WESTWOOD, New Jersey (December 19, 2022) – The Communicable Disease Service of the New Jersey Department of Health has recognized Hackensack Meridian Pascack Valley Medical Center as a 2022 Antimicrobial Steward. This award recognizes facilities who have promoted antimicrobial stewardship practices that encourage and maintain the health of patients, personnel, and the general New Jersey population.
The New Jersey Antimicrobial Stewardship Recognition Program (ASRP) is voluntary and encourages healthcare facilities to assess how well they are applying the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship, a set of key principles to guide efforts to improve antibiotic use, advance patient safety and improve outcomes. Given the recent demands on healthcare facilities, the antimicrobial stewardship team has had to work harder than ever to respond to patient needs during the pandemic while ramping up efforts to curb resistant infections and ensure appropriate antimicrobial use.
“Tremendous strides in antimicrobial stewardship have been made over the last few years, largely due to the efforts of a cohesive multidisciplinary team including infectious disease and the pharmacy, as well as the full support of the administrative team,” said Keren Stern, clinical coordinator of the Pharmacy at Pascack Valley Medical Center. “We strongly believe in the value and importance of the antimicrobial stewardship program and recognize that antibiotics should be treated as precious resources that need to be conserved for future generations.”
The ASRP application evaluates metrics on hospital leadership commitment, accountability, pharmacy expertise, action, tracking, reporting, and education and awards facilities at gold, silver or bronze levels.
“The gold recognition for Pascack Valley proves that our pharmacy team is devoted to improving the use of antimicrobial medications in our facility as we continue to protect our patient population,” said Emily Holliman, CEO at Pascack Valley Medical Center.