevention of antibiotic resistance.
  • STAR Partners - STewardship of Antimicrobial Resources (STAR) Partners Initiative
  • One and Only Campaign External link - North Carolina is one of seven states partnering with the Safe Injection Practices Coalition (SIPC) One and Only Campaign to raise awareness among patients and healthcare providers about safe injection practices.
  • CDC-Supported Prevention Activities in N.C. External link

SHARPPS Newsletter

The SHARPPS Program issues newsletters on a quarterly basis to provide updates on activities and initiatives related to the reduction of healthcare-association infections in North Carolina. The newsletters also include updates on the NC One & Only Campaign, NC Get Smart Campaign, and the NC quarterly and annual HAI reports.

For Additional Information

 

NCDHHS