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CDC Updates Infection Control in Healthcare Personnel Guidance
CDC has recently updated the guidance, Epidemiology and Control of Selected Infections Transmitted Among Healthcare Personnel and Patients. The recommendations in this document include current guidance on the management of exposed or potentially infectious healthcare personnel. New sections available in this March 2024 update include measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, and special populations: pregnant healthcare personnel.
Call for Cases: Multistate Cluster of Burkholderia multivorans
On March 29th, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) put out a call to acute care facilities for cases due to Burkholderia multivorans. No cases have been reported currently in Washington State. DOH HAI Epidemiology requests:
Healthcare facilities report B. multivorans cases per the definition (below) provided by the CDC to the patient’s local health jurisdiction (LHJ).
- Retain samples at the reporting laboratory for possible submission to CDC through Washington Public Health Laboratories (PHL) for additional testing.
LHJs notify DOH HAI Epidemiology of reported cases.
Please report patients with:
- Newly diagnosed Burkholderia multivorans infection or colonization confirmed via culture (specimen from any body site),
- Specimen collected between January 1, 2022, to present, AND
- Admission to an acute care hospital for at least 48 hours in the 14 days prior to specimen collection.
Environmental Services Infection Prevention & Control: Train the Trainer Series
This Department of Health (DOH) Train the Trainer series is for subject matter experts who will deliver Environmental Services (EVS) Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) training in the Long-Term Care (LTC) setting. This training is ideal for LTC Educators, LTC IPs, and EVS Leads.
Why it matters: EVS staff education, hands-on training, and feedback can improve cleaning and help reduce the incidence of healthcare-associated infections.
Register in advance for this webinar! Dates are as follows:
May 2, 2024 - 11:00-12:00pm: Tips for Challenges in Environmental Cleaning
May 16, 2024 - 11:00-12:00pm: Project Firstline (PFL) EVS Toolkit Implementation and PFL EVS Toolkit Overview
May 29, 2024 - 11:00-12:00pm: Competency-Based Training, Audits, and Infection Prevention Control Feedback Skills
Any questions? Send us an email and put “EVS TTT” in the subject line.
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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
New from WA DOH: The 2023 Annual Antimicrobial Stewardship Report
This inaugural annual report provides an overview of the efforts undertaken during 2023 by this team and shares results of several data analyses. Read the report here.
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
New from CDC: Priorities for Hospital Core Element Implementation
To continue enhancing hospital antibiotic stewardship programs, CDC has released Priorities for Hospital Core Element Implementation (Priorities) in 2022 to help enhance the quality and impact of existing antibiotic stewardship programs. Learn more here.
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: Priority deadline to apply is April 15th- 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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SNF Barriers to Resident Uptake of the 2023-2024 COVID-19 Vaccine
By request of CDC Healthcare-Associated Infections & Antimicrobial Resistance (HAI/AR) branch, the HAI Epidemiology team sent a survey to 196 skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) in January to better understand uptake of the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine in SNFs. The goals were to identify barriers with vaccination and reporting to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), provide resources to increase vaccination uptake, and gather success stories to be shared back with CDC. The responses to questions regarding resident vaccination are summarized below.
Percentage of SNFs reporting barriers/challenges to getting residents vaccinated
 The HAI Epidemiology team received 121 responses from 114 facilities across 23 counties. 49 of the respondents (43%) reported challenges or barriers to getting residents vaccinated.
Identified barriers for resident vaccination among SNFs reporting resident vaccination challenges
 The 49 respondents that reported challenges were asked follow-up questions to share the specific barriers at their facility. The main barriers they identified were resident hesitancy and guardians not willing to sign consents for the vaccine (79% and 46% of the respondents reporting challenges respectively).
Percentage of SNFs reporting difficulty accessing vaccines
 All SNFs were asked if they were having difficulty accessing vaccine. Vaccine access for residents was not identified as a large problem for SNFs with only 12% of 121 respondents reporting difficulty.
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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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N95 Respirator Use Consultation Support
Do you have questions about using the N95 or the rules and regulations about it? 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 102 Long-term Care Facilities (LTCFs) who have completed the optional NHSN Annual Survey for 2023 as of April 8th! 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 7, 2024 10:00 AM (New Date & Time!)
- 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:
- May 9, 2024
- Jun 13, 2024
- July 11, 2024
- August 8, 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
Updated COVID-19 Vaccination Up-To-Date Definition
On April 1, 2024, the Up-to-Date Definition changed in NHSN for reporting weekly resident and staff COVID-19 vaccinations. Individuals aged 65 years and older are up to date when they have received 2 doses of the updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine or received 1 dose of the updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine in the past 4 months.
Individuals aged less than 65 years continue to be up to date when they have received 1 dose of the updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine.
Be sure to report accurate counts in NHSN and review training slides.
Annual Healthcare Personnel Summary Data
The flu season is over and it’s time for Long-term Care Facilities (LTCFs) to begin submitting 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.
Final Office Hours training is scheduled for 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 13 now available!
The weekly summary is available.
State Summary
- Influenza-like illness activity was minimal during week 13.
- To date, 106 lab-confirmed influenza deaths have been reported for the 2023-2024 season.
- To date, 78 influenza-like illness outbreaks in long term care facilities have been reported for the 2023-2024 season.
- During week 13, 1.6 percent of visits among Influenza-like Illness Network (ILINet) participants were for influenza-like illness, which was below the baseline of 1.9 percent.
- During week 13, 4.4 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.
- Influenza A and Influenza B were reported to the ILINet surveillance system during week 13.
Historic influenza reports
DOH creates influenza reports for healthcare providers and public health including:
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 Enhanced Barrier Precautions in Nursing Homes
A Dear Provider letter is now available.
Critical Staffing Management in Long-Term Care Settings Update
A Dear Provider letter is now available.
Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations for Adults Ages 65 and Older
A Dear Provider letter is now available.
Update to RCS Staff Mask Wearing in LTC Settings During Respiratory Illness Season
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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FDA Safety Communication
Recall of Certain Saline and Sterile Water Medical Products Associated with Nurse Assist
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers, health care providers, and health care facilities not to use recalled saline (0.9% sodium chloride) and sterile water medical products manufactured by Nurse Assist, LLC, and sold under various brands.
An outbreak of multi-drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii on a burns ICU and its control with multi-faceted containment measures
This study reports the investigation and control of an outbreak of MDR Acinetobacter baumannii in a burns center.
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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