Stop & Wash: Enter the Handwashing Olympics

Hurry, hurry, hurry! Sign up now for the Stop & Wash Handwashing Awareness Olympics to compete with other Jeffersonians for prizes based on how well you wash germs away. The Olympics will take place Thursday, March 14, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. in the West Atrium cafeteria.

You must register beforehand to participate. You'll find information about Olympics registration on your patient-care unit's bulletin board. Teams must be from a patient care unit and consist of a physician, nurse and a member of a support service department.

The Stop & Wash campaign is designed to reinforce educational programs on handwashing and infection control for hospital staff.

This is how the Olympics will work: Three-person teams will get a special soap solution for washing their hands. The solution contains a substance that reveals any bacteria remaining on the hands after washing when the hands are put under an ultraviolet light.

Judges will score teams after direct observation of their handwashing demonstration and according to established handwashing and infection control guidelines. Team members will also be asked questions on handwashing and infection control practice.

The team with the highest score will receive Dining With Heart gift certificates. We're sure they'll remember to wash their hands before dining!

Next month's JeffNEWS will carry the results of the Olympic competition, and future issues will contain more handwashing awareness campaign highlights.

They Bring You the Stop & Wash Handwashing Awareness Campaign

Patient education: Madeline Albanese, RN; department of surgery: Donna Barbot, MD; environmental services: Ed Barr; nursing research and evaluation: Patricia Berkes, RN, and Barbara Schraeder, RN; infection control: Susan Bertone and Hillary Cooper, RN; medicine/infectious diseases: Michael Buckley, MD; quality management: Jo-Lyn Brace, RN; management systems: Frank Giorgilli; nursing service: Joan Moshang, RN, Diane Peters, RN, and Heidi Purvis, RN; and medicine: Ralph Zinner, MD.