Nearly 1,100 health care leaders gathered in Indianapolis on March 2 to learn more about the Indiana State Department of Health's Healthcare Associated Infection Initiative. The 15-month program is set to begin July 2010 and is expected to include hospitals, nursing homes, and home health agencies. The initiative will assist participating facilities through educational programs on best practices, improved infection control systems, and quality improvement activities.

The three primary objectives of the initiative are to:

• Develop a state plan for preventing health care associated infections;
• Develop and implement a surveillance and monitoring system for health care associated infections; and
• Develop and implement a prevention initiative for health care associated infections.

The initiative is targeting six health care associated infections:

• Central line associated bloodstream infections
• Catheter associated urinary tract infections
• Clostridium difficile infection
• Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
• Surgical site infections
• Ventilator associated pneumonia

The Indiana initiative is part of a larger national plan developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additional information on the Indiana initiative may be found at http://www.in.gov/isdh/24769.htm.