Atlantic General Hospital to Host April Community Forum on "MRSA: Facts and Fiction"

On Monday, April 28, Atlantic General Hospital is hosting a forum to educate community members about what precautions they and their family members can take to prevent and reduce their risk of infection from Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus (MRSA), a virulent strain of bacteria commonly found on the skin that has been making headlines in Maryland and throughout the nation.

Atlantic General Hospital is joining other Maryland hospitals in a statewide initiative coordinated by the Maryland Hospital Association, which is designed to not only provide communities with information about reducing their risks, but to review the differences between health care-associated MRSA and community-associated MRSA and share the strategies hospitals are using to prevent and reduce MRSA and other infections.

“Recent news reports have been prompted not only by deaths due to MRSA but by new evidence that infections from the bacteria are increasing faster than experts previously realized,” said Cal Pierson, president of the Maryland Hospital Association. “Because MRSA is resistant to most antibiotics, it is important that we all work together – hospitals and health care providers, schools and community members – to prevent the spread of this and other infections. Learning about what each of us can do to combat these infections is an important first step.”

The Atlantic General Hospital forum is being held from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. on April 28 at the Ocean Pines Library. Space is limited. Those interested in attending should RSVP by calling 410.641.9358.