Tag Archives: hospital

DHEC in the News: Flu

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Here’s a look at health and environmental news from around South Carolina.

Flu claims 22 more lives in SC, but there is some good news on the flu front

The flu remains widespread in South Carolina, but for the second straight week the number of confirmed cases fell statewide.

Health Officials: 22 more die from flu in South Carolina

State health officials say 22 more people have died from flu in South Carolina in the past week.

The Department of Health and Environmental Control said Wednesday that the latest report shows that 128 people have died from the flu in South Carolina since the season started in October.

Upstate hospitals combat IV bag shortage amid flu season

In the midst of what health officials say is shaping up to be the worst flu season in nearly a decade, three of the region’s largest hospital systems are struggling to provide intravenous (IV) bags for incoming patients.

The bags, which are used to administer fluids and medications, have been in short supply since Hurricane Maria’s devastation of Puerto Rico in September, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The storm not only knocked out the island’s electrical grid but also damaged a number of manufacturing facilities responsible for the production of IV bags.

Two more die of the flu in Beaufort County. Here’s what we know.

Two more flu-related deaths were reported in Beaufort and Jasper counties the week of Feb. 5, according to local healthcare officials.

One person died at Beaufort Memorial Hospital and another at Coastal Carolina Hospital. The hospitals did not disclose the age or gender of the victims.

DHEC in the News: Flu, opioids, recycling

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Here’s a look at health and environmental news from around South Carolina.

New flu cases balloon in Horry as medical facilities seek to stop its spread

Headed into the final week of January, Horry County had been spared the worst of flu season.

It took only a span of seven days for all of that to change.

A recent S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control report revealed 701 new flu cases in Horry County were diagnosed within the past week. Prior to that, approximately 795 cases were diagnosed since the start of flu season in October.

‘A miracle drug’: How Narcan is impacting opioid crisis, first responders locally

In 2016, more than 46,000 people nationwide overdosed on opioids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The death rate from the drug type was a historical high for the United States—the CDC reporting most overdoses having occurred that year from heroin, prescription opioids and fentanyl.

The weight of the country’s rising opioid crisis is also being felt across South Carolina and the tri-county, as an increasing number of law enforcement agencies are equipping officers with Narcan to reverse the drug’s fatal effects.

New recycling program picking up steam at High Point Academy

A new recycling program at High Point Academy has become so popular it already needs to be expanded.

The school recently put plastic bins in every classroom and several large bins throughout the school thanks to an S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control grant. The $1,500 helped Rivers Carroll, an eighth-grade science teacher, put the program in place.

“I noticed, while they’re eating, they’re throwing a lot of stuff away. And I come from a management background at a grocery store,” he said. “There’s a large population of consumers here. I thought, ‘Hey, this isn’t too good.’”

DHEC in the News: Focus On The Flu

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Here’s a look at health and environmental news from around South Carolina.

Flu outbreak forces Columbia hospital to add temporary space

An influx of patients sick with the flu in the Midlands has prompted a Columbia-area hospital to add a mobile unit to help with additional patient volume.

Palmetto Health Richland will use a “temporary mobile medical unit” starting Thursday to help expedite patient discharges, said Tammie Epps, spokeswoman for the hospital.

38 more people in South Carolina died from the flu; virus showing no signs of slowing down

Another 38 South Carolinians have died from the flu, the state health department reported Wednesday, bringing the total this season to 84 deaths in the state.

To make matters worse, the latest flu report offers no evidence the virus is slowing down.

At the Roper St. Francis Express Care in Summerville on Wednesday morning, 27 patients needed medical treatment within the first few hours of the clinic’s opening. Twenty of them had the flu.

SC flu-related deaths nearly double in one week

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control say 84 people have now died from the flu since the start of the season, nearly double the number of reported deaths from last week.

Those numbers are as of January 27. Just last week, the number of flu-related fatalities was 46.

Of the 84 total deaths, 38 of them occurred between Jan. 21 and Jan. 27, according to DHEC.

SC flu fatalities soar past 80 in deadliest week yet for Palmetto State

This flu season continues to inflict severe damage in South Carolina.

In the past week, the number of reported flu-related deaths has almost doubled, as 38 more deaths have been reported by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Lowcountry school districts report higher absentee numbers as flu cases rise

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) – Lowcountry doctors are seeing an increase in patients, and schools are seeing an increase in absences.

For the month of January, all the Roper St. Francis hospitals and physicians saw 2,660 cases of the flu. Trident Health saw 677 flu patients during the month.

With the high flu numbers, it’s leaving a lot of empty chairs in our local schools.

World Hand Hygiene Day is May 5

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Natasha Wright, RN, MSN
DHEC HAI Nurse Consultant

While there won’t be a cake with several tiers, beautiful gowns or champagne toasts, hand hygiene is definitely a subject worthy of its own day to “celebrate.”

In the pursuit of preventing all healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) and the South Carolina Hospital Association (SCHA) urge all health care facilities and organizations to join us in highlighting the single most important practice supported by evidence in helping eliminate cross-contamination and reduce HAIs—proper and thorough hand hygiene2.

Up to 70 percent of HAIs that occur yearly could be prevented if health care workers follow recommended protocols, which include proper hand washing3. Even with all of the evidence of its effectiveness and emphasis placed on the importance of hand cleanliness, a 2010 study that examined research on global practices found that only roughly 40 percent of health care workers comply with recommended hand washing guidelines3.

A Few (Not-So-Fun) Facts:

  1. Studies show that some health care providers practice hand hygiene less than half of the times they should. Health care providers might need to clean their hands as many as 100 times per 12-hour shift, depending on the number of patients and intensity of care. Know what it could take to keep your patients safe1.
  2. On any given day, about 1 in 25 hospital patients has at least one healthcare-associated infection. Many germs that cause these infections are spread from patient to patient on the hands of health care providers1.
  3. There are three areas most often missed by health care providers when using alcohol-based hand sanitizer: thumbs, fingertips and between fingers1.
  4. A few barriers to completely following recommended guidelines are3:
  • Inconvenient placement of sinks and/or hand sanitizer dispensers, or empty soap or sanitizer dispensers;
  • Health care workers concerned about drying out their skin;
  • Overlooking hand cleanliness due to the workload of a health care worker and/or a chaotic environment;
  • The belief that wearing gloves when providing care is sufficient in preventing the spread of germs.

Hand Sanitizer or Soap and Water1?

  1. An alcohol-based hand sanitizer is the preferred method for cleaning your hands when they are not visibly dirty because it:
  • Is more effective at killing potentially deadly germs on hands than soap;
  • Requires less time;
  • Is more accessible than hand washing sinks;
  • Reduces bacterial counts on hands;
  • Improves skin condition with less irritation and dryness than soap and water.
  1. Use soap and water when hands are visibly soiled and/or when working with a patient or an environment in which you may come into contact with contaminants.
  2. Although the amount of time for proper hand washing with soap and water varies from 15 seconds to 30 seconds (depending on the study), hands should be vigorously scrubbed for a minimum of 15 seconds.
  3. Remember “My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene”4:
  • Before touching a patient;
  • Before clean/aseptic procedures;
  • After body fluid exposure/risk;
  • After touching a patient;
  • After touching a patient’s surroundings.

Still Room for Improvement

In a world where health care is continuously changing, one thing has remained constant—routine and thorough hand washing is essential for preventing the spread of germs (including the increasing threat of those resistant to antibiotics) and the development of HAIs in patients. While the health care field is far from the days when gloves were barely worn and hand hygiene was an afterthought, we are not at 100 percent compliance in our facilities. Whether it is through the use of the traditional soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizers, proper handwashing must continue to be highlighted and emphasized by all champions of infection prevention because it is one practice that will remain constant for years to come.

Useful Resources for World Hand Hygiene Day

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Clean Hands Count Campaign

cdc.gov/handhygiene/index.html

World Health Organization (WHO) Save Lives: Clean Your Hands Campaign

Theme for 2017–Fight antibiotic resistance – it’s in your hands

who.int/gpsc/5may/en/

 References:

  1. CDC. (2016). Show Me the Science. cdc.gov/handhygiene/science/index.html
  2. Infection Control Today. (2017). infectioncontroltoday.com/topics/hand-hygiene.aspx
  3. Saint, S. (2016). Hand washing stops infections, so why do health care workers skip it? theconversation.com/hand-washing-stops-infections-so-why-do-health-care-workers-skip-it-58763
  4. WHO. (2017). My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene. who.int/gpsc/5may/background/5moments/en/