Last week Valor Health celebrated Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, or Lab Week, in appreciation of the vital contributions the laboratory makes in diagnosing disease and playing an active role in protecting public health. This year Valor Health promoted “Antibiotic Stewardship”, highlighting the ways the clinical lab helps control antibiotic resistance and ways everyone can help control the spread of resistant bacteria.
Included in the celebration were fun contests and informative displays that show laboratory techniques for identifying bacteria and determining antibiotic resistance patterns.
Earlier in April, Valor Health Laboratory Manager and Infection Control Coordinator Laurence Schuermann, was invited to speak at the Regional Antimicrobial Stewardship Town Hall Meeting at Idaho State University Meridian, where he discussed current Valor Health antimicrobial stewardship efforts. Schuermann shared that “Valor is concentrating on educating our clinical staff and community of their active role in preventing antibiotic resistance. We have been participating in a grant funded Antimicrobial Stewardship cohort with Weiser Memorial Hospital and are continually working with clinical providers to prevent over prescribing, overuse, and thus resistance. Lab Week gives us the opportunity to appreciate the efforts of Lab Professionals and call attention to initiatives that we are working on”