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Congratulations to the winners of UVA Health University Medical Center's 2026 Hand Hygiene Awards, honoring team members excelling at keeping colleagues and patients safe — and the units and teams driving down healthcare-associated infections.

Costi Sifri, MD, Director, Hospital Epidemiology, and Professor of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, and International Health, UVA School of Medicine; and Joan Buckner, MA, RN, CIC, Director of Infection Prevention and Control (IP&C), presented the second annual awards during the latest Medical Center Management Group (MCMG) meeting.

“Hand hygiene isn't incidental to quality care — it's foundational. No matter how skilled, gifted, or experienced a provider you are, you can’t deliver high-quality patient care if you don't first clean your hands,” says Dr. Sifri. 

"Hand hygiene is one of the simplest, most powerful tools we have to prevent healthcare-associated infections and protect our patients and each other," explains Buckner.

Top Three

They presented trophies and certificates to the three units with the highest overall hand hygiene compliance for the fiscal year: 

• 1^st Place | 4 Central: Achieving 97.4% compliance maintaining > 90% compliance for 12 months of the fiscal year. 
• 2^nd Place | 8 OB {Mother and Baby): Achieving 96.7% compliance maintaining > 90% compliance for 12 months of the fiscal year. 
• 3^rd Place | Inpatient Dialysis: Achieving 96.2% compliance maintaining > 90% compliance for 11 months of the fiscal year. 

More in the 90 and Above Club 

In addition, on other dates, certificates were presented in-unit to teams that scored 90 and above for overall compliance in the next five spots: 

• Labor and Delivery (L&D), 8 East: 96% 
• Stem Cell Transplant (SCT), 8 West: 95.6% 
• Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU): 95.5% 
• 7 Peds Acute: 94.4% 
• Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU): 94% 

Gold Standard Awards 

Gold Standard Awards recognize units that exemplify the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s “4 Es of Effective Hand Hygiene: Engagement, Execution, Education, and Evaluation.” Recipients far exceeded expectations for unbiased observation entries, executed intentional action plans for improvement, and partnered closely with IP&C to engage their team members: 

• Transportation 
• 4 East 
• Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) 
• Inpatient Dialysis 
• 6 Central 

Beyond the Threshold Award

Inpatient Dialysis is recognized for exemplary, meticulous, in-room hand hygiene practices. Though the unit was only added to the data portal in 2024, its strong hand hygiene culture was well established long before. Nine hand hygiene champions conduct in-room audits, monitoring team member performance throughout the connection and disconnection dialysis workflow. 

"This unit is a prime example of what hand hygiene within the patient room should look like hospitalwide — as we all strive to achieve the WHO 5 Moments," Buckner says. "Great job!"

Most Improved Ancillary Service

The Transportation team rose from 82.3% in FY25 to 90.6% by the end of FY26, achieving 8.3-point improvement. The team hosted IP&C hand hygiene in-services, built a hand hygiene module into new hire orientation, added signage throughout transportation spaces, and tracked monthly compliance at team huddles. 

"Thank you to Rudy Beverly, Michael Bowles, and Lewis Brock for their coordination, and to the entire transportation team for their hard work in achieving this award," hails Buckner. 

Most Improved Inpatient Unit Award 

4 East climbed from 87% to 93% compliance — a 6-point gain — by adding new hand hygiene champions, increasing observations on the unit, and strengthening onboarding education for new hires.

In addition, a team of four clinical nurse leader (CNL) students focused their capstone project on boosting hand hygiene awareness and compliance on the unit. 

Praises Buckner: "Great job, 4 East — keep up the great work!"

Most Innovative Award

Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) earned this award for its visionary approach to patient safety and achieving the CDC's “4 Es.” Five hand hygiene champion nurses and two independent observers led the unit's culture shift through creative educational efforts, including the "Red Hands" cross-contamination exercise, participation in the May 5 World Health Organization (WHO) World Hand Hygiene Day, and simulation exercises with IP&C. 

Buckner thanks Carolyn Colley, BSN, RN, CCRN, MICU; Sarah Kaplan, BSN, RN, CCRN, Assistant Nurse Manager, MICU/Special Pathogens Unit (SPU); Josh Forsyth, BSN, RN, Assistant Nurse Manager, MICU; and Kris Blackstone, MHA, MSN, RN, CCRN, Nurse Manager, MICU/SPU, and their entire team. 

Most Tenacious Award 

6 Central is recognized for its persistence and determination throughout FY26.

The unit built a dedicated team of two engaged hand hygiene champions and three independent observers — including the assistant nurse manager — who provide real-time peer feedback, use signage and interactive games to build awareness, document more than 600 observations a month on average, and prioritize continuous improvement through action planning and collaboration with IP&C.

What's Ahead?

“We look forward to continuing this tradition of awards in years to come —recognizing all the wonderful work that goes into keeping our hospital safe!” says Buckner.