Ohio hospitals -- except Cleveland Clinic -- join forces to battle C. diff superbug

Ohio hospitals -- except Cleveland Clinic -- join forces to battle C. diff superbug

Posted by Harlan Spector/Plain Dealer Reporter February 13, 2009 23:56PM

Categories: Breaking News, Business Impact, Harlan Spector, Health Impact, Impact, Real Time News


Centers for Disease ControlThe C. diff superbug bedevils health-care institutions.
A federally supported effort that brings Ohio hospitals together to fight infections from the intestinal superbug called C. diff is being hailed as the first of its kind in the nation.
But it will move ahead without the Cleveland Clinic.
Ohio's best-known hospital and largest medical system has declined to take part in the 18-month project, which will require hospitals to share infection rates and collaborate on methods to reduce them.
Ohio has one of the highest death rates in the nation from C. diff, or clostridium difficile. A virulent strain of the bacteria has spread through health-care facilities in the United States and Canada, causing infection rates to skyrocket in recent years. Called the "epidemic strain," the bacteria release toxins in the colon that cause diarrhea in some patients, but also more severe illnesses and deaths.
About 50 Ohio hospitals have agreed to be part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention project aimed at stopping the spread of the epidemic strain. The Ohio Hospital Association and the Ohio State University Medical Center are leading the effort.
A Cleveland Clinic spokesman said the main campus and its eight community hospitals will not participate because costs and staffing demands are too great. Clinic officials did not elaborate...





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