State Health Departments

C. difficile infections are usually a regional problem since patients transfer back and forth between facilities, such as from nursing homes to a hospital, which allows the disease to spread. Health departments have the ability and authority to work with many types of healthcare facilities, and therefore have a unique opportunity to coordinate comprehensive prevention programs in their state or area.

States and Communities Can:

Encourage health care facilities to track and share data using CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network.
Develop regional C. difficile prevention projects with many types of facilities.
Help health care facilities in their prevention efforts.
Provide a standardized form [PDF – 132 KB] for facilities to use during patient transfers, especially between hospitals and nursing homes.