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Central Florida Health, the 636-bed not-for-profit healthcare system comprised of Leesburg Regional Medical Center and The Villages® Regional Hospital, announced today that it has participated along with 91 other hospitals in the state in a joint quality improvement effort guided by a working committee of the Florida Hospital Association.

The American Hospital Association recently recognized this committee and FHA leadership for accomplishing significant improvements in patient safety in the past 12 months, including:

a 40 percent reduction in clostridium difficile hospital acquired infections;

a 21 percent reduction in central line-associated bloodstream infections;

a 23 percent reduction in catheter-associated urinary tract infections; and

a 21 percent reduction in methicillin-resistant staphylococcus areus infections.

The overall goal of the program, which is still in effect, is to work to improve the overall culture and effectiveness of patient safety measures by sharing and implementing best practices among FHA hospitals. This approach has been proven to improve hospital safety and reduce patient harmful events.

Other patient safety improvements recognized by the AHA include reductions in patient falls, increased medication safety and improved safety for hospital workers.

Phyllis Baum, RN, chief quality officer for CFH, served in a leadership capacity on the committee. "It was an honor to serve and to ultimately achieve these improvements," says Baum. "CFH hospitals remain steadfast in their ongoing commitment to continuously improve the quality of care--each patient, every day and every time."

Don Henderson, president and CEO of Central Florida Health, has also served on the board of the Florida Hospital Association for the past five years. "Congratulations to Phyllis Baum and the other clinicians on the FHA team who achieved this outstanding result," says Henderson. "At Central Florida Health, we were proud to have played a part in this critically important effort."