Conference to address increase
in colitis-causing bacterium
PRESQUE ISLE — An increase in cases of Clostridium difficile in Aroostook County has prompted TAMC, as part of its Boone Lecture Series, to host a conference Thursday for medical providers, dentists and orthodontists.
The event is scheduled for June 27 at the Northeastland Hotel in Presque Isle. According to TAMC’s Infection Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Tweedie, RN, the conference schedule includes a social hour and dinner and a presentation period of about 90 minutes.
Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a bacterium that causes inflammation of the colon, known as colitis. The elderly population, along with individuals who have illnesses or conditions requiring long-term antibiotic use, are at great risk of acquiring this disease. C. difficile infection results from individuals contacting the bacteria on surfaces they touch, thus introducing it to their system.
In an effort to ensure local patients receive the best possible care, and due to the concern regarding this type of infection, the Clostridium difficile conference aims to educate medical providers on methods and measures to reduce infection cases.
“C. difficile is a concern because of the growing number of cases in Aroostook County, the state, and the nation as a whole. It is an emerging hospital acquired infection,” said Tweedie. “The conference will enable providers to get the most up-to-date information from the state’s leading experts in the field.”
Topics to be discussed will include appropriate antibiotic utilization, C. difficile testing parameters, and current and upcoming treatment options. Maine State Epidemiologist Dr. Stephen Sears, MD, MPH and Maine’s Center for Disease Control Healthcare-associated Infection Coordinator Margaret “Peg” Shore, PhD, are the speakers of the evening.
In addition to providing this educational opportunity to its own providers, TAMC has invited providers from Houlton Regional Hospital, Cary Medical Center in Caribou, and Northern Maine Medical Center in Fort Kent, as well as area dentists and orthodontists, as the utilization of antibiotics in the oral health field has a correlation with C. difficile infection.
“Though Clostridium difficile is considered a healthcare-associated infection (HAI), it can be acquired in the community, as well. It is considered an HAI because there is a potential for patients to come into contact with this organism while in the hospital, which is commonly populated by the immunocompromised or elderly,” said Tweedie.
The Clostridium difficile conference is part of TAMC’s Boone Lecture Series. The program, now in its 31st year, is dedicated in memory of the late Dr. Storer Boone, a well-known physician who served central Aroostook for many years. A second Boone lecture series event is being planned for this fall. That one will be an event open to the general public.
TAMC is sponsoring continuing medical education credits for providers attending the conference. For more information on the conference, contact Tweedie at 768-4304 or jtweedie@tamc.org.
