Staff at Coast Hospitals Praised for Infection Prevention Efforts February 10, 2026 The two Samaritan hospitals at the coast – Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital in Lincoln City and Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital in Newport – wrapped up 2025 with significant decreases in hospital-acquired infections. “There are many moving parts behind the scenes that staff do to ensure we keep patients safe and do not develop infections while they are with us,” said Kristen Berholtz, Coast Region Infection Prevention program manager. “I want to show my gratitude for our amazing teams. I am extremely proud of the collaborative group effort that made this happen.” As an infection preventionist, Berholtz monitors hospital onset Clostridium difficile, commonly called C. diff, and infections patients may get from having an indwelling catheter or a central line. She also monitors surgical-site infections, so patients do not get infections post-operatively. Last year, SPCH had no hospital-acquired infections and just one surgical site infection. SNLH had no hospital-acquired infections and has had no cases of hospital-onset C. diff since 2022. Ways Employees Help Prevent Infection Admission Screening Test Asking if a patient has symptoms of C. diff helps staff identify it immediately and properly place the patient in isolation. This is performed by acute care staff and others upon patients’ admission. Thorough Cleaning Throughout Hospital C. diff spores can live on a surface for up to six months, and the Environmental Services teams at both hospitals have been instrumental in maintaining cleanliness throughout their facilities. Not only do they clean patient rooms, they also perform deep and meticulous disinfection in the operating rooms every evening, known as “terminal” cleans. SPCH had a particular challenge with cleanliness last year, with the conclusion of an extensive flooring project. Plant Engineering and Environmental Services teams were instrumental in keeping patients safe from construction dust while flooring work progressed in stages throughout the hospital. Once each section of flooring was complete, staff inspected the areas and then completed a terminal clean. “These two teams worked seamlessly together to ensure that every area of this hospital was spotless upon the completion of each project, which also included redoing our operating room floors,” Berholtz said. “We also track and trend how well we are cleaning with a special meter that tests for leftover organic material. This data is shared back, and we did phenomenal last year!” Protecting Surgical Patients Surgical Services teams at both hospitals have significantly helped prevent postoperative infections for the best possible patient outcomes. A particular focus was ensuring patients received prophylactic antibiotics within the correct time frame and that it was fully infused prior to incision. At year’s end, this averaged 95%. Antimicrobial Stewardship This refers to the appropriate use of antibiotics, and pharmacy teams at both hospitals play an instrumental role. Device Management The inpatient teams were vital in helping patients avoid infections with indwelling catheters or central lines. “Every day a patient has this type of device their chance of an infection goes up,” Berholtz said. “We all have advocated hard for our patients and the appropriateness for any type of device or when it should be removed.” Handwashing Hand hygiene is the single most important way to prevent a hospital-acquired infection. Hand hygiene is monitored monthly, with a goal of 90% compliance. To sum up the year, Berholtz said: “Employees at both of our Samaritan hospitals in Lincoln County have done a wonderful job of taking patient safety to the next level. Our commitment to being a high reliability organization really shined through last year. I cannot wait to see what we accomplish in 2026!”
