Published on March 19, 2025
Infection Prevention Team Receives National Recognition from the American Hospital Association
Owensboro Health Regional Hospital won the 2023 KHA Quality Award for ‘Hospitals Greater Than 250 Beds’ for the IUSS (immediate use steam sterilization) Reduction Project. The clinical process improvement for Owensboro Health Regional Hospital (OHRH) was a 76% reduction in immediate use steam sterilization (IUSS) from 0.48% in 2017 to 0.11% in 2021.
This accomplishment has gained national recognition from the American Hospital Association (AHA), which highlighted OHRH's project on its website during Patient Safety Awareness Week. You can find it under ‘Kentucky’ at this link: U.S. Hospitals and Health Systems Enhance Patient Safety | AHA.
AHA's Patient Safety Awareness Week provides a chance to raise awareness about patient safety through data-driven insight reports.
“Sterilization is important in reducing the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs) and other healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) for patients,” said Laura Gillim, OHRH Infection Prevention Supervisor. “Owensboro Health is a Target Zero organization that strives to achieve zero patient harm.”
Initiatives like this are enhancing patient outcomes throughout the system. Owensboro Health is committed to delivering advanced care that addresses each patient's unique needs, ensuring optimal outcomes for all.
The OHRH Quality and Infection Prevention Team
About Owensboro Health
Owensboro Health is a nonprofit health system with a mission to heal the sick and to improve the health of the communities it serves in Kentucky and Indiana. The system includes Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, nationally recognized for design, architecture and engineering; Owensboro Health Muhlenberg Community Hospital; Owensboro Health Twin Lakes Medical Center; the Owensboro Health Medical Group comprised of over 350 providers at more than 30 locations; three outpatient Healthplex facilities, a certified medical fitness facility, the Healthpark; a weight management program, and the Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center.
On average each year, we have more than 19,000 inpatient admissions, deliver 2,000 babies and provide the region’s only Level III NICU. Owensboro Health physicians perform nearly 33,000 surgical procedures, including nearly 150 open-heart surgeries. Our physicians and staff have 90,000 Emergency Department visits and more than 1.25 million outpatient visits annually. Visit our home page for more information.