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New Quarterly Call for Long-Term Care Partners!
The Washington State Department of Health and other infection prevention partners are implementing a quarterly call for long-term care settings. The goal of these calls will be to share information about important infection prevention topics. We are seeking your feedback on what topics and format would be most helpful to you. Please help us by filling out this brief survey.
Join us at our first call in this series on April 1st from 10-11am. Register!
Measles Update and Reminder
As we enter the spring and summer travel season, clinicians should be on alert for cases of measles. Measles cases often originate from unvaccinated or under-vaccinated U.S. residents who travel internationally and then transmit the disease to people who are not vaccinated against measles.
It is crucial for healthcare providers to immediately notify local or state health departments about any suspected case of measles to ensure rapid testing and investigation. Measles cases are reported by states to CDC through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) and can also be reported directly to the CDC. Additionally, healthcare workers should be adequately protected against measles; adhere to standard and airborne precautions when evaluating suspect cases regardless of their vaccination status.
For More Information
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Infection Prevention and Control |
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Let us help you prepare for your upcoming construction!
Are you planning maintenance or construction in your facility this spring or summer? If yes, the Infection Prevention and Control program can help you prepare! One of our Infection Preventionists can come and help you conduct an Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) that is non-regulatory and FREE to you. Going through this process can minimize exposure to harmful particles in construction dust that can have severe health impacts to your residents and staff. Reach out to HAI-FieldTeam@doh.wa.gov for more information.
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Antimicrobial Stewardship |
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Resources for All Antimicrobial Stewards
Antimicrobial Stewardship Certificate Program Scholarship
Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP) is offering scholarships to complete their Antimicrobial Stewardship Certificate Program at no-cost. This opportunity is open to nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, microbiologists, laboratory scientists, or physicians who identify as an underrepresented minority, and who live and practice in the U.S. To learn more about this opportunity, visit Antimicrobial Stewardship Certificate or email education@sidp.org with any questions.
Acute Care Stewardship Resources
Funding Opportunity for Hospitals
To help offset the cost of implementing reporting to the NHSN-AU module, the Department of Health is offering a $5,000 financial reimbursement to hospitals. Learn more and apply for funding.
CDC’s NHSN FAQs: AUR Reporting for the CMS Promoting Interoperability Program
All hospitals will be required by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to be in “Active Engagement” with the NHSN AUR module starting in 2024. Review the document!
Long-Term Care Stewardship Resources
Urine PCR Guidance Document for Long-Term Care Facilities
Urine polymerase chain reaction-based (PCR) laboratory testing has been promoted to clinicians as an alternative method of obtaining urine cultures. Due to the high prevalence and overuse of antibiotics for asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) in the post-acute and long-term care population, a guidance document on the topic of PCR urine testing is provided to ensure safety.
Free Patient Communication CE for Nurses and Medical Assistants
This activity is designed to improve communication skills around antibiotic use to help avoid inappropriate prescribing. The activity offers free CE credits for both nurses and medical assistants and is based on the CDC’s 4-part Communication Strategy.
Outpatient Stewardship Resources
Call for Applicants: Prescribing Appropriate Antibiotics for Acute Respiratory Conditions (PAAARC) Project
Unnecessary antibiotics are frequently prescribed for known viral infections, including 75% of adults with acute bronchitis and 45% of children with viral upper respiratory infections. To help improve the use of antibiotic prescribing for respiratory conditions in outpatient settings, the WA DOH has launched the PAAARC toolkit. WA DOH will be providing $15,000 in funding to two healthcare organizations to implement this toolkit and track antibiotic use outcomes.
The application for healthcare organizations is now open - Learn more and apply!
Recruitment for Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Safety Program for Telemedicine: Improving Antibiotic Use Now Open
This program, beginning in June 2024, consists of brief educational presentations about best practices to optimize antibiotic prescribing in the telemedicine environment. Participants will have access to technical assistance, coaching, webinars, and practical tools to implement improvements in their practice. Continuing education units, continuing medical education credits, and ABIM MOC points will be offered at no charge for participants.
Learn more and apply!
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Heater-cooler devices may pose an infection risk even with strict adherence to IFUs
Since at least 2015, the FDA has acknowledged the risk of infection when using heater-cooler devices during cardiothoracic procedures, with Safety Communications for healthcare providers most recently issued in 2018 and in 2020 which made recommendations to reduce infection risk to patients. However, a recent study published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology (ICHE) details an investigation of three extrapulmonary Mycobacterium abscessus infections linked to even well-maintained devices.
Heater-cooler devices, used to control patient temperatures during surgery, use water that is passed through heat exchangers to regulate patient temperature. The water is held in a tank and moved through a closed circuit and does not come in contact with patients during surgery. However, water can become aerosolized, resulting in infection risk to patients during surgery. Devices from various manufacturers have been implicated in nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) outbreaks associated with cardiothoracic surgery.
This ICHE study highlights the challenges with contamination in heater-cooler devices despite following IFUs.
CDC and WA DOH encourages healthcare facilities to report NTM cases associated with medical devices and cleaning/contamination challenges to both public health and the FDA Additionally, hospitals should consult with manufacturers of their heater-cooler devices to ensure IFUs are implemented appropriately and consider additional recommendations by the FDA and CDC. Review the provided CDC document for more information.
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Quick Infection Prevention Education and Training
Need help with infection prevention training at your healthcare workplace? How about continuing education credits? Check out the Project Firstline education and training opportunities for infection prevention training on your schedule, at your own pace! This six module training series on basic IPC practices takes about 20-minutes per module. Complete all six to receive two contact hours of continuing education credits for free! Start today!
Frontline Infection Prevention Champion Training Programs!
The WA DOH is now highlighting the Frontline IP Champion Training Program! When a healthcare provider training program implements the Project Firstline online IP Training Modules and other Project Firstline education and training materials into their curriculum, they will be featured on our website and receive a certificate.
We currently have 11 public and private training programs utilizing the Project Firstline modules and resources!
- Clover Park Technical College
- Clover Park Technical College at Gar-Pal High School (NAC)
- Crystal Point CNA Training School
- Excel Health Careers Training
- Green River College
- Med Smart Academy
- Medical Professions Academy Woodinville High School
- Pierce County Skills Center
- Tri-Tech Skills Center
- Pre-Physical Therapy, Dental, and Certified Nursing Assistant programs
Involve your training program today!
Don’t worry, we are still offering our Frontline Infection Prevention Champion Facility program. Find out more!
Go to our website for more WA Project Firstline information and resources!
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Respirator Use Consultation Support
Questions about respirator use? Join us to get your answers!
Visit our website for more information or send us an email!
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National Healthcare and Safety Network (NHSN) |
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Thank You for Participating!
Thank you to the 99 Long-term Care Facilities (LTCFs) who have completed the optional NHSN Annual Survey for 2023 as of March 7! The information provided helps DOH know how best to support you. The Antimicrobial Stewardship team will analyze stewardship-specific questions and present them at a future LTC user group call. It’s not too late to submit the survey - please see the Alerts page in NHSN if you have not yet completed this survey.
Bimonthly NHSN User Group for Hospitals
Join us for the NHSN Hospital User Group calls. We will host these calls every other month. Please register in advance for this call series. Upcoming meetings are as follows.
- May 14, 2024 10:30 AM
- Jul 9, 2024 10:30 AM
- Sep 10, 2024 10:30 AM
- Nov 12, 2024 10:30 AM
Please reach out to the NHSN Epi Team if you have any questions or have topic ideas for any of the calls.
Monthly Long-Term Care NHSN User Group
You are invited to register for the monthly NHSN skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) forum to share and, collaborate, improve reporting accuracy, and increase user knowledge. Calls are scheduled for the second Thursday of the month, 11:00 a.m. – noon. Upcoming meetings are as follows:
- Apr 11, 2024
- May 9, 2024
- Jun 13, 2024
- July 11, 2024
Please reach out to the NHSN Epi Team for more information.
NHSN Support Services for SNFs
For a more comprehensive list of NHSN support options the HAI Epi Team can provide to skilled nursing facilities, see the NHSN Support and Technical Assistance for Skilled Nursing Facilities flyer.
NHSN Reporting Updates and Trainings
At the beginning of April, Long-term Care Facilities (LTCFs) can begin to submit the required annual healthcare personnel (HCP) influenza vaccination summary data for the 2023-2024 influenza season, which is due by May 15, 2024.. The reporting period for the 2023-2024 influenza season for Annual Healthcare Personnel (HCP) summary data is from October 1, 2023, through March 31, 2024. Facilities are only required to submit one data report for staff employed during the reporting period through the NHSN Healthcare Personnel Safety (HPS) Component.
Upcoming Office Hours trainings are scheduled for March 28 and April 25 – please plan to attend one of these trainings:
When: Thursday, March 28, 2024, at 11:00 AM PT. Register in advance for this webinar.
OR
When: Thursday, April 25, 2024, at 11:00 AM PT. Register in advance for this webinar.
NHSN Epidemiology Email
The NHSN Epidemiology Team has a dedicated inbox. Please email NHSNepi@doh.wa.gov for any NHSN related questions, issues, or concerns. This will allow our team to respond to your message in a timely manner.
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Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) |
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Puget Sound Chapter
The Puget Sound Region APIC chapter meets on the fourth Thursday of every month from noon to 2:00 p.m.
- We review important legislative updates, IPC news, and educational opportunities.
- Journal club and round table discussions keep IPs up-to-date on recent activity in the IPC field, as well as connect with local IPs.
Register in advance for meetings. Links to registration sites can be found on our social media and website a few weeks prior.
APIC Podcasts:
AJIC Monthly Podcast
New Episode:
Recent Episodes:
Tune in the first Thursday of each month for new episodes.
APIC Monthly 5 Second Rule Podcast
Recent Episodes:
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WA DOH Influenza Update for Week 9 now available!
The weekly summary is available.
State Summary
- Influenza-like illness activity was low during week 9.
- To date, 97 lab-confirmed influenza deaths have been reported for the 2023-2024 season.
- To date, 64 influenza-like illness outbreaks in long term care facilities have been reported for the 2023-2024 season.
- During week 9, 1.9 percent of visits among Influenza-like Illness Network (ILINet) participants were for influenza-like illness, which was equal to the baseline of 1.9 percent.
- During week 9, 5.5 percent of specimens tested by WHO (World Health Organization) and NREVSS (National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System) collaborating laboratories in Washington were positive for influenza.
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 Notification to Providers of Important Candida Auris Information
A Dear Provider letter is now available.
Rapid Response Teams Unwinding in Long-Term Care Settings
A Dear Provider letter is now available.
Infection Prevention in Dialysis Settings
People on dialysis are at risk for infections which can be serious or fatal. Learn how to protect patients from infections in outpatient dialysis settings. Visit CDC Train and earn free CEs!
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Lake WA Technical College - Infection Control Course!
Lake WA Technical College is offering an infection control course from April 1st -June 12th, every Thursday evening from 6:30-8:30 PM. This course provides an overview of the role of the infection prevention and control program in healthcare. Students will identify infectious disease processes commonly used to identify healthcare-associated pathogens, design and assess surveillance systems to be used in the healthcare setting, and then demonstrate how to collect, compile, and interpret surveillance data. Students will work on developing strategies specific to the settings where they work.
You don't need to be an LWTC student to register for the class!
University of Washington DNP PHSL recruitment for 2024-2025!
Applications for the Population Health and Systems Leadership DNP are open now through May 1st for Fall 2024 at the University of Washington in Seattle. Our DNP in Population Health and Systems Leadership program is unique in that it develops nursing leaders to be change agents at the population- and system-levels and to address unjust systems that perpetuate poor health. Our graduates work in leadership roles in a variety of settings, including hospitals, health departments, nonprofits, and tribal organizations. Topics covered in classes include program planning/evaluation, community assessment, evidence-based practice, epidemiology, and health services, systems, and economics. As a graduate of our DNP in PHSL, you will have the opportunity to directly influence how people and communities experience health care and health-adjacent systems at the highest levels.
Upcoming Information Sessions can be found on our website. Learn more about DNP PHSL and consider joining us!
We are currently accepting applications for Fall 2024 and would be happy to discuss with any interested nurses. For additional information please email one of the following of us directly:
General questions: asknursing@uw.edu
Admission/application questions: Simone Nelson
Population health track curriculum questions: Betty Bekemeier
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