PVHMC Awarded by California Department of Public Health for Antimicrobial Stewardship Program Honor Roll

Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center (PVHMC) was awarded Gold status designation by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Program's Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) Honor Roll. The award recognizes the hospital’s best practices in protecting the community from the harms of antibiotic overuse, infection prevention and good patient outcomes in infection treatments.

The award criteria recognize California's top-performing ASPs that follow national guidelines, that promote optimal use of antimicrobials, prevent emergence of antimicrobial resistance and C. difficile infections and provide good patient outcomes. The gold designation reflects the rigorous criteria that has been met by PVHMC clinicians and staff for their work in the antimicrobial field.

According to the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. experiences more than 2.8 million antimicrobial-resistant infections each year, with more than 35,000 deaths as a result. Additional data showed antimicrobial resistance increased early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Antibiotic resistance is a global public health problem, and this designation recognizes our organization-wide commitment to continued education and implementing best practices to keep our patients safe and combat this issue in our community,” says John Mourani, MD, medical director of infectious diseases at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center.

The PVHMC ASP diagnoses infectious diseases and uses antimicrobial agents to improve patient safety and outcomes, minimize antimicrobial resistance, and reduce treatment costs. The program complies with national guidelines from the CDC, Infectious Disease Society of America and Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, and the California Health and Safety Code. The stewardship is the responsibility of the medical staff through the Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee and reports to the Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee.

PVHMC maintains its ASP to assist in development of antibiotics utilization and treatment guidelines, all of which help achieve the best clinical outcome for patients while minimizing toxicity and other adverse events associated with antibiotic use.