Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center Named Center of Excellence by Infectious Diseases Society of America

The Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center (PVHMC) Antimicrobial Stewardship Program has been named a “Center of Excellence” by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. PVHMC infectious diseases physicians and infectious-disease-trained pharmacists earned this prestigious designation by following the latest evidence-based national guidelines and providing the highest standards in patient care.

“It’s an honor to be declared a Center of Excellence and earning this recognition is a result of a highly coordinated multidisciplinary approach across our medical center,” says John Mourani, MD, medical director of infectious diseases at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center. “This designation recognizes our organization-wide commitment to continued education and implementing best practices to keep our patients safe and combat a troubling global trend in antibiotic resistance that also exists in our own community.”

Collaborating across infectious diseases, infection prevention, critical care, microbiology, pharmacy, nursing, quality improvement, PVHMC was able to earn this recognition through its consistent and novel stewardship principles, a commitment to continued education among its medical team and staff, use of advanced technology to evaluate information and make real-time informed decisions.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America is a community of more than 13,000 physicians, scientists, and public health experts who specialize in infectious diseases. The society’s mission 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.

This is the second honor for the hospital’s antimicrobial stewardship program this year.

Earlier this year, PVHMC was awarded the Gold Medal by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Program's Antimicrobial Stewardship Program Honor Roll in July. The award recognized 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 recognized California's top-performing antimicrobial stewardship programs that followed national guidelines, promoted optimal use of antimicrobials, prevented the emergence of antimicrobial resistance and C. difficile infections, and provided good patient outcomes. The gold designation reflects the rigorous criteria met by PVHMC clinicians and staff for their work in the antimicrobial field.

“These recognitions fuel our development and maintenance of our antimicrobial stewardship program so we can continue to achieve the best clinical outcomes,” adds Dr. Mourani. “Antibiotic resistance is a growing public health problem, and our goal is to minimize toxicity for our patients and other adverse events associated with antibiotic use.”