Clark Regional Medical Center’s transitional care unit recently received a perfect score in a state assessment for its infection prevention efforts.

The assessment applies to the transitional care unit, which is a 25-bed long-term care unit within CRMC marking its 20th year this year. The unit focuses on rehabilitation and returning patients to their home or to lower levels of care.

According to the hospital, the assessment covered four areas: facility demographics, infection control program and infrastructure, a direct observation of practices and infection control guidelines. For infection control, they looked at a number of things including personnel and resident safety, cough and respiratory etiquette, antibiotic stewardship and environmental cleaning, among others.

“Of all those, we made 100 percent,” said Teresa Daniels, Market Director of  Infection Prevention and Employee Health at Clark Regional Medical Center and Bourbon Community Hospital.

“In all those, they had two recommendations (for) things we are already doing but to enhance them.”

The assessment, which was performed in February, was voluntary.

Daniels said the transitional care unit had about two days to prepare before the assessment began.

“This is a new program with the state,” Daniels said, and said Clark Regional was asked to participate.

“If we’re not doing something correctly, we want to know,” Daniels said.

Part of the TCU’s protocol is looking at a patient’s symptoms before prescribing antibiotics.

TCU Administrator Deborah Barnett said the protocols include discussions with the patient’s doctor as well as a dedicated pharmacist within the TCU to see if there are other ways of treating the symptoms.

“The big thing we focus on is infection prevention and education,” Barnett said. “The goal is to take care of everyone and keep them healthy while they’re here.”

The education includes everyone working in the TCU as well as patients and their families, she said.

“It’s not just administration,” she said. “Everyone back here has to buy in.”