Urge Congress to Curb the Spread of Hospital "Superbug" Infections

Dear [Decision Maker],

I am asking you to support legislation to improve the prevention, detection, and treatment of healthcare-acquired infections, including those caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

[Your personal comments will be added here.]

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly two million patients develop infections while being treated in the hospital every year and almost 100,000 of them die from the infection. These patients require extra care and often end up staying longer in the hospital to recover, which adds billions of dollars to the health care bill paid by insurers, consumers, and taxpayers annually.

This is even more urgent now that recent studies found that the prevalence of MRSA and c.difficile infections, acquired in hospitals are significantly higher than previously thought. These are only two virulent, antibiotic-resistant bacteria associated with deadly infections. In 2005, almost 95,000 Americans developed MRSA infections and nearly 19,000 of them died from their infection. The overwhelming majority of these infections - 85 percent - were acquired in health care settings.

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the number of c.difficile infections doubled from 2001-2005. A recent prevalence study by the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology found on any given day in US hospitals, 7000 patients had c.difficile infections, the overwhelming majority of which were hospital-acquired, that added $35 million in costs and killed 300 of them.

We must put a stop to these mostly preventable infections, which have too long been accepted by our health care system as inevitable. The first step is to publicly report infection rates to motivate hospitals to improve their prevention practices and to inform consumers. Proven prevention includes identifying patients who carry MRSA, isolating them to keep the bacteria from spreading to other patients, and contact precautions (gloves, gowns) for staff and visitors. These practices will save lives and money that can be used for other health care needs.

Twenty five states have led the way with laws to give their citizens this important patient safety information and four states have passed MRSA screening laws. It's time for Congress to join this national movement to prevent the spread of infections in our hospitals and communities.

Please help make hospitals safer for patients by supporting legislation that will address detection, reporting, prevention and spread of these deadly infections.