Infection Prevention

Protecting your health and safety

Our hospital is committed to protecting the health and safety of our patients, employees, providers, volunteers and visitors. We have robust safety and infection prevention protocols in place year-round to help ensure the well-being of everyone who enters our hospital, including the following:

Patients and visitors are screened for signs or symptoms of illness based on community transmission of viruses like influenza and COVID-19
Hand hygiene products are easily accessible throughout the facility.
Hospital-approved disinfectants (professional grade) are used to clean surfaces.
Personal protective equipment is available, including face masks.

Additionally, here are a few things you can do to help protect your health and the health of our community:

Wash your hands frequently.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
Stay up-to-date on recommended immunizations for your age group: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines
Practice physical distancing by staying 5 feet from others.
Wear a mask when in crowded areas.
Cover your mouth and nose with your elbow when coughing or sneezing.
Get tested if you have signs of the flu or COVID-19 and seek treatment.
Stay home from work, school or other activities if you feel unwell.

Managing COVID-19 and Flu

We continue to follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and our local/state health department to ensure a safe environment for everyone. You can help slow the spread of coronavirus and influenza by practicing good health habits! Follow CDC guidelines to help protect yourself and your loved ones and help slow the spread of these and other common illnesses in our community.

Antibiotic Safety

Antibiotic resistance has been called one of the world's most pressing health problems. This is due to overuse and misuse of antibiotics. Knowing when and when not to take antibiotics is the first step towards proper antibiotic use.

Antibiotics fight against bacteria and not viruses. Colds, flu, most sore throats, and some sinus / ear infections are caused by viruses, rendering antibiotics useless when attempting to treat these common respiratory infections.
Antibiotics can kill healthy bacteria that protect the body from more dangerous bacteria, like C. difficile.
One out of five Department of Emergency Medicine visits for adverse drug events involve antibiotics. Antibiotics are the most common cause of emergency visits for adverse drug events in children under 18 years old.

Information Sheets

Fall Prevention

The of Conemaugh Health System staff is to partner with family and friends to prevent patients from falling during their hospitalization.

If your or a loved one has been assessed by the Registered Nurse and determined to be a High Risk for a fall during hospitalization, tools are in place to alert staff and family members that the patient is a high risk for a fall.

Look for the yellow falling star when entering the patient’s room.
Your loved one will be wearing a yellow arm band and yellow non-skid slippers.
The staff will perform a safety check of the patient’s room, remove obstacles, turn on the bed alarm, or turn on a chair alarm, and place necessary items within the patient’s reach.

Family, Friends, & Visitors - Safety Tips

Notify the staff of your loved one’s needs before he or she gets out of bed:

To use the bedside commode
To walk to the bathroom
To sit in a chair
Notify and wait for staff to arrive before getting the patient in/out of bed or chair
Notify and wait for staff to arrive before walking patient in their room or hallway.
Always alert the nursing staff before you exit the patient’s room for any reason. The staff will perform safety checks to make sure fall prevention measures are in place upon the family/friends/visitors departure from the patient’s room.

Hand Washing

Clean Hands Saves Lives

80% of all infectious diseases are transmitted by touch. Keeping hands clean is one of the most important steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others.

Hand washing with soap could protect about one out of every three adults and children from getting sick with diarrhea, and almost one out of six with respiratory infections like pneumonia.

All Conemaugh Health System employees practice safe hand washing techniques.

Hand Washing

Wet hands with water and apply soap.
Work the soap over hands, front and back, by rubbing hands together. Be sure to get between fingers and under the nails.
Rub hands together for 20 seconds.
Rinse hands with clean, running water.
Dry hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

Employee Education

Patient Safety Fair

Each year Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center holds a Patient Safety Fair as a fun but important way to remind staff to keep patient safety as a top priority and provide education for new advances in technology.

Senior Leadership Rounds

Leaders at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center introduced a new format for employee meetings designed to make it more convenient for a greater number of employees to attend. Senior leaders now go “on the ROAD” - Reaching Out Across Departments - to discuss safety updates and concerns. The quick stand-up meetings are intended to provide employees with updates on patient safety, new programs, physicians, services and a financial update. This is also a great opportunity for all employees to share suggestions and provide feedback on how to make the daily experience safer for patients, visitors and employees.

Download Sepsis Patient Health Guide