It's Back to School and Back to an Important Basic-Good Hand Hygiene

It’s Back to School and Back to an Important Basic—Good Hand Hygiene

Local medical experts endorse education initiative designed to prevent spread of MRSA

HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (September 12, 2008) - With at least a half dozen confirmed cases of MRSA already reported among Middle Tennessee students since the beginning of the school year and three of those being in Sumner County, local physicians and infection control professionals are pointing teachers and parents to an informative, interactive website to help combat the spread of the infection.

Late last month, Hendersonville Medical Center’s parent company, Nashville-based HCA, launched a national education initiative “Clean Hand Are Cool Hands”, a fun, interactive program designed to teach kids the importance of good hand hygiene in the prevention of infection, particularly MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphyococcus aureus), a common, yet highly contagious bacterium that frequently inhabits a person’s skin or nostrils.

“The growing prevalence of community associated MRSA across Middle Tennessee is creating new challenges for the healthcare community,” said Debbie Smith, RN, Infection Control Coordinator at Hendersonville Medical Center. “We know that many public spaces including schools, fitness centers and locker-rooms can harbor the dangerous bacteria. Practicing good hand hygiene is undoubtedly the simplest, most effective method for controlling the spread of bacteria, including MRSA.”

According to Smith, the Clean Hands Are Cool Hands campaign targets children in grades K-4 and teaches them the importance of keeping their hands clean by washing them thoroughly with soap and water or by using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

The HCA Foundation and the Steris Foundation teamed up with Mitchel Musso, popular entertainer and co-star of well-liked TV series Hannah Montana to create the Clean Hands are Cool Hands public service campaign. Mitchel’s popularity among school-age children and tweens is expected to help make the message a strong one.

Smith encourages parents and teachers to visit www.cleanhandsarecoolhands.com where they will find interactive activities for families, as well as professionally prepared curriculum for use in the classroom. Hendersonville Medical Center also has available physicians and infection control professionals who are available to speak with teachers, parent organizations and other community groups to help educate the public about infection prevention measures.

Speakers are available and may be scheduled by calling TriStar MedLine a 615-342-1919.

Hendersonville Medical Center, part of the TriStar Health System, is a 110-bed community-based medical center with comprehensive medical and surgical programs including Obstetrics, Cardiology, Orthopaedics and Neurosurgery services. Fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, Hendersonville Medical Center remains the only Accredited Chest Pain Center in Sumner County. For more information about the services offered and health plans accepted by Hendersonville Medical Center or TriStar Health System, call MedLine at 342-1919, toll-free outside of Nashville at 1-800-242-5662, or visit the website at TriStarHealth.com.

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