St. Joseph Hospital and Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin have made the Illinois Department of Public Health’s Gold Level Honor Roll for Acute Care Antimicrobial Stewardship.
Antimicrobial stewardship is about making sure antibiotics and similar medicines are used carefully and only when truly needed, according to the IDPH website.
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IDPH Public Information Officer Matthew Mata said St. Joseph’s was notified Sept. 30 that it had been upgraded to Gold status this application cycle. He noted that Elgin’s other hospital, Advocate Sherman, also made the Gold Honor Roll.
“We’re hoping to have the website updated ASAP to reflect that,” Mata said.
According to the IDPH website, for the fall 2025 cycle of this program, St. Joseph achieved Silver Award status, as did Advocate Sherman.
The gold-level distinction recognizes hospitals that have met six of six priority elements established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a news release from Prime Healthcare, of which St. Joseph Hospital is a part.
The news release said those elements are:
• Hospital leadership commitment through designating a staff physician and/or pharmacist with specific antimicrobial-related responsibilities.
• Accountability through having a stewardship program co-led by a physician and pharmacist.
• Stewardship expertise, where the program is overseen by personnel who have completed specialized training.
• Action, with facility-specific recommendations for treatment of common clinical conditions and prospective audit and feedback or preauthorization for specific antibiotic agents.
• Tracking through which a hospital submits antibiotic use data to the National Healthcare Safety Network.
• Reporting antibiotic use at least annually to provide feedback to prescribers.
“Achieving Gold Level Honor Roll for Antimicrobial Stewardship is recognition of the collective attention and hard work our physicians, nurses and staff invest in this important health issue,” Kimberly Dannels, St. Joseph Hospital’s chief nursing officer, said in the release. “The threat of antibiotic resistance and the importance of appropriate antibiotic use require a daily focus. It also provides us new impetus to redouble our efforts ahead of the U.S. annual observance of Antibiotic Awareness Week, Nov. 18-24.”
St. Joseph Hospital’s interim CEO, Von Crockett, noted in the release that focusing on antimicrobial stewardship improves patient outcomes by contributing to better treatment, fewer adverse events and reduced hospital-associated infections.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Elgin Courier-News.