Cuyuna Regional Medical Center’s Care Center was recently named to the Minnesota Antibiotic Stewardship Honor Roll for Long-Term Care in recognition of its commitment to improve the use of antimicrobial medications with the goal of enhancing resident health outcomes by reducing resistance to antibiotics.

Designated as a Gold Level Honoree, CRMC is recognized for looking beyond its facility to practice antibiotic stewardship in a formal collaborative way by partnering with Leading Age MN. The collaboration supports quarterly data collection and analysis and provides a platform for data comparison with other long-term care facilities in Minnesota. CRMC’s antibiotic stewardship staff track antibiotic prescribing and provide feedback to each provider on prescription appropriateness. This process also includes 72-hour antibiotic time-outs.

The objectives of the program are to encourage commitment to antibiotic stewardship from highest levels of administration to prescribers and caregivers, share facility antibiotic stewardship activities with other health professionals and the public, provide incentive for antibiotic stewardship program improvement in individual facilities and statewide through mentorship, collaboration, and a focus on transitions of care, and publicize the importance of antibiotic responsibility.

The Minnesota Antibiotic Stewardship Honor Roll for Long-Term Care is supported by the Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota Hospital Association, Stratis Health, Association for Professionals in Infection Control, and promoted on behalf of the Collaborative Healthcare-Associated Infection Network.

---