MN One Health Antibiotic Stewardship Collaborative Newsletter: January 2026

Minnesota One Health Antibiotic Stewardship Collaborative

Minnesota One Health Antibiotic Stewardship Collaborative Newsletter

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January 2026
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Happy New Year! We are proud of the positive impact that Minnesota One Health Antibiotic Stewardship Collaborative (MOHASC) members and our partners made in the fight against antimicrobial resistance during 2025 and look forward to continuing to build on this momentum in 2026. We recently concluded another successful U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week and are now finalizing plans for the 2026 MOHASC Annual Meeting on Feb. 4. This milestone meeting marks 10 consecutive years of bringing MOHASC members together and reflects a decade of sustained success and impact through our unique One Health approach. We are confident the future of antimicrobial stewardship is in excellent hands.

MOHASC members work together to promote judicious antibiotic use and stewardship and to reduce the impact of antibiotic-resistant pathogens across the One Health spectrum. If you’re not already a member and are interested in being a part of these efforts, complete this brief MOHASC Partner Information Form indicating your interests. There are exciting things happening and we hope you’ll join us!

In this issue:

Stewardship trivia? You betcha!

Quiz Icon

Approximately how many fairgoers did MOHASC volunteers interact with during the 2025 Minnesota State Fair, our largest public outreach event of the year?

 

A) 2,500

B) 4,000

C) 7,000

D) 9,500

 

The answer is at the bottom of this newsletter.

Partner Spotlight

Partnering for Prevention

Sandy

MOHASC and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) are proud to partner with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) Drug Residue Prevention Program (DRPP) to promote antibiotic stewardship in animal agriculture and the prevention of drug residues in meat and milk products. This partnership, which originated in 2023, expands on work started with a grant from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Funds provided by this partnership are used to develop and distribute educational resources and record-keeping tools for livestock producers. They cover a wide range of topics, from general antibiotic stewardship practices to guidance on the use of specific veterinary drugs.

The DRPP provides outreach to livestock producers at farms, livestock auction barns, and stakeholder conferences. Program members are active with 4-H, providing content for the Livestock Quality Assurance & Ethics (LQA&E) training, “Barn Bowl” (a fun educational quiz bowl for youth in agriculture), and State Fair dairy interviews (required training for State Fair Dairy Project qualifiers). The DRPP also delivers a lecture to University of Minnesota veterinary students each year on food safety and drug residue prevention.

These interactions reinforce best practices such as judicious antibiotic use, adherence to FDA-approved label directions, complete record keeping, and the veterinary-client-patient relationship. DRPP's outreach at conferences and livestock auction barns includes a dish of candy and numerous printed resources. Producers often come for the candy but stay for the information and conversation! Members of the DRPP are Sandy Larson, DVM; Nicole Neeser, DVM, MPH; Delaney Rohan, DVM, MPH; Lisa Wetzel; and Heidi Varberg.

Pictured above: Sandy Larson, DVM, at a DRPP table stocked with resources and candy


MOHASC Updates

SAVE THE DATE!
MOHASC Annual Meeting is Feb. 4, 2026

Group Photo


The 2026 MOHASC Annual Meeting will take place in-person on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at the Minnesota Humanities Center near Lake Phalen at 987 Ivy Ave. E. in St. Paul.

Registration will begin at 8 a.m., and the meeting will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. RSVP details have been emailed to MOHASC members. If you are not a current MOHASC member and are interested in attending, please email Dr. Kristen Clark, MOHASC Director, at Kristen.Clark@state.mn.us.

We hope to see you there!

Pictured above: MOHASC member group photo from the 2025 Annual Meeting at the Minnesota Humanities Center


U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week was a success!

GovProc

U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week (USAAW) was Nov. 18 to 24 and is held annually in conjunction with World Antimicrobial Awareness Week. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) coordinated several activities for USAAW, including a proclamation by the Governor, daily newsletters, a social media campaign, and lighting up Minnesota landmarks in purple down the I-35 corridor and at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

MOHASC members also coordinated numerous activities at their own organizations, including social media campaigns, hosting booths, and distributing patient information on antibiotic use and stewardship.

It was a very successful week. Thanks to all who contributed!

Pictured above: MDH staff holding the 2025 USAAW proclamation


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In the News

January is One Health Awareness Month!

Help raise awareness about the critical power of and urgent need for One Health! The One Health approach recognizes that the health of people, animals, and the environment are deeply interconnected. Each year during the month of January, join the One Health CommissionLouisiana One Health in Action, and One Health Lessons in leading the annual One Health Awareness Month campaigns via social media and innovative outreach. We encourage you to take action to inspire more people to become One Health advocates and leaders!

One Health Awareness Month Guide (PDF) has been developed that includes a 31-Day One Health Social Media Challenge Calendar of suggested topics that you can use each day in your social media and professional networks. If you look at the topics highlighted each day, you will find a sampling of the diverse areas being addressed using a One Health approach. Join the fun and help keep the momentum going!


National AMR Strategic Coalition Launched

Established in September 2025, the Antimicrobial Resistance Strategic Coalition (ASC) unites leading U.S. experts across One Health sectors to build stakeholder consensus, amplify voices, and deliver policy solutions to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The ASC assembles partners to develop critical, evidence-based and holistic policy positions that are reflective of the interdisciplinary AMR community in the United States.

The ASC is made up of trusted, independent leaders with decades of combined federal policy, diplomacy, and scientific experience advancing AMR efforts. MOHASC Director Dr. Kristen Clark is currently serving as an expert consultant on the ASC Executive Council. The ASC's mission is to lead cross-sector coordination to establish a unified stance on U.S.-based policy positions on AMR.

Less than three months after launch, ASC released its first major contribution to the global AMR conversation: "Perspectives from the ASC: 2026 World Health Organization (WHO) Global Action Plan on AMR." This consensus-driven report marks the first time that ASC has brought together non-federal U.S. stakeholders spanning human, animal, and agricultural health to speak with one unified voice on global AMR policy. Developed through unanimous consensus across ASC's Executive Advisory Council, the report reflects deep U.S. expertise and a shared commitment to fostering and advancing science-based, One Health-aligned global action.

To learn more about the ASC and their activities, visit their 2025 Year in Review.


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Current Research and Resources

Free Clinical Support Tool Launched to Help Veterinary Professionals Prevent Infections

Firstline

The New York City (NYC) Health Department recently launched a free digital tool on the Firstline platform to help prevent infections in dogs, cats, and people and ultimately reduce the inappropriate use of antibiotics. Firstline: Veterinary Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Resources is a clinical decision support tool, available as a mobile app and web-based platform, specifically designed to help health care providers make informed decisions.

The digital tool offers quick, reliable IPC guidance for companion animal veterinary settings. IPC is a professional specialty that aims to reduce infectious disease transmission in health care settings. Veterinary professionals routinely make IPC-related decisions, big and small, with implications for the health of their patients, animal owners, and their colleagues. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can pose a unique challenge to IPC since animals can carry resistant bacteria and show no clinical signs. While rare, this can enable antibiotic-resistant bacteria to spread silently among patients and even across the veterinary facility.

The NYC Health Department’s veterinary IPC Firstline tool is designed for veterinary professionals, including students, technicians, and animal care workers. It offers information in four broad categories:

  • Veterinary IPC principles
  • Applied IPC for veterinary practice
  • Veterinary IPC by disease and agent
  • NYC Health Department veterinary health alerts and advisories

These resources equip veterinary professionals with accessible guidance to help minimize healthcare-acquired infections.

To get started with Firstline, download the app on your smart phone or visit the web-based version at Firstline: NYC Health - Veterinary Infection Prevention and Control (IPC).


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Upcoming Events and Opportunities

AHRQ Offering Free Safety Program for HAI Prevention: CAUTI

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is currently recruiting acute care hospital units for a free nine-month program to implement and improve evidence-based practices for prevention of hospital-acquired infections: catheter-associated urinary tract infections (HAI: CAUTI). Units will receive training and one-on-one expert coaching to implement sustainable improvements to their infection prevention practices. The program will offer CME and CEU credits at no charge to participants.

To learn if your hospital is eligible, attend an informational webinar:

  • Jan. 13 at 2 p.m. CT
  • Jan. 22 at 1 p.m. CT

To learn more about the program, sign up for an informational webinar, or apply for the program, please visit AHRQ Safety Program for HAI Prevention.


2026 Minnesota Antibiotic Stewardship Conference 

Save the date: 2026 Minnesota Antibiotic Stewardship Conference | May 5 and 6, 2026

SAVE THE DATE
May 5 and 6, 2026

Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning 

For anyone engaged in antibiotic stewardship across the continuum of care!

  • FREE virtual conference with keynote and concurrent sessions
  • Two half-day livestreams
  • Continuing education (CE) credits available

THEME

Strengthening Stewardship: From Foundation to Future 

STAY UPDATED

2026 Minnesota Antibiotic Stewardship Conference
This page will be updated with conference objectives, registration, agenda/speaker information, and CE information when available.


Trivia Answer!

Quiz Icon

C) 7,000

During the 2025 Minnesota State Fair, MOHASC volunteers interacted with approximately 7,000 fairgoers about One Health antibiotic stewardship at our booth.

Attendees were able to engage with experts from diverse fields, show their commitment to responsible antibiotic use by signing an antibiotic stewardship pledge, have their Eco Experience BINGO card stamped after answering our antibiotic stewardship trivia question, proudly display one of our "Superheroes Fight Superbugs" temporary tattoos, and take home a magnet that reminds them to “Take it to the Box”—the safe way to dispose of leftover meds!


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