Related CDC Education Programs

Get Smart for Healthcare
The goal of Get Smart for Healthcare is to optimize the use of antibiotics and antifungal medicines in inpatient healthcare settings such as hospitals, long-term care facilities and nursing homes. These miracle drugs, and the patients they are meant to help, are being put at risk because of overprescribing and incorrect prescribing. Programs designed to improve antibiotic use are known as “antimicrobial stewardship.” Studies show that improving prescribing of antibiotics and antifungal medications in inpatient facilities can not only help reduce rates of Clostridium difficile infection and antibiotic resistance, but can also improve individual patient outcomes, all while saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in healthcare costs.

Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work on the Farm
Commonly referred to as Get Smart on the Farm, this program promotes appropriate use of antibiotics in animals, serves as a liaison among the public health community, veterinarians, and food animal producers, and builds relationships between CDC and the animal agriculture industry within the United States.

National MRSA Education Initiative
The goal of the National MRSA Education Initiative is to help Americans better recognize and prevent methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) skin infections.

Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives
CDC’s handwashing campaigns include materials to promote hand hygiene in schools, during emergencies, before and after daily activities (e.g., preparing food, using the bathroom, handling pets), in healthcare settings, etc.