MRSA Education at Valley General Hospital
MRSA: Risks and Myths

Monroe, WA –Valley General Hospital will be educating its staff with a special seminar and offering free educational materials for community residents in its lobby area during the first of September. “MRSA has been a real danger for a long time,” states Jennifer Scott, RN, VGH Clinical Nurse Director. “It’s important to know your risk factors, but also become aware of the truth about the infection.”

On Monday, August 31, Gary Preston, PhD, an infectious disease specialist will be providing a lunchtime seminar to hospital staff. “We wanted to offer this seminar to our staff to emphasize the important role we play as health care providers in preventing the spread of this infection,” states Scott. “As health care providers we must always stay on top of the latest news when it comes to prevention of spreading MRSA and other infectious diseases. Not only will our patients benefit from this, but our staff will as well.”

Also beginning, Monday, August 31, East Snohomish County community members can visit the hospital’s lobby area and access the free educational materials about MRSA. According to the Center for Disease Control, 1 out of 3 Americans have MRSA on their skin or in their nose.

Valley General Hospital has also been activated multiple new initiatives to help prevent the transmission of MRSA. Including hand hygiene education campaigns and contact precautions when caring for patients with MRSA. The hospital also recently began testing patients for MRSA that are undergoing total-joint replacement surgery prior to surgery. Each one of these precautions will help Valley General prevent the spread of the infection.

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