For Immediate Release

Mercy Memorial Receives Award for Reducing Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia

Ardmore—Ventilator-associated pneumonia – VAP – is a leading killer among all hospital-acquired infections, causing an estimated 26,000 deaths nationwide each year. But at Mercy Memorial Health Center, VAP has been zapped. Mercy Memorial has had only one occurrence as VAP in the last four years, while the national average is 2.7 VAP cases per month.

Covidien, a leading global healthcare products company, recently awarded Mercy Memorial as a Zero VAP Center of Excellence for efforts to eliminate VAP. Over 50 hospitals nation-wide applied for the award last year, while only 10 received the honor.

“We are very proud to receive this award and committed to do whatever possible to reduce infections,” said Roger Hays, RN, BSN, Mercy Memorial intensive care unit manager. “We have had over 4,000 ventilator days without a single occurrence of VAP.”

VAP is a life-threatening infection of the lungs that can develop in intensive care patients dependent on ventilators to help them breathe. Beginning in 2005, Mercy Memorial initiated a series of steps to reduce VAP, such as raising the head of the bed to an angle of 30 to 45 degrees and weaning patients off ventilators as quickly as possible.

Mercy Memorial has also been recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance System for maintaining an extraordinary low rate of hospital-associated infections.

Mercy Memorial Health Center is a member of Mercy Health System of Oklahoma and the Sisters of Mercy Health System.

Press release dated: March 10, 2009