Spring Break
City's staph infection rate highest in the nation
Drug-resistant strain can potentially kill if untreated
Issue date: 11/1/07
"We need to be vigilant and we need to be aggressive," State Senator Lisa Gladden said.
She has announced plans to resubmit a bill which would require Maryland hospitals and nursing homes to identify patients who carry or are infected by MRSA.
The bill, which Gladden said follows guidelines established by the Society for Healthcare Epidemeology of America (SHEA), would also isolate patients who are infected with MRSA and require strict adherence to hand washing regulations.
An Oct. 17 article in the Baltimore Sun stated that the MHA is opposed to statewide mandates requiring the testing of all hospital patents for MRSA.
But according to Fiedler, while the MHA has "concerns about taking guidelines and putting them in legislation," it did not oppose the bill but rather supported an alternative version.
"The Hospital Association hates us and hates this bill," said Gladden, who said that the bill MHA supported was not enough.
"Whatever they are doing, is not effective. Since the only protocols shown to be effective in dealing with MRSA are the SHEA guidelines, let's start there," she said.
Harrison was also wary of legislation that would dictate clinical and hospital practice but conceded that "many hospitals that have an MRSA problem are testing patients for and isolating patients with MRSA, which is crucial to control the spread."
Herrera said that establishing guidelines in legislation was premature.
Gladden previously introduced the bill last year, when she said it received three votes.
"I know that heightened awareness starts the process of moving a very big ball forward up a very steep hill, but that doesn't mean bill gets passed," she said.
She hopes to introduce the MRSA legislation when regular session begins in January.
The report further stated that "incidence rates were consistently higher among blacks compared with whites in the various age groups."
The reason for this high rate among blacks is unknown, said Harrison.
She has announced plans to resubmit a bill which would require Maryland hospitals and nursing homes to identify patients who carry or are infected by MRSA.
The bill, which Gladden said follows guidelines established by the Society for Healthcare Epidemeology of America (SHEA), would also isolate patients who are infected with MRSA and require strict adherence to hand washing regulations.
An Oct. 17 article in the Baltimore Sun stated that the MHA is opposed to statewide mandates requiring the testing of all hospital patents for MRSA.
But according to Fiedler, while the MHA has "concerns about taking guidelines and putting them in legislation," it did not oppose the bill but rather supported an alternative version.
"The Hospital Association hates us and hates this bill," said Gladden, who said that the bill MHA supported was not enough.
"Whatever they are doing, is not effective. Since the only protocols shown to be effective in dealing with MRSA are the SHEA guidelines, let's start there," she said.
Harrison was also wary of legislation that would dictate clinical and hospital practice but conceded that "many hospitals that have an MRSA problem are testing patients for and isolating patients with MRSA, which is crucial to control the spread."
Herrera said that establishing guidelines in legislation was premature.
Gladden previously introduced the bill last year, when she said it received three votes.
"I know that heightened awareness starts the process of moving a very big ball forward up a very steep hill, but that doesn't mean bill gets passed," she said.
She hopes to introduce the MRSA legislation when regular session begins in January.
The report further stated that "incidence rates were consistently higher among blacks compared with whites in the various age groups."
The reason for this high rate among blacks is unknown, said Harrison.
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