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Bergen New Bridge Medical Center’s Antimicrobial Stewardship efforts have again been recognized by The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH). The Medical Center’s Acute Division earned the New Jersey Antimicrobial Stewardship Recognition Program’s 2021 Silver Steward Award, and the Long Term Care Division obtained the 2021 Gold Steward Award. The New Jersey Antimicrobial Stewardship Recognition Program acknowledges the achievements of Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASPs) in local healthcare facilities. Awardees have demonstrated effective implementation of the CDC Core Elements of Antimicrobial Stewardship. The ASRP application evaluated metrics on hospital leadership commitment, accountability, pharmacy expertise, action, tracking, reporting, and education. “These awards validate our continued commitment to quality and dedication to enhancing patient health outcomes, reducing resistance to antibiotics, and decreasing unnecessary costs,” said Deborah Visconi, President and CEO of Bergen New Bridge. “We have many processes in place focused on antimicrobial stewardship. We track our antibiotic use metrics by drug/dose furthering organization-wide accountability, including the identification of a pharmacist, nurse, and clinical leader of this program. We conduct regular committee meetings, ongoing education, and long-term data monitoring on related markers throughout our Medical Center.” Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASPs) have proven to be even more important through the pandemic because improper treatment of COVID-19 with antimicrobials, reliance on telemedicine usage and lack of diagnostic information, could have increased antimicrobial resistance in hospitals and communities.