News Release

Shady Grove Adventist Hospital to Host Community Forum on MRSA

Shady Grove Adventist Hospital will host a free community forum on March 3, 2008 to educate residents about what they can do to prevent and reduce the spread of staph infections including MRSA, a form of staph infection that has been making headlines in Maryland and throughout the nation.

Staphylococcus aureus, or "Staph," are bacteria commonly carried on the skin or in the nose of healthy people.  Approximately 25 to 30 percent of the population carries the staph bacteria.  MRSA, which is resistant to certain antibiotics, is generally present in about 1 percent of the population who carry the staph bacteria.

In December, a special education teacher at Herbert Hoover Middle School in Potomac died of the antibiotic-resistant bacteria and, in January, a staff member at Bells Mill Elementary School in Bethesda was diagnosed with the drug-resistant staph infection. This month, a student at Wootton High School in Rockville was diagnosed with MRSA. Since October, there have been more than 50 MRSA cases reported among students in Montgomery County Public Schools.

The panelists will include Shady Grove Adventist physicians and infectious disease experts who will be available to answer questions on this important topic.  This forum is part of a state-wide initiative by the Maryland Hospital Association and is one of several forums on MRSA that will be held throughout Maryland during March.

Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, is a not-for-profit, acute care facility with 275 licensed beds that is located in Rockville, Maryland.  Shady Grove is committed to delivering excellent health care through a ministry of physical, mental and spiritual healing.  The hospital offers a broad range of health services and is recognized for excellence in emergency care; high-risk obstetrical and neonatal care; cardiac and vascular interventional care; pediatric services including the first Pediatric Emergency Department in Montgomery County and the only Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in the county; as well as a broad range of surgical specialties.  The Shady Grove Adventist Emergency Center in Germantown opened in 2006 and is providing increased access to emergency medical care for upcounty residents.  Shady Grove Adventist Hospital is part of Rockville, Maryland-based Adventist HealthCare, an integrated health care delivery system that is one of the largest employers in the state of Maryland.