According to data from the CDC, despite a decade of successful measures to prevent antibiotic resistant MRSA infections, the number of new cases has not changed much in the past decade.
Also, MRSA accounts for more than 80% of skin and soft tissue infections which are mostly seen in outpatient settings and continues to define the majority of MRSA infections in both adults and children in Atlanta and nationwide.
The reason MRSA tends to linger may be due to frequently being in contact with others, or the usual tendency to worsen from simply antibiotic resistant bacteria to an invasive infection.
Either reason could be impacted through infection control focused on skin and soft tissue infections due to its frequency in outpatient settings.
Project HIRaCAARI stands for Project Health Information Resources and Community-Associated Antibiotic Resistant Infections.
The goal of Project HIRaCAARI is to reduce health disparities among people of color living in neighborhoods identified to be at risk for developing antibiotic resistant infections through health education and resources
In Clayton, Dekalb, and Fulton Counties, children and adults belonging to minorities are highly affected by MRSA.
Neighborhoods in three counties in the metro Atlanta area have been recognized as having many cases of MRSA and other skin infections.
This project aims to create a health information system that can be sustained at the community level.
It will improve access to usable health information for community members (patients, healthcare providers, librarians, and the general public).
It will also prevent the growth and spread of antibiotic resistant infections in the identified high-risk communities.
Librarians working in the public library system and schools, are reliable resources who can share information with at risk community members.
MSM Library offers a hands-on workshop with librarians and other community workers to teach people how to navigate the National Library of Medicine (NLM) Consumer Health Databases especially on MRSA and other skin infections.
