Public Health Departments and CRE

Take Steps Now! Public health departments can lead coordination to reduce CRE.   Identify the health care facilities in the area and how they are connected Dedicate staff to improve connections and coordination with health care facilities in the area. Work with CDC to use data for action to better prevent infections and improve antibiotic use in health care settings. Know the antibiotic resistance threats in the area and state.

When unusual forms of resistance, including certain types of CRE, are identified by healthcare or public health facilities, it should prompt a public health investigation. This investigation should be led by a public health department, working in close coordination with healthcare facilities. Some response and prevention strategies may require coordination across health jurisdictions.

Health departments should:

  • Understand the prevalence or incidence of CP-CRE in their jurisdiction by performing some form of regional surveillance for these organisms.
  • Increase awareness among healthcare facilities of the regional prevalence of CP-CRE and prevention strategies and initiatives.
  • Provide a standardized form for facilities to use during patient transfers, especially between hospitals and long-term care facilities.
  • Consider including CRE infections on your state’s Notifiable Diseases List.
  • Include a range of facility types when developing regional CRE prevention projects.
  • Be a resource for healthcare facilities on appropriate infection prevention measures and antimicrobial stewardship.