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State Health Departments

Health departments have the ability to work with many types of healthcare facilities, and therefore have a unique opportunity to develop, coordinate, and implement comprehensive local and regional prevention strategies in their state or area.

Ideally for CRE, state health departments would take the lead and coordinate with local health departments. However, depending on the region targeted, prevention strategies may also require coordination between states.

State Health Departments Should:

  • Understand the prevalence or incidence of CRE in their jurisdiction by performing some form of regional surveillance for these organisms. Areas not yet or rarely affected by CRE infections can be proactive in CRE prevention efforts.
  • Increase awareness among health care facilities of the regional prevalence of CRE.
  • Provide a standardized form [PDF – 176 KB] for facilities to use during patient transfers, especially between hospitals and long-term care facilities.
  • Consider including CRE infections on your state’s Notifiable Diseases List.
  • Include a range of facility types when developing regional CRE prevention projects.
  • Be a resource for health care facilities on appropriate infection prevention measures and antimicrobial stewardship.
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