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November 2025

Inside this Issue

• Celebrating Antibiotic Awareness Week
• Antibiotic prescribing in Oregon creeping upward
• Oregon healthcare worker vaccination rates in decline
• “Nightmare bacteria” on the rise
• OHA launches enhanced MDRO data dashboard
• 100% of Oregon hospitals reach CDC antibiotic stewardship standards
• Need infection prevention support?
• Join our quarterly infection prevention collaboratives
• Meet us at the Farmer's Market!
• Join our Healthcare-Associated Infections Advisory Committee (HAIAC)
• How to use cephalosporins for common outpatient infections
• Results from our 2025 reader survey
• Training: AHRQ Safety Program to improve CAUTI rates
• Behind the Scenes: Meet Kristen Hollywood, MPH
• Crossword: Are you Antibiotic Aware?

Celebrating Antibiotic Awareness Week

U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week (Nov. 18-24) underscores the threat of antimicrobial resistance and the importance of appropriate antibiotic use. This year, we highlight the power of prevention. Steps like keeping vaccinations up to date, washing hands, covering coughs, and staying home when sick help prevent infections that might otherwise require antibiotics. In health care settings, following evidence-based infection control practices and antibiotic stewardship principles helps ensure antibiotics are prescribed only when truly needed, for the right infection, dose, and duration.

Salem and Woodburn will be shining a light on antimicrobial resistance by participating in “Go Purple for USAAW.” Join us in wearing purple and bringing purple to your social media to bring awareness to the role we all play in combating antibiotic resistance!

Antibiotic prescribing in Oregon creeping upward

An analysis by the Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) program found that while overall outpatient antibiotic prescribing in Oregon has declined 17% over the past decade, 2024 rates have crept back toward pre‑pandemic levels. Facilities can use Antibiotic Awareness Week to review local prescribing practices and reinforce antibiotics education for patients and staff. Oregon AWARE offers free patient education materials and provider resources. Share your feedback and ideas on how the HAI program can continue to support your stewardship work.

Oregon healthcare worker vaccination rates in decline

Influenza vaccination is crucial for protecting staff and patients. Yet only 54% of healthcare workers got vaccinated during the 2024-2025 influenza season. Our updated dashboard shows Oregon vaccination trends and local data, plus a toolkit to help boost vaccination this respiratory season.

“Nightmare bacteria” on the rise

Infection rates of carbapenemase-producing carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CP-CRE), often called “nightmare bacteria”, rose almost 70% in the U.S. between 2019 and 2023, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While CP-CRE cases are still less common in Oregon than nationally, they continue to pose a serious public health concern.

OHA launches enhanced MDRO data dashboard

Our new Multidrug-resistant Organism (MDRO) dashboard provides detailed data on cases in Oregon. This dashboard replaces the quarterly CRE Report. A snippet of some of the new information shared, like data by county, is shown below.

10-Year Cumulative CPO rates per 100,000 by County, 2015 - 2025

100% of Oregon hospitals reach CDC antibiotic stewardship standards

We extend our sincere thanks and congratulations to all Oregon hospitals for their outstanding commitment to antibiotic stewardship. In 2024, 100% of Oregon hospitals reported implementing the CDC’s Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship, marking the first year our state has reached the 100% milestone. This achievement reflects the dedication of hardworking stewardship teams across Oregon. You can explore and learn more about Oregon’s Antibiotic Stewardship Honor Roll hospitals—facilities that have been recognized for their work going above and beyond the CDC’s Core Elements.

Need infection prevention support?

Our experienced Infection Preventionists are here to help! Our team can offer expert guidance if you're managing an outbreak or looking to strengthen your infection prevention practices. Reach out for a consultation, and let us help you keep patients and staff safe!

Join our quarterly infection prevention collaboratives

Sign up to enhance your infection prevention knowledge and stay ahead in protecting patients, residents, and staff.  Reach out if you're interested in joining our Eastern or Western  Oregon IP Collaborative, where we spend one hour discussing the latest infection prevention strategies. All interested healthcare and public health staff are welcome to attend.

September 17, 2025 - East - Respiratory Illness Case Studies

Meet us at the Farmer's Market!

Liz (our AS Pharmacist) and Kristen (our AS Epidemiologist) will be at the Beaverton Farmers Market this Saturday, November 22nd. Stop by to learn more about antibiotics and bring the kiddos to get a free coloring book!

Liz and Kristen at the Corvallis Farmer’s Market

Join our Healthcare-Associated Infections Advisory Committee (HAIAC)

HAIAC membership is an opportunity to provide input and expertise, help guide our work, and stay informed about our program’s activities. Members serve a two-year term and attend as many meetings as they can. There are no additional time commitments. Current vacancies are:

• Physician who practices in an ambulatory surgical center (ASC) with interest and involvement in infection control
• Hospital quality director

The next meeting is December 10th 1-3pm. Everyone is welcome regardless of membership.

How to use cephalosporins for common outpatient infections

Cephalosporins are categorized into generations, with varying spectrums of activity, and are important for treating outpatient skin and soft tissue infections, urinary tract infections, and community-acquired pneumonia. In 2024, nearly 8% of Oregon residents were prescribed a cephalosporin, totaling 79 prescriptions per 1,000 residents statewide. Understanding the differences among oral cephalosporins and their role in outpatient infections is essential for appropriate use. This review from the Pharmacy Times provides a helpful summary table for quick reference by prescribers and pharmacists.

Results from our 2025 reader survey

We surveyed readers of the HAI Chronicle in August 2025 to learn who’s reading, what you like, and how we can improve. Your feedback helps shape our newsletter—here’s what we heard and how it’s shaping future issues.

Training: AHRQ Safety Program to improve CAUTI rates

Are you interested in improving catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) rates in your hospital? You may be eligible to participate in a new, free program from the AHRQ Safety Program for Healthcare-Associated Infection Prevention. The 9-month program covers CAUTI prevention strategies and offers CME and CEU credits at no charge. To learn more, see this flier or visit the AHRQ website.

Behind the Scenes: Meet Kristen Hollywood, MPH

Get to know the exceptional members of the HAI team.

Kristen works as the Emerging Infections Program Surge Epidemiologist in the HAI team at OHA. Her focus is on antibiotic stewardship efforts, and she has been hosting community booths at local Farmers' Markets to promote proper antibiotic use. Kristen started at OHA in 2020, serving as the COVID-19 educational setting epidemiologist. She provided training to local public health authorities and schools on implementing guidelines and was responsible for tracking all COVID-19 outbreaks in Oregon schools. Kristen earned her master’s in public health degree in 2013 with a concentration in global communicable diseases. One of her most meaningful projects was working with Kenyan communities to implement malaria control strategies; this is when her love for global health truly grew. While working in Malindi, Kenya, she met her husband, who was volunteering at a health clinic there. Before joining OHA, Kristen worked as a zoonotic epidemiologist for the state of Texas and was part of a team that developed and conducted the Zika outbreak response when local transmission was detected along the Texas-Mexico border in 2016. In her free time, Kristen enjoys traveling, hiking, and organizing functional, efficient spaces. She is also working on obtaining Italian dual citizenship and is excited for the possibilities this will bring.

Find out more about how you can protect your baby.

Crossword: Are you Antibiotic Aware?

Test your knowledge. Complete this crossword in under 6 minutes!

Oregon Health Authority works to transform the health care system in Oregon by lowering and containing costs, improving quality and increasing access to care to improve the lifelong health of Oregonians. OHA is overseen by the nine-member citizen Oregon Health Policy Board working toward comprehensive health reform in our state.

The HAI program within the OHA Public Health Division is dedicated to preventing and containing healthcare associated infections (HAIs) and addressing the growing challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AR). Through initiatives such as the Antimicrobial Resistance Laboratory Network (AR Lab Network) and the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), we are bolstering our ability to detect and respond to antibiotic resistance while strengthening the nation's most widely used HAI tracking system. We also focus on antibiotic stewardship to improve the appropriate use of antibiotics, and we provide comprehensive infection prevention and control (IPC) education and training to equip the health care workforce with the necessary skills. Our team further offers IPC consultations to health care facilities throughout the state, providing expert guidance and support in implementing effective infection prevention strategies and responding to outbreaks. Together, we are committed to enhancing patient safety and reducing the impact of HAIs and antimicrobial resistance.