Franciscan Health awarded IDSA Center of Excellence designation

Franciscan Health Olympia Fields has been awarded the Antimicrobial Stewardship Center of Excellence designation by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. The designation recognizes institutions that have created stewardship programs led by infectious diseases-trained physicians and pharmacists that advance science in antimicrobial resistance. The institutions also have achieved standards aligned with evidence-based national guidelines, such as the IDSA-Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America guidelines and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Core Elements. A total of 145 programs nationwide have received the designation since the program’s launch in 2017.

“This is an excellent accomplishment especially given our resources and timing with the pandemic,” said Shanaz Azad, MD, lead infectious diseases specialist and chairperson of the antimicrobial stewardship committee at Franciscan Health Olympia Fields. “We are proud of the innovation and leadership our clinical teams have demonstrated to achieve this Center of Excellence designation and the impact it has on the community’s confidence in our infectious diseases team and our efforts.”

Dr. Azad co-championed the Center of Excellence effort with Mike Curulewski, PharmD, BCPS, BCIDP, BCGP, clinical pharmacy specialist - antimicrobial stewardship.

“Following a transformative year, antimicrobial resistance remains one of the greatest threats facing our future,” said Daniel P. McQuillen, MD, FIDSA, president of IDSA. “IDSA has never been more committed to combatting antimicrobial resistance at every level, and our dedication to public health worldwide has never been stronger. By honoring these institutions who have achieved high standards in their stewardship programs, we are building a community fighting antimicrobial resistance. As we recognize National Antibiotic Awareness week, there has never been a more pivotal time to partner with each of the institutions that have received the Centers of Excellence designation.”

The core criteria for the CoE program place emphasis on an institution’s ability to implement stewardship protocols by integrating best practices to slow the emergence of resistance, optimize the treatment of infections, reduce adverse events associated with antibiotic use and to address other challenging areas related to antimicrobial stewardship. A panel of IDSA member experts in antimicrobial stewardship, including ID-trained physicians and ID-trained pharmacists, evaluate CoE applications against high-level criteria established by IDSA leadership for determining merit.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) is an organization of over 12,000 physicians, scientists, public health experts and other health care professionals dedicated to promoting health through excellence in infectious diseases research, education, prevention and patient care. The Society was founded in 1963 and is based in Arlington, VA. For more information, see www.idsociety.org.