STOP
MRSA Now, the North American Booster Club Association and Grant
Hill are asking parents, individuals and communities to pledge their
support to help prevent the spread of MRSA through the dissemination
of information about MRSA prevention for the home and in community settings.
•
Participation
in the Bleacher Brigade challenge is easy and rewarding!
Post
the STOP MRSA Now prevention
tips, links to the Web site and playbook,
and videos found on stopmrsanow.org to personal Web sites, blogs, community
and organization Web sites and other online channels;
•
Request
and distribute prevention posters
for display in community settings; and
•
Use
the form on the STOP
MRSA Now Web site to submit all the ways
you are helping to prevent the spread of MRSA at home and in your community
and include photos and links to where you have posted information;
•
Three
submissions will be eligible for a Bleacher Brigade prize pack including
an autograph from Grant Hill and $500 gift card. Click here
for more information about the contest.
•
MRSA
(methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a potentially life-threatening
antibiotic resistant Staph infection that is becoming increasingly common
in places like locker rooms, gyms, schools and even households.i
•
MRSA
is even spreading among healthy adults and children in close-quarters
such as child care centers, classrooms and locker rooms. Parents are
the first line of defense against MRSA infections in the home and the
best way to reduce the spread of MRSA is to be aware of and armed with
easy prevention
tips.
•
More
than 90,000 Americans get potentially deadly MRSA infections every year
and in the U.S. more deaths are linked to MRSA infections than AIDS.ii
•
According
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2005, nearly 19,000
Americans died from MRSA infections.iii During
the same year, there were 134 cases of MRSA in children.iv
•
The
MRSA bacteria is carried by up to 5 percent of the population, especially
in younger people.v
•
Almost
90 percent of physicians confirm that the prevalence of Community-associated
MRSA infections is increasing.vi
•
For
more information on MRSA and the steps
to help reduce the spread of MRSA, visit www.stopmrsanow.org.
STOP
MRSA Now has partnered with the North
American Booster Club Association (NABCA)
to empower the parents, volunteers, school administrators, program directors,
coaches and business leaders who support booster clubs to participate
in the Bleacher Brigade challenge.
•
Booster
Clubs across the country will be supporting the Bleacher Brigade challenge,
hanging up posters and communicating about prevention tips among parents,
coaches and children involved in extracurricular activities.
•
NABCA
is the first of its kind national booster club trade association dedicated
to providing booster clubs throughout North America with the highest
level of Guidance, Education, Training and Support.
STOP
MRSA Now Video
Grant Hill's MRSA Public Service Announcement:
•
Click
here
to watch Grant Hill's PSA, which shares his personal experience with
MRSA (an antibiotic resistant Staph infection) and introduces the Playbook
for Prevention, which outlines practical steps you can take,
like covering your cuts, washing your hands and disinfecting with a
bleach solution, to help reduce the spread of MRSA in community settings.
Quotes,
Photos and Bios Grant
Hill, seven-time NBA all-star and MRSA survivor.
•
"When
I was diagnosed with a MRSA infection, it was hard to get information
about the illness or even how to help prevent the spread of it."
•
"This
infection is becoming an issue not just in community settings but in
homes across the country. As an athlete and a father, I pledge my support
to STOP MRSA Now and challenge everyone to do their part in
their communities to help reduce the spread of MRSA by downloading the
digital Playbook for Prevention, passing along the prevention tips and
remembering to always disinfect surfaces with a bleach solution. Check
out www.stopmrsanow.org/bleacherbrigade.html
for more ways to participate."
Please
contact Lauren
Hoffmann to arrange an interview and/or for additional
quotes.
Logos
and Member Boiler Plates
Click here
to download the STOP
MRSA Now logo.
About
STOP MRSA Now STOP MRSA Now is a coalition of community members who have
experienced first-hand the threat of MRSA. The coalition is committed
to working together to reduce the spread of MRSA in community settings
and to educate community members about MRSA prevention.
STOP MRSA
Now coalition members are taking an active role in helping prevent
the spread of MRSA by providing educational materials to their communities,
distributing a national public service announcement and offering tools
and resources about MRSA prevention online at www.stopmrsanow.org.
About
NABCA
The North American Booster Club Association (NABCA) (www.boosterclubs.org)
is the governing body and first of its kind national booster club
association dedicated to providing booster clubs and their extracurricular
organizations throughout North America with the highest level of Guidance,
Education, Training and Support. NABCA supplies booster clubs with
the most comprehensive portfolio of resources and club building tools
available to help build and manage successful clubs. Booster Clubs
are a key component to a successful extracurricular program as they
provide funding, volunteer support, upkeep for facilities, fields
and equipment, transportation and scholarships.
About
The Clorox Company
The Clorox Company is committed to helping prevent the spread of MRSA.
As part of this commitment, Clorox is honored to support the STOP
MRSA Now coalition to educate community members about the importance
of understanding more about MRSA and how they can help prevent the
spread of MRSA in their community.
The Clorox Company
is a leading manufacturer and marketer of consumer products with fiscal
year 2008 revenues of $5.3 billion. Clorox is committed to making
a positive difference in the communities where its employees work
and live. Founded in 1980, The Clorox Company Foundation has awarded
cash grants totaling more than $73.9 million to nonprofit organizations,
schools and colleges. In fiscal 2008 alone, the foundation awarded
$4.2 million in cash grants, and Clorox made product donations valued
at $10.2 million. For more information about Clorox, visit www.TheCloroxCompany.com.
ivKlevens, R M, Invasive Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Infections in the United States. JAMA. 2007;298(15):1763-1771.
v“Defend Against MRSA,” GoErie.com (PA). July 20, 2008.
vi“Physicians Report MRSA “Superbug” Cases on the
Rise, According to Study by GfK Market Measures; Hospitals Taking
Steps to Better Identify and Manage Spread of MRSA, but Physicians
Say Treatment Options Remain Unfulfilled,” Business Wire. July
29 2008.
