Kimberly-Clark, North Fulton Hospital Promote HAI Education

Two Roswell giants, Kimberly-Clark and North Fulton Hospital, teamed up this week to sponsor the Safe-Care Campaign, an event aimed at HAI (Healthcare-Associated Infections) continuing education and prevention.

The event is part of Kimberly-Clark’s national campaign “Not On My Watch,” whose mission is to educate healthcare workers on the important issues of HAI. CEO, Deborah C. Keel, said the business partnership is rewarding for all involved.

“Kimberly-Clark is just a fabulous organization to work with,” Keel said. “The people are great and we really enjoy working with them on something like this.”

Kimberly-Clark’s Education Bus has been to at least 62 different facilities all across the United States this year. In its four years of existence, the 48-ft KC Education Bus has visited over 300 healthcare facilities. It’s been dubbed the “rolling classroom” by Kimberly-Clark Communications Manager Mark Semmelmayer. Over 1,000 nurses have been given 1,200 certificates from the bus tour, all free of charge.

“The first question always was, ‘What is this going to cost us?’ and we told them, ‘Well, we’re starting it free, but that’s negotiable,’” Semmelmayer said.

All types of nursing accreditations are covered in the KC Education Bus courses – from respiratory to surgical – and the classes only take an average of 45 minutes. But the week isn’t just about education. The DAISY foundation (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) also recognized a North Fulton Hospital Medical/Temetery nurse for her outstanding treatment of patients. Sarah Bentley was the recipient of the award.

“I truly love what I do and I’m passionate about it,” Bentley said at the award ceremony. “It’s part of who I am. It’s part of my soul to be a nurse.”

The KC Education Bus will be administering continuing education courses and accreditations regarding HAIs for clinicians in Roswell until Friday.

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