Reducing Hospital Acquired Infections in Canada’s Most Impoverished Neighbourhood Providence Health Care, Vancouver, Receives Special Infection Control Award

The judges of the Oxoid Infection Control Team

of the Year Awards were pleased, this year, to

make a special award to the infection control

team at Providence Health Care in Vancouver,

Canada, for the work that they have

undertaken in reducing levels of nosocomial

infections in the face of challenges associated

with drug users and homeless persons in the

local community.

Providence Health Care (PHC) is Canada’s

largest, faith-based health care organisation,

operating 14 facilities in Greater Vancouver,

British Columbia, Canada, including two acutecare

hospitals: St Paul’s Hospital, a tertiary-care,

academic and research hospital with 520 acute

care beds located in downtown Vancouver,

serving both the local community as well as

those from disadvantaged socio-economic

groups; and Mount St Joseph Hospital, a 240-

bed acute and extended care facility.