Two local healthcare organizations are among five statewide to be honored as winners of the Do the WAVE New Jersey contest to promote the reduction of healthcare-associated infections.

Local winners were Ocean Medical Center’s dialysis unit in Brick, N.J., and Virtua healthcare system, headquartered in Marlton, N.J.

Nurses, infection preventionists and other healthcare staff took part in putting together contest entries that highlighted strategies for taking part in and promoting the WAVE campaign. The winners recently were announced at the joint conference of the New Jersey chapters of the Infectious Disease Society and the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

The WAVE campaign promotes four steps.

Wash hands: Clean hands before, during and after visiting a healthcare facility.

Ask questions: Improve your loved one’s care by taking an active role. Ask questions of nurses, physicians and other healthcare providers.

Vaccinate: Receive a flu immunization each year unless otherwise directed by a healthcare provider. Ask friends and family members who are sick not to visit the hospital.

Ensure safety: Do not touch medical equipment unless necessary. Work with healthcare providers to make sure catheters and other medical devices are properly maintained and removed promptly.

Healthcare Quality Strategies, Inc., New Jersey’s federally designated quality improvement organization, and its Reducing Healthcare-Associated Infections Learning and Action Network promoted the contest.

VIEW WINNING ENTRIES online at www.hqsi.org/index/providers/HAI/HAI-LAN/Do-the-Wave-NJ.html.