Illinois Same-Day Surgery Centers under the Spotlight

Aug. 29, 2011 - PRLog -- Earlier this month, the Northwest Herald reported about the state of infection control at same-day surgical centers across Illinois.  According to the article, of the surgery centers inspected in the past year, 2/3 had been cited for infection control problems.

News of these infection control problems coincide with a new federal report that was just released that shows an increase in hospitalization rates of children with skin infections.  The report showed that in 2009, 71,900 children spent time in a hospital for skin infections.   This figure correlates to an infection rate of 9.4 cases for every 10,000 children.  This is a sharp increase from the 4.5 cases per 10,000 children reported in 2000.

Whether due to community acquired infections or hospital acquired infections (HAIs), infection control is a critical area of concern for public health professionals.  These infections can be caused by a wide range of bacteria, fungi and viruses.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Approximately 1 out of every 20 hospitalized patients will contract an HAI.”

“Infection control procedures are a critical part of the healthcare system,” reported Ed Chambers, the President of EC2, Inc., an Illinois-based environmental and infectious disease control consulting firm. “When there are lapses in a facility’s infection control program it can result in illness, death, increased medical costs and expensive lawsuits.  Companies, such as EC2, can help medical facilities evaluate their programs, provide onsite monitoring and quickly react to help medical facilities that experience a problem.”

EC2 has recently sponsored a series of online videos to help educate the public about infectious agents, including: MRSA, C. diff, TB and others.  The most recent video on this topic can be seen at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7o93nmgp1E



Healthcare professionals interested in learning more about environmental, IAQ and infectious disease issues can learn more by visiting http://www.4ec2inc.com, or by emailing info@4ec2inc.com or calling (815) 703-9000.

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About EC2, Inc.
EC2 is a leading provider of environmental consulting and inspection services for clients across the United States. Based in the Chicago area, the company provides their services to clients ranging from local companies and institutions to international Fortune 500 Corporations.