STEVENS POINT, Wis. – Aspirus Stevens Point Hospital has been recognized by the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) for Excellence in Health Care Quality and Patient Safety as a part of the 2026 WHA Quality and Patient Safety Awards.
The excellence in Health Care Quality and Patient Safety Award honors hospitals that demonstrate innovative, measurable improvements in patient care, safety, and outcomes across Wisconsin.
“We are honored to receive this recognition,” said Amber Garner, Infection Prevention Coordinator at Aspirus Stevens Point Hospital. “Our team’s proactive approach to screening and early intervention reflects how deeply we value protecting out patients, and our commitment to safety and high quality is what made this work both successful and sustainable.”
Aspirus Stevens Point Hospital earned this year’s award in the General Medical Surgical Hospital category for facilities with 26-99 beds for its project, “Early Identification of C. difficile: Improving Safety Through Screening.” The initiative focused on strengthening early detection processes for Clostridioides difficile, a bacterium that can cause serious gastrointestinal infections. By enhancing screening protocols and improving staff awareness, the hospital significantly reduced the risk of transmission and improved patient safety outcomes.
“This project reflects our commitment to preventing avoidable harm and ensuring that every patient receives the safest care possible,” said Volodymyr Manko, Regional Medical Director for the Southeast Region. “Early identification in Clostridioides difficile is critical, and our team embraced this challenge with dedication, collaboration, and a shared focus on doing what’s best for our patients.”
WHA Quality and Patient Safety Award recipients are selected by a panel of health care quality experts who evaluate each organization’s innovation, measurable impact, and performance within their respective categories.
As a result of this work, more inpatients are being screened for Clostridioides difficile leading to faster identification of illness and fewer chances of spreading infection to other patients and staff.
For more information about Aspirus Health’s Patient Safety and Quality, visit aspirus.org/quality.
###
About Aspirus: Aspirus Health is a nonprofit, community-directed health system based in Wausau, Wisconsin, serving northeastern Minnesota, northern and central Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The health system operates 18 hospitals and 130 outpatient locations with nearly 14,000 team members, including 1,300 employed physicians and advanced practice clinicians. Learn more at aspirus.org.