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December 27th is the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness
Learn how to prepare and be safe during an emergency. Know what steps you and your family can take before, during, and after an emergency or hazard.
Epidemic Preparedness and Response Guidelines
Upcoming Webinars &
In-Person Training Opportunities
Special WSHA IP Forum: What Should Hospitals Know About Ebola Virus Disease
The Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) is hosting a special webinar on Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). Special guests include Michelle L. Holshue, CDC Career Epidemiology Field Officer assigned to WA DOH Situation Update, Kristina L. Hansen, WA DOH Healthcare Preparedness Administrator Healthcare Readiness, Lisa Hannah, WA DOH Infection Prevention Team Supervisor State Planning and Patient Coordination, Christa Arguinchona, MSN, BSN, Manager, Special Pathogens, Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children’s Hospital.
December 19, 12:00pm-1:00pm PST • Register
Lessons Learned From COVID-19 Drive-Through Clinics
The Washington State Department of Health is hosting a webinar on Monday, December 19, 2022, from 12pm to 1pm. Four speakers will share their unique COVID-19 drive-through vaccination clinic experiences. The speakers will describe their vaccination model, clinical tools used, communication and education efforts, lessons learned, and offer clinical resources for successful implementation of drive-through vaccination clinics. The webinar will be recorded, and continuing education is available for nurses and pharmacists/pharmacy techs.
December 19, 12:00pm – 1:00pm PST • Register
The Work Starts Here: Supporting Employees with Long Covid
This lecture serves to establish ways that employers can help identify, accommodate, and support employees with ongoing COVID-19 symptoms. By applying a trauma-informed lens, we will discuss how to better support people with dynamic disabilities in the workforce to learn to adapt their roles to their changing needs while remaining in their chosen fields. While primarily focused on health care workers, this foundational knowledge can be applied to all fields.
January 13, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM PST • Register
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Infection Prevention Chat (ipChat) for Skilled Nursing Facility Infection Preventionists
This call series will bring together experienced and novice infection preventionists to share challenges, solutions, and best practices.
Monthly 1st & 3rd Tuesdays • Register in advance
SHEA Spring 2023 Conference
The SHEA Spring Conference will be held on April 11-14, 2023 in Seattle, WA and will include topics on healthcare epidemiology, antibiotic stewardship, long-term care, research methods, clinical microbiology, patient safety and quality, implementation science, and COVID-19. The call for abstracts is open and the deadline is January 11, 2023. Scholarship opportunities to attend the conference are available, and applications are due on December 31, 2022.
Infection Prevention Learning Journey
This accredited continuing education activity is intended primarily for healthcare workers and teams which may include but are not limited to, medical and nursing staff, administration, education/training leadership, and infection control leadership. Staff specializing in emergency management, communications, specialized clinical areas, laboratory, facilities management and environmental services are also welcome.
Available till November 2, 2023 • Enroll
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Flu
Interim Guidance for Clinicians to Prioritize Antiviral Treatment of Influenza in the Setting of Reduced Availability of Oseltamivir. This Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory provides clinicians and public health officials with guidance for prioritizing oseltamivir for treatment and information on other influenza antivirals that are recommended for treating influenza in areas where oseltamivir is temporarily unavailable
Prevention Strategies for Seasonal Influenza in Healthcare Settings: Guidelines and Recommendations. Healthcare-associated influenza infections can occur in any healthcare setting and are most common when influenza is also circulating in the community. Therefore, the influenza prevention measures outlined in this guidance should be implemented in all healthcare settings.
Influenza and Respiratory Illness Management in Long Term Care Facilities. Are any of your residents experiencing any influenza or other respiratory illness symptoms such as: fever/chills, fatigue, cough, sore throat, runny/stuffy nose, body aches, headache? In light of the number of flu outbreaks being experienced in Long Term Care Facilities, the DOH epi team has created a helpful infographic.
Influenza Vaccination: A Summary for Clinicians Everyone 6 months of age and older is recommended to get an annual influenza vaccine, including even healthy adults. Vaccination is especially important for people at higher risk of serious influenza complications or people who live with or care for people at higher risk for serious influenza complications.
Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Resources for Health Professionals. Persons working in health care settings also should be vaccinated annually against influenza. Vaccination of health care professionals has been associated with reduced work absenteeism and with fewer deaths among nursing home patients.
Flu Vaccines for Healthcare Workers. Healthcare workers are more likely to get the flu than other adults, and in a healthcare setting, flu can easily and quickly be spread to other staff and patients. The first and most important step in preventing flu is to get a flu vaccine each year.
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COVID-19
Thank you all who have attended and participated in the DOH weekly LTC Covid Q&A call over the last few years! December 8th was the last regularly scheduled call. DOH will continue to be a proactive and supportive resource for LTCFs across the state in the following ways:
- Infection Preventionists are available for support, information and guidance including directly by email and via the COVID mailbox (hai-covid@doh.wa.gov)
- DOH HAI team will continue to schedule guidance update webinars and as changes happen on infection prevention topics relevant to LTC.
- Links will be provided to resources and educational opportunities that are currently available or in development.
- The DOH IP team is available to attend or present at LTC partner regularly
View the slides from the December 6th presentation for additional information
The Washington State Department of Health's (WA DOH's) webpage provides resources for healthcare facilities, including acute care hospitals, long-term care, residential care facilities, and other settings where healthcare is being administered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the vulnerable nature of patients, the risk of exposure to healthcare workers, and the congregate nature of long-term care facilities, guidance for healthcare settings is often different from that of the general public. Visit the DOH Infection Prevention page and the Washington State Coronavirus Response page for more information.
The CDC’s What’s New & Updated tool is a helpful way to stay up to date with new and updated content on CDC’s COVID-19 webpages. Users can filter by date, webpage type, audience, and topic.
AHRQ Releases Learning Modules for Nursing Homes on COVID-19 Identification and Prevention. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has released a series of three video learning modules for nursing homes on COVID-19.
New COVID-19 Vaccination and Therapeutics Toolkit Provides Resources for Clinicians. The COVID-19 Vaccination and Therapeutics in PALTC Toolkit: Resources for Clinicians is now available to educate colleagues, patients and families about the COVID-19 bivalent vaccine and effective therapeutics.
Vaccination Trackers Can Help Collect and Organize Staff, Residents' Statuses. The trackers feature a convenient dropdown menu for vaccine selection, corresponding NHSN questions to eliminate confusion and a summary page.
The Department of Health and Human Services is offering four free at-home COVID-19 tests per household. The tests will begin to ship starting the week of Dec. 19 and can be ordered via COVIDTests.gov, or by calling 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489) between 8 a.m. and midnight Eastern time any day of the week.
Resources:
LTCF Visitor Announcement Sign
LTCF Bivalent Booster Flyer
LTC Bivalent Booster and Flu Tool Kit Resources pdf
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EBOLA
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Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Guidance: Current CDC infection prevention and control guidance for U.S. healthcare facilities is available on the CDC Ebola website for clinicians. Healthcare facilities and public health officials should be familiar with the tiered U.S. Specific guidance and tools to consider:
Healthcare facilities and public health officials should be familiar with the tiered U.S. Regional Treatment Network for Ebola and other special pathogens. The National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center (NETEC) maintains online resources and is available to provide consultation to hospitals for managing patients with EVD.
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Project First Line is a nationwide project supported by the CDC and the Washington State Department of Health to provide frontline healthcare workers with infection prevention and control education.
 Become an Infection Control Superhero with Washinton State Project Firstline
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Washington Project Firstline is excited to announce a new series of training modules for professionals working in long-term care facilities. These online, interactive modules will train and prepare long-term care workers to become infection control superheroes who can reduce the spread of disease at work and home.
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We encourage you to print the attached flyer and post it in your breakroom for your staff.
Washington Project Firstline Promotional Flyer
The six modules focus on the following:
- Infection Control
- How Germs Can Spread on Surfaces
- How Germs Can Spread via Respiratory Droplets
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- Proper Hand Hygiene
- Proper Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Cleaning and Disinfection
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The modules are educational, informative and fun, and take approximately 20-minutes each to complete. Staff who complete all six modules will earn continuing education credits for two contact-hours through the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services and a two contact-hour CNE certificate through Continuing Nursing Education at the University of Washington School of Nursing.
Modules are available now at firstline.nwcphp.org.
 The Project First Line Podcast, hosted by the Washington State Department of Health, is geared toward frontline healthcare workers to bring awareness to infection prevention and public health practices. We identify the importance and impact of infection prevention on our lives and on the lives of our community.
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Help Promote Project Firstline’s NEW Spanish Resources
The new infection control educational materials and resources are based on the risk recognition content and were created for Spanish-speaking frontline healthcare workers. The Spanish section of the Project Firstline website has also been reorganized to allow for easier navigation and accessibility of resources.
NEW Antimicrobial Fact Sheet
Project Firstline has released a new fact sheet to help educate frontline healthcare workers on the important role they play in fighting antimicrobial resistance with infection control. Be sure to check out this resource on the Project Firstline website and help us to promote it by creating awareness among your partner organizations.
 State of infection prevention and control in nonacute care US settings: 2020 APIC MegaSurvey. Strengthening infection prevention and control programs in nonacute care settings is a national priority. Efforts require thorough and ongoing appraisal of organizational structures, human resources including personnel training and competencies, system challenges and adaptive strategies implemented. Assessment of those in infection preventionist (IP) roles outside of the acute care setting is necessary to capture ongoing changes and challenges in the IP profession.
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New Episode
Catch up on Previous Episodes
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TOPIC: Respiratory Protection
The DOH Occupational Health Team is hosting monthly 30-minute, Lunch & Learn sessions on specific respiratory protection topics. Sessions start promptly at 12:05 PM. Bring your topic questions to the session or email them ahead of time to HAI-FitTest@doh.wa.gov.
- December 21, 2022 – Recordkeeping
- January 18, 2023 – Fit Testing Tips
For more information contact Stella Daniels, Occupational Health Team Supervisor.
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National Healthcare Safety Network
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Quarterly NHSN User Group for Hospitals
Please contact Sandy Ng for an invitation
All sessions are from 10:30 - 11:30 AM
January 10, 2023
April 11, 2023
July 11, 2023
October 10, 2023
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Introducing: Monthly LTC NHSN User Group
This is monthly forum for NHSN skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) to share and collaborate, improve reporting accuracy, and increase user knowledge.
Please contact Paula Parsons for more information
Calls scheduled 2nd Thursday of the month, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Upcoming dates:
Jan 12, 2023
Feb 9, 2023
Mar 9, 2023
Apr 13, 2023
May 11, 2023
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In honor of last month's Antibiotic Awareness Week (Nov 18-24), a one-page newsletter article was created by Jessica Zering, Antimicrobial Stewardship Pharmacist for the DOH. The article is designed to educate healthcare professionals about penicillin allergies and how these can affect patient outcomes
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COVID-19 in Nursing Homes: CMS Needs to Continue to Strengthen Oversight of Infection Prevention and Control. Implementing proper infection prevention and control practices can be critical for preventing the spread of infectious diseases. Infection prevention and control has been a long-standing concern in the nation's more than 15,000 nursing homes—one that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought into sharper focus. Some infection prevention and control practices in nursing homes, such as social isolation, may negatively affect resident mental and physical health.
FDA-approved cholesterol medicine may help prevent antibiotic resistance. Antimicrobial resistance, including bacteria that have evolved to defy antibiotics, is one of the top 10 global public health threats humanity faces, according to the World Health Organization. A Penn State-led multidisciplinary collaboration may have found a solution in cholestyramine, an oral drug already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to reduce cholesterol levels and remove bile acids associated with liver diseases.
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The American Health Care Association (AHCA) has partnered APIC with funding from CDC Project Firstline to set up a national forum for IPs and infection prevention champions working in long-term care (LTC) to share resources and get questions answered. This is open to all LTC professionals focusing on infection prevention regardless of certification status or membership in either APIC or AHCA. If you are interested in participating, please complete this three-question survey to provide your name and email. |
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Comagine Health Resource Helps Engage Residents, Families in Infection Prevention. Explore Comagine Health's Quick Guide for Engaging Residents and Families with Infection Prevention Practices in Long-Term Care. This resource shares strategies to improve your residents' and family members' understanding of important IPC practices.
Comagine Health’s long-term and post-acute care (LTPAC) team has developed a holiday pledge that is designed to serve as a reminder for facility leadership, staff and resident families to stay current on vaccines.
Are you, or a family member, living with memory loss or dementia? If so, the Dementia Action Collaborative (DAC) wants to hear from you! The DAC is a group of public-private organizations and partners that is updating the Washington State Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias. The DAC is inviting you to complete a brief online survey to help understand your experiences and critical issues/needs related to dementia care and services.
New Patient Safety Blog Series. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a Safe Healthcare blog series that focuses on patient safety. The blogs in this series will include stories from CDC patient and family partners that highlight the importance of patient safety and provide simple ways that people can stay informed on public safety topics like infection prevention, appropriate antibiotic use, and sepsis awareness. This series emphasizes CDC’s commitment to working with partners to reach our shared goal of improving patient safety, including addressing health disparities and improving healthcare equity.
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CSTE’s Applied Epidemiology Fellowship Accepting Host Site Applications: The CSTE Applied Epidemiology Fellowship is a two-year competency-based fellowship for masters- or doctoral-level graduates interested in an applied epidemiology career. Placement is at a state or local health agency, and the program includes a mentorship model with two experienced mentors. The fellowship is in collaboration with and funded by CDC. There are a variety of program areas including general infectious diseases and healthcare-associated infections. Over 400 fellows have completed the program since it began in 2003, and most former fellows are now working as an epidemiologist at the state or local level. Visit the webpage to learn more about AEF and how to become a potential host site. Applications to be a host site are due January 3, 2023.
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2021 National and State Healthcare-Associated Infections Progress Report: CDC has released the 2021 National and State Healthcare-Associated Infections Progress Report. The report includes data submitted to CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) across four healthcare settings: acute care hospitals, critical access hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and long-term acute care hospitals. Read the full 2021 HAI Progress Report, including the executive summary, data tables, technical appendix, and frequently asked questions. Data for the HAI Progress Report are also available in CDC’s Antibiotic Resistance & Patient Safety Portal (AR&PSP), an interactive web-based application that shows data collected through CDC’s NHSN and other sources.
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NHSN Revises Up to Date Vaccination Definition. A new up to date vaccination definition was one of several changes announced by NHSN as part of a recent update.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Core Infection Prevention and Control Practices for Safe Healthcare Delivery in All Settings, also known as Core Practices, are now available on CDC’s Infection Prevention and Control website.
Residential Care Services (RCS) created a training for Adult Family Home providers titled “End of Proclamation & Public Health Emergency –What Now?” The training outlines what must be done to meet regulatory requirements related to infection prevention and control in Adult Family Homes now that the public health emergency and pandemic related Governor proclamations have ended.
Residential Care Services (RCS) created a training for Nursing Home providers titled “End of Proclamation & Public Health Emergency –What Now?” The training outlines what must be done to meet regulatory requirements related to infection prevention and control in Nursing Homes now that the public health emergency and pandemic related Governor proclamations have ended.
CDC’s Core Infection Prevention and Control Practices for Safe Healthcare Delivery in All Settings is now available. The “core practices” were previously recommendations of the Healthcare Infection Prevention and Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC). CDC considers these core practices to be fundamental standards for wherever healthcare is delivered.
ATTENTION NURSING HOMES: To remain in compliance with the Nurse Aide 1135 waiver, Washington State is required to provide CMS monthly reports. As a part of the report process the state needs to compile information from each CMS certified nursing home on a monthly basis. Please assist in this process by completing this 3-question survey. If we are unable to provide the requested information to CMS, Washington state may lose this critically important 1135 waiver and the ability to allow NARs to continue working in a nursing home beyond 4 months while they complete the certification process.
A letter to Nursing Home Administrators regarding the following topic is now available:
A letter regarding the following topic is now available online:
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You are subscribed to Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance (HAIAR) Newsletter for Washington State Department of Health. This information has recently been updated, and is now available.
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If you aren't already signed up for the Healthcare Associated Infections and Antibiotic Resistance newsletter, please visit the Department of Health's email subscribers page here. |
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