Cooper Earns National Praise For Stewarship Program
Cooper University Health Care has been recognized as an Antimicrobial Stewardship Center of Excellence by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the health system announced Tuesday morning.
Cooper is one of 101 programs nationwide to have received the designation since the program launched in 2017.
Its Antimicrobial Stewardship program is a multidisciplinary effort and collaboration between infectious diseases physicians and pharmacists.
Cooper and other health systems that have been recognized have created a stewardship program led by Infectious Disease-trained physicians and pharmacists that advance science in Antimicrobial Resistance.
The physicians and pharmacists have achieved standards aligned with evidence-based national guidelines such as the IDSA-SHEA guidelines and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Core Elements.
“Antimicrobial stewardship programs empower our physicians to choose and prescribe the right antibiotics, at the right dose, and for the right duration to increase patient safety and decrease antibiotic resistance,” Cooper co-CEO Anthony J. Mazzarelli said.
“This national designation further demonstrates the expertise of our physicians and pharmacists and their commitment to patient safety, which residents have come to expect from Cooper as the leading academic health system in the region,” Cooper co-CEO Kevin O’Dowd said.
“While the world’s attention is rightfully focused on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, drug resistant infections continue,” IDSA President Thomas M. File Jr. said. “One of IDSA’s top priorities is fighting antimicrobial resistance through research, education, training and policy initiatives. Our Centers of Excellence program honors institutions that have demonstrated leadership in that fight. Cooper and each of the CoE designees serve a critical role in ensuring that we protect the tools we have against resistant infections, setting a high standard for others to follow.”
To learn more about the IDSA Antimicrobial Stewardship Centers of Excellence program, visit www.idsociety.org/clinical-practice/antimicrobial-stewardship/.
This article originally appeared on the Cherry Hill Patch
