The following is a list of SHEA’s key priority issues including a summary of the problem, proposed solutions, and SHEA’s strategy for achieving the society’s goals.
Antibiotic resistant infections arise when the bacteria causing an infection in a patient no longer responds to available antibiotics. Such infections lead to severe illness or death. Antibiotic resistance is one of the most serious and urgent global public health threats of our time. The federal government must invest in a long-term global strategy that supports infrastructure, new technology, and innovative research. Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions Initiative invests in national infrastructure to detect, respond, contain, and prevent resistant infections across healthcare and other settings.
Read more about SHEA’s advocacy for the Antibiotic Resistance Solutions Initiative
Antibiotic Resistance Solutions Initiative Fact Sheet
Fighting Antibiotic Resistance in Healthcare Facilities Fact Sheet
The National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) is our nation’s tracking and response system for healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs) on a facility, state, federal level. Modernization of the NHSN is made possible through the American Rescue Plan of 2021 and these investments expand capacity for more robust and automated data collection and reporting. To support a fully modernized NHSN now and in the future, Congress must act now to ensure the availability of sustainable annual appropriations.
Read more about SHEA advocacy for NHSN
Comprehensive infection prevention and antibiotic stewardship programs play a vital role in reducing rates of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and the prevalence of multidrug resistant organisms. The healthcare epidemiology and antimicrobial stewardship research communities have a proven track record of developing and implementing effective strategies through rigorous studies, thereby reshaping clinical practices to combat HAIs and the proliferation of MDROs. Effective preventative strategies decrease healthcare costs while improving the quality of healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. Robust federal investments in this area of research are the backbone of national and global commitment to beating antimicrobial resistance and preventable HAIs.
Read more about SHEA advocacy for HAI and antibiotic stewardship research funded by the AHRQ.
AHRQ Research in Healthcare-Associated Infections
Read more about SHEA advocacy for expanding at the National Institutes of Health.
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed many of the preexisting problems within the US healthcare system in our ability to prepare for and respond to infectious disease public health emergencies. Ultimately, the lessons of COVID-19 illustrate the need to better prepare for the next pandemic. Rising microbial resistance, emerging and re-emerging pathogens, increased globalization, an aging population, and climate change are all factors that increase the likelihood of another pandemic. We also learned that widespread misinformation or disinformation and political divisions eroded trust in the public health system and prevented an even uptake of mitigation measures, vaccines and therapeutics, impeding our ability to contain the spread of the virus in this country.
SHEA has developed a roadmap for modernizing pandemic preparedness for policymakers and influencers leading the charge to ensure our nation is ready for the next infectious disease public health emergency. Our policy position is outlined in a series of white papers and provide public policy recommendations in the following areas:
SUMMARY: SHEA Policy Recommendations for Pandemic Preparedness
