Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital Receives the IDSA Antimicrobial Stewardship Center of Excellence Designation

Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital 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 187 programs nationwide have received the designation since the program’s launch in 2017.

“Solving the next public health emergency starts with addressing the threat of antimicrobial resistance at every level,” said Steven K. Schmitt, MD, FIDSA, president of IDSA. “These nine institutions are working to counter the growing problem of resistance, one of the greatest threats facing our future. By honoring them, we are building a community fighting antimicrobial resistance.”

A recently published CDC fact sheet analyzes the threat of AMR in the U.S. and the impact COVID-19 had on health care facilities. CDC says the number of reported clinical cases of C. auris increased nearly five-fold from 2019 to 2022. Additionally, CDC shows that six bacterial antimicrobial-resistant hospital-onset infections increased by a combined 20% during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period, peaking in 2021 and remaining above pre-pandemic levels in 2022. “Fighting antimicrobial resistance remains a priority for IDSA as we continue to support legislative efforts to strengthen the U.S. response to antimicrobial resistance by advocating for passage of the Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act,” Dr. Schmitt said.

David Thomas, MD, MPH, Medical Director and Chief of Infectious Disease at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital, shared, “This is truly a red letter day. The original vision for this designation began back in 2022 alongside the earliest hours of our most recent stewardship endeavors. In that time, we researched this program by the IDSA, approached the medical staff and administration requesting the support necessary for expanding our stewardship program into what it is today. I am extremely proud of everyone involved without whose tireless efforts we could not have achieved this designation. This is a great honor and demonstrates Lake Cumberland's role as a leader in Kentucky's rural healthcare network. It shows a commitment to evidence-based care and concern with protecting not only the individual patient's health but the welfare of the entire region. This achievement belongs to all of us.” 

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.

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The Infectious Diseases Society of America is an organization of over 13,000 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, visit idsociety.org.