Prevent the Spread of Hospital-Acquired Infection with Proper Medical Waste Disposal

Hospitals exist to make us healthier, and to save the lives of our friends, family members, and ourselves… but sometimes people go to the hospital and they don’t get better. In fact, hospitals have become particularly well known for the spread of lethal infection.

According to a recent report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in 25 patients will acquire a secondary infection during his hospital stay.

In a single year alone, 2011, this meant an estimated 722,000 patients were admitted to the hospital for the treatment and care of one issue, only to later contract a secondary infection. Of those more than 700 thousand patients, 75 thousand died. Break that down a little further even, and most will be shocked to learn that an average of 205 people die every day of the year from hospital-acquired infections — the most common of which include:

  • Central line-associated bloodstream infections
  • Catheter-associated urinary tract infections
  • Surgical site infections after surgery
  • Clostridium difficile infections (C-Diff)

The hospital setting can also be a breeding ground for the spread of infectious diseases, where those who are actively ill encounter those whose immune systems are compromised; this happens, and sometimes the result is a measles outbreak, as happened in February 2014 at a Manhattan area hospital. 

Everyone admitted to the hospital is at risk for hospital-acquired infection, but those immunocompromised — the very young, the very old, and those who are diseased or chronically ill — are even more vulnerable, so it is the responsibility of the medical and healthcare communities to do everything within their collective power to prevent the spread of infection. 

Don’t let one of your patients be the one in 25. How? By always ensuring proper disposal of sharps and other hazardous medical waste. By partnering with a service provider like Curtis Bay, help us help you help everyone else: 

Curtis Bay Medical Waste Services provides comprehensive medical waste solutions to some of the largest hospitals and institutions in America.

Together we will design a plan that will safely manage all of your waste streams, including medical waste, sharps, solid waste, recycling, hazardous waste, and construction/demolition material. Contact us today to learn more!