Central Carolina Hospital in Sanford, N.C., became one of 25 hospital members of the Duke Infection Control Outreach Network (DICON). DICON is a collaboration between Duke University Medical Center and community hospitals that focuses on advancing hospital infection control programs and practices.

Central Carolina Hospital will work with Duke’s physicians and nurses who specialize in infection control to identify practices and policies that are designed to improve patient care and reduce unnecessary medical supply costs, length of hospital stays and related causes of patient dissatisfaction.

The DICON program focuses on improving infection control programs by compiling data from member hospitals. The program looks at nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections to see what trends and areas for improvement exist. DICON also provides member hospitals with benchmark data that supports the efforts of local infection control experts. DICON staff also provide ongoing education and leadership to health providers at member hospitals, discussing problems, sharing solutions and identifying best practices.

Central Carolina Hospital, part of Tenet North Carolina, is a 137-bed acute care hospital located at 1135 Carthage Street in Sanford, N.C. Central Carolina Hospital has been serving the medical and health care needs of Lee County since 1913. The hospital’s inpatient and outpatient services include cardiopulmonary and physical rehabilitation services, cardiac catheterization, nuclear medicine, outpatient surgery, mammography services and vascular laboratory. Central Carolina Hospital also has a joint replacement program, occupational health services and maternity care program. The hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. To learn more about Central Carolina Hospital, visit www.centralcarolinahosp.com.