HAP Achievement Awards: Thomas Jefferson University Hospital

August 28, 2026

HAP's annual Achievement Awards honor hospitals and health systems for their innovation, creativity, and commitment to patient care. The Achievement Awards showcase and share member hospitals’ and health systems’ successful programs and best practices.

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital received the In Safe Hands Award for leading a multidisciplinary response to reduce nosocomial Candida auris infections in high-risk patients through advanced screening and infection prevention.

Here’s what you need to know:

• The challenge:  A Candida auris outbreak placed cardiac surgery and heart transplant patients at heightened risk because of their prolonged intensive care stays, invasive devices, immunosuppression, and complex care needs.
• Addressing the Issue:  The increase in hospital-acquired cases showed the need for faster detection, stronger surveillance, clearer transmission tracking, and a more coordinated infection prevention response.
• Taking Action:  The hospital strengthened screening for high-risk cardiac patients, checked patient care areas and shared equipment for contamination, sped up testing, and gave patients, families, and staff clearer guidance to help stop the spread.
• Results:   The cardiac population remained free of Candida auris infection for more than nine consecutive months, while faster testing reduced detection time from about five days to less than 24 hours.
• Advancing Care:  The response helped make outbreak readiness part of routine care for high-risk cardiac patients, demonstrating that “sustained interruption of C. auris transmission in a high-risk cardiac population is achievable through a coordinated, data-driven, and adaptable infection prevention strategy.”

Congratulations to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for its outstanding efforts to enhance patient safety and care outcomes. Learn more about the project online.

Questions about the HAP Achievement Awards may be directed to HAP Member Services at (717) 561-5359.