Every day, one out of 20 hospitalized patients has an infection caused by medical care. Healthcare-associated infections are costly to businesses and are potentially lethal to employees. CDC plays a vital role in helping businesses safeguard their workforces from infections.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) plays a vital role in helping businesses prepare for and respond to public health emergencies. In the first of a new series of quarterly business features, CDC’s connection with business and public health preparedness and response is highlighted, coinciding with September’s National Preparedness Month.

The CDC Foundation releases Business Pulse: Tobacco Use to help businesses improve employee health—and overall business health—by reducing tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure.

To support efforts to stem the Zika outbreak, the CDC Foundation announced a $1 million donation from the Pfizer Foundation in funding for the comprehensive Zika response. Additionally, in-kind donations of up to 170,000 doses of injectable reversible contraceptive product from Pfizer have been provided for the Zika Contraception Access Network (Z-CAN) in Puerto Rico. In addition to donations of products and funding from multiple partners, this donation will provide essential support against this growing health threat for women who choose to delay or avoid pregnancy.

To underscore the impact of workplace crashes, and to share actions employers can take to protect their workers in the United States and abroad, NIOSH and the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control joined with the CDC Foundation to launch Business Pulse: Motor Vehicle Safety at Work.

Business Pulse: Lowering Healthcare Costs, Improving Productivity explores how CDC can help businesses with interventions proven to address health conditions while improving workers’ health and boosting business productivity.