NBA Star Grant Hill Helps Launch MRSA Awareness Program

With fall sports in full swing, parents are busy driving their children to and from practice, but taking a few precautionary steps that can help prevent the spread of MRSA may be the most important practice of all.

Skin infections like MRSA, which spread through skin to skin contact as well as contact with equipment and shared items, are the cause of 56 percent of all outbreaks of infectious diseases in competitive sports in the U.S.- but simple measures parents can take can help prevent the spread.

MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a potentially life-threatening antibiotic resistant Staph infection that has increasingly been found in community and youth sports settings.

The Stop MRSA Now Coalition in partnership with The Clorox Company and SwapMeSports.com, has teamed up with Grant Hill to launch Equip Them Well, a program to help teach families and sports teams about practical MRSA prevention steps, such as washing hands and disinfecting equipment with a bleach solution.

Like so many others who have been affected by the threat of MRSA, seven-time NBA all-star Grant Hill understands the importance of prevention, both in the locker room and on the court. You can also donate used sports equipment and score a chance to meet Grant Hill.