Quality Is Paramount | Kindred Hospital Paramount Surpasses 1,000 Days Without Key Line-Associated Infections
NQS Platinum Award-Winning Kindred Hospital Paramount Has Now Gone Years Free of a New CLABSI or CAUTI.
PARAMOUNT, California (June 30, 2025) - The underlying goal of ScionHealth’s National Quality Strategy is for its hospitals to strive for zero patient harm. To that end, Kindred Hospital Paramount has reached a remarkable milestone in safe patient care.
On June 19, Kindred Hospital Paramount celebrated its 1,000th consecutive day without a central-line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) or a catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI). CLABSI and CAUTI rates are key safety metrics in the National Quality Strategy, and Kindred Paramount’s perfect scores in those categories contributed to the 183-bed specialty hospital recently winning the NQS’ highest honor for quality – the Overall Platinum Award – for 2024.
Preventing hospital-acquired infections has long been a top priority of leaders at Kindred Hospital Paramount, and the introduction of the NQS in 2023 helped the hospital sharpen its focus and earn staff buy-in even more.
“The staff feel good about coming to work and wanting to do better for their patients, and we see it in our numbers,” Director of Nursing Heide Datoon said. “I think they're ecstatic that we've reached Platinum status. They are overjoyed that we got there and that all their hard work is paying off.”
Chief Clinical Officer/Chief Operating Officer Nikki Cunningham said she and Datoon are in lockstep on their approach to emphasizing CLABSI and CAUTI prevention and being hands-on to train staff and monitor quality. They keep a close eye on patients with central lines, Foley catheters, and other invasive lines. Before a new line is inserted, they always scrutinize whether it is necessary.
“It really is setting the expectation and then having the right team to support you and have the same vision that you do,” said Cunningham, who added that partnerships that she and Datoon share with Paramount’s Infection Preventionist and Paramount’s Chief of Staff and Medical Directors for Infection Control and Critical Care are key to the hospital’s success.
It’s around-the-clock work.
Cunningham and Datoon alternate after hours and weekends in a collaborative approach with Paramount’s infection preventionist when they’re not at the facility. They check in with caregivers for updates. Paramount’s nursing supervisors and champion resource staff are their eyes and ears and support the initiatives. In addition, nursing staff receive regular audits from the infection preventionist, who rounds on patients twice a day and reports back opportunities so that nurses can address issues immediately.
In all, it’s a process of “continuous surveillance,” Cunningham said.
“A lot of other leaders will reach out to me and Heide and (Market CEO Mark Apodaca) and say, ‘How do you do it?’” Cunningham said. “We tell them it is constant surveillance, commitment, and staff accountability. Having a leadership team such as Paramount’s is key to our success. We have our leaders’ buy-in, support, and motivation to make and sustain changes. Without a collaborative, strong, goal-oriented team, none of this would be possible. From the leadership team to the front-line staff, it is teamwork at its finest with the ultimate goal of commitment for zero harm.”
The staff is well-aware of the streaks of no new on-site CAUTIs and CLABSIs, with the number of days posted and updated daily in nursing stations. The streaks are mentioned and celebrated regularly in staff huddles, and at certain milestones, the staff have been rewarded with visits from food trucks, ice cream trucks and coffee bars.
“It’s to let them know that we truly appreciate everything that they're doing for us and for the patients, most importantly,” said Datoon.
About Kindred Hospital Paramount
Kindred Hospital Paramount – part of ScionHealth’s Specialty Hospital Division – is a 183-bed, freestanding hospital in Paramount, California, featuring 165 beds dedicated to long-term acute care and an 18-bed acute rehabilitation unit. The hospital offers the same in-depth care one would receive in a traditional hospital, but for an extended recovery period. Located at 16453 South Colorado Avenue in Los Angeles County, the facility is the largest long-term acute care provider in the region. Kindred Hospital Paramount partners with each patient’s physician and offers 24-hour clinical care seven days a week so that patients can quickly start their journeys to wellness. Learn more about the hospital here.