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November Event Calendar
Check out the VIPTA Event Calendar for more details and to register for events.
Events in November
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Featured Training Resource
🎆Purple Power: Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance Together
Get ready to go purple! Antimicrobial Awareness Week is November 18–24, 2025, and this year’s theme is “Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance Takes All of Us.” Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) isn’t just a healthcare issue; it’s a One Health challenge that affects people, pets, and our planet. Every reminder, game, or hallway conversation helps keep antibiotics and antifungals working for everyone.
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Go purple! Ask teams to wear purple or decorate breakrooms to spark conversation.
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Host a mini-moment. Share a quick AMR fact in your next huddle or meeting.
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Make it a game. Use ideas from this month’s Cheers for Peers feature, where Whitney Rice created a microbe-matching challenge about bacterial vs. viral infections.
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Spread the message. Share graphics or stories from the WHO or CDC campaigns on your intranet or social media.
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Recognize Purple Champions. Celebrate strong antimicrobial stewardship by giving a Cheers for Peers certificate.
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Image from CDC
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Regulation & Guidance Updates |
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✅Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA)
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Multisociety Guidance for Infection Prevention and Control in Nursing Homes (10/28/2025)
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This guidance document updates the 2008 SHEA/Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) guideline: Infection Prevention and Control in the Long-Term Care Facility and is intended to assist nursing homes in the United States in defining and implementing their infection prevention and control (IPC) programs and practices.
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Recommendations and implementation suggestions address IPC leadership, staffing, and resources, healthcare personnel and residents‘ adherence to precautions and effective hand hygiene, outbreak preparedness, training, occupational health, cleaning and disinfection in the care environment, and the involvement of IPC in the facility.
✅Virginia Department of Health (VDH)
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Clinician Letter: Updates to CDC Immunization Schedule (10/10/2025)
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This clinician letter outlines updates to immunization schedules for MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella) and COVID-19 vaccines, emphasizing their essential role in community health and safety in Virginia. It discusses the new guidelines, including the separate administration of the MMR and varicella vaccines for children under 4 years, the COVID-19 vaccine's availability for individuals aged 6 months and older, and the importance of verifying insurance coverage prior to vaccination.
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Cheers for Peers
✨Innovative Antimicrobial Stewardship Education in Long-Term Care: A Virginia Beach Success Story
Whitney Rice, MPH, CIC, Healthcare-Associated Infections Epidemiologist at the Virginia Beach Department of Public Health, has taken a proactive and creative approach to antimicrobial stewardship in long-term care settings. Inspired by a successful initiative from another Virginia health district, Rice launched an educational campaign across three types of long-term care facilities: skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities (ALFs), and multicare centers.
The program was designed to reach all key stakeholders (e.g., providers, residents, and families) with tailored educational materials and interactive sessions. These included PowerPoint presentations, printed handouts, activity books, and engaging games such as a microbe matching challenge (to distinguish between bacterial and viral infections) and a Jeopardy-style quiz game for staff. A post-education survey revealed overwhelmingly positive feedback: residents enjoyed the sessions, and staff expressed interest in more in-depth technical content.
Key Educational Messages:
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For Residents and Families: Emphasis was placed on the importance of taking antibiotics exactly as prescribed, on time and without skipping doses, and understanding that antibiotics are ineffective against viral infections.
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For Providers: The training focused on resisting pressure to prescribe unnecessary antibiotics and included guidance on managing multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), with a focus on cleaning, disinfection, and Enhanced Barrier Precautions to prevent their spread.
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Skilled Nursing Facilities: These settings yielded the most effective provider education, likely due to the more consistent presence of medical staff and pharmacists.
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Assisted Living Facilities: Provider education was more challenging here due to fewer on-site clinicians, but resident engagement was highest, as ALF residents were more able to actively participate in the sessions.
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Future Plans: These insights will be used to refine and tailor future rounds of education, ensuring that content delivery is optimized for each facility type and audience.
Whitney Rice’s initiative demonstrates how thoughtful, audience-specific education can enhance antimicrobial stewardship and promote responsible antibiotic use in long-term care environments. Her work serves as a model for those seeking to make a meaningful impact in their communities.
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Search the VIPTA library of curated infection prevention and control (IPC) education and training resources. The IPC Education & Training Resource Library includes state and national resources related to healthcare-associated infections, antimicrobial resistance and/or IPC. |
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