Bill to require MRSA Control Programs in Missouri Hospitals

Intro: A type of staph infection known as MRSA has spurred the sponsorship of a bill that would require all staph infection cases be reported to the Department of Health and Senior Services. Rebecca Layne has more from Jefferson City.

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The bill sponsored by Republican Representative Rob Schaaf would increase infection control in hospitals.

The bill would require that all cases of hospital and non-hospital staph infection be reported to the Department of Health and Senior Services.

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Description: MRSA now kills more people than HIV. HIV is reportable. Don't you think that MRSA should be?

Schaaf's bill would also require every hospital licensed in Missouri to establish a MRSA control program starting on January 1, 2009.

Reporting from Jefferson City, I'm Rebecca Layne.

Intro: The increase of the staph infection MRSA has initiated a bill that would require every hospital licensed in Missouri to establish a MRSA control program. Rebecca Layne has more from Jefferson City. RunTime:0:20
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The bill, sponsored by Republican Representative Rob Schaaf, would require that every hospital licensed in Missouri establish a MRSA control program starting on January 1, 2009.

Linda Johnson, manager of Infection Prevention and Control for the University of Missouri Healthcare system, says that this program will take away from successful infection control in hospitals.

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Description: There's only so many people that can do infection prevention and control. It's a fairly technical field that requires a lot of training. And you are going to pull these people away from prevention activities to make them monitor and become MRSA police. And we will actually, in my opinion, see infection rates go up.

Reporting from Jefferson City, I'm Rebecca Layne.

Intro: Staph infection control precautions will increase in Missouri hospitals with Representative Schaaf's proposed bill. Rebecca Layne has more from Jefferson City. RunTime:0:27
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The danger of staph infections, especially one known as MRSA, is being confronted head-on with Republican Representative Rob Schaaf's bill.

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Description: One of the latest reports that came out is that more people now die of MSRA than die of HIV.

Schaaf's bill would establish a MRSA control program in every Missouri hospital. This program would identify MRSA-infected patients and isolate them in an appropriate manner.

The bill would also establish protocol for hospital staff that are exposed to MRSA.

Reporting from Jefferson City, I'm Rebecca Layne.