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 February 2025
American Medical Association's (AMA) HIV, STIs, Viral Hepatitis and LTBI Routine Screening Toolkit |
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AMA Community of Practice on Routine Screening includes Latent TB Infection (LTBI). This new toolkit for community health centers and emergency departments guides you from patient intake to linkage to care. In particular you may find helpful the streamlined testing cascade for LTBI on page 14 and the Implementation Resources section.
While this is a national tool, it is important to note that LTBI is not a reportable/notifiable condition in Washington State and doesn't require patient connection with local county health departments. An exception are patients with LTBI in Pierce County.
WADOH TB Website Updates
Resources that have been updated on the WADOH TB Webpages:
Register Now for World TB Day Events at TB ECHO
Join TB ECHO for four special World TB Day sessions this year! Space is limited. Please note: You must register for the special events even if you are already enrolled in TB ECHO as they will be held separately from the regular weekly TB ECHO Zoom meeting link. Registration and session information available here.
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Tuesday, March 4, 2025, 12:30-1:30 PM, PT: Washington Detection of Drug Resistance testing and Whole Genome Sequencing (Philip Dykema, Washington State Dept. of Health)
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Tuesday, March 11, 2025, 12:30-1:30 PM, PT: Caring Connections Project: Reflecting on Our Relationship with Clients (Snohomish County Health Department)
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Tuesday, March 25, 2025, 12:30-1:30 PM, PT: World TB Day Survivor Speaker (Preenie Gill & Nicole Skaggs, We Are TB)
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Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 12:30-1:30 PM, PT: Tuberculosis in Washington (Kelsey Hewson, Washington State Dept. of Health) and Contact Investigation in a King County Congregate Setting (Donny Lee & Natalya Sarkisova, Public Health - Seattle & King County)
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TB Year-End Data Deadlines
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February 2025: Second round of data closeout line lists sent out.
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March 7, 2025: Final deadline for 2024 data closeout.
- Case data must be as complete as possible for 2024 cases.
- Contact investigation records for 2024 cases must be entered into WDRS and updated to be as complete as possible.
- Class B screening data should be as complete as possible.
We will be sharing more about TB data deadlines at the RAINIER Suite Sprint Review (RSSR) meeting on February 19, 2025. Register here.
This information and other resources are available on the TB Data Resources SharePoint page. Email tbservices@doh.wa.gov with any questions or concerns or to request access to the SharePoint.
SAVE THE DATE: TB Virtual LHJ Workshop Series
Mark your calendars!
The WA DOH TB Program is excited to announce that we will be hosting a series of virtual events this summer for LHJ TB partners, every Wednesday in the month of June (6/4/25, 6/11/25, 6/18/25, 6/25/25). Sessions will be shorter than a typical LHJ workshop (two to four hours), and will cover updates, training, and collaboration opportunities specific to tuberculosis.
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A formal agenda, timeslot details, and registration information will be coming soon so you can save the date(s) for sessions that best align with your role. We will record sessions as permitted by the presenters and post the recordings on TB SharePoint should you be unable to attend a session of interest. If you have interest in serving on the planning committee, or would like to present on a relevant topic, please email tbservices@doh.wa.gov.
Pharmacy Processing Slowdown
Our normal pharmacy technician will be out from March 21 - April 21, 2025. During this time, other technicians will be filling in. However, please anticipate that medication order processing may be slower than normal. We ask that you give extra time for order processing and reach out to us regarding any rush orders using our general program email box: tbservices@doh.wa.gov
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TB Cohort Review Updates
Thank you to those LHJs who participated in our newly remodeled Cohort Review! Moving forward, Cohort Review will occur once a year in the fall, aligning with staff bandwidth while staying in line with feedback we’ve received. We highly encourage LHJs to utilize the NTIP snapshot report and accompanying materials (sent out in the spring and fall) to do your own internal review. Our plan is to have the NTIP snapshot for your LHJ sometime in April. If you have any questions please reach out to tbservices@doh.wa.gov
TB Program's New Funding Formula Is Postponed
The State TB Program had hoped to expand the number of LHJs receiving federal funding for TB in local communities. Unfortunately, our funding in the CDC TB award for 2025 was less than anticipated, which means we will not do the expansion this year. To those LHJs that we reached out to last August, we thank you for your efforts to develop a budget and for your patience. This is still a goal of our program, and our hopes are that we will be able to include funding for more LHJs in the next few years.
Updated and New TB Partners SharePoint Resources
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Isoniazid Available
WA State TB Program has both Isoniazid 300 mg and 100 mg available for LHJs.
Please reach out to us at tbservices@doh.wa.gov to discuss which program is the best fit for your patient.
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Former CDC Rifampin 300 mg Available
Washington LHJs are encouraged to order Rifampin 300 mg from our supply of former CDC National Stockpile. Your LHJ can use this for patients with active disease or latent TB infection and insurance type does not matter. Please order using the Former CDC National Stockpile Medication Order Form. We are not limiting the quantity ordered. Please do not order or pay for Rifampin 300 mg while we still have this free supply available.
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Remember: Public Health should be payer of last resort; use patient insurance whenever possible. Remember to record in your medication tracking log that this supply is from the CDC and not purchased through the 340B or MMCAP discount programs. The pharmacy shipping sheet will also indicate the medication source. If you have any questions, please reach out to tbservices@doh.wa.gov.
Managed File Transfer (MFT) Reminder
For Local Health Jurisdictions (LHJs) who use MFT, please remember to notify us by email at tbservices@doh.wa.gov when you are uploading a document. This will ensure that your document is successfully received.
What is MFT?
Do you have issues sending and/or receiving encrypted email attachments to the DOH TB Program? MFT is a service for agency authorized users to have an approved secure means of transmitting and receiving confidential and restricted information. Requires a web browser to access the service. LHJs can contact tbservices@doh.wa.gov to request an account.
SureAdhere End-of-Year Record Cleanup
For local jurisdictions using SureAdhere, the start of the new year is a great opportunity to review both patient and staff accounts.
For patients who have completed or otherwise stopped treatment, simply uncheck the "Account is active" box on the patient's Profile tab. This will remove the patient from your Dashboard. |
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For staff who are no longer at your jurisdiction, please email tbservices@doh.wa.gov to request deactivation of their account.
RAINIER Suite Sprint Review (RSSR) Registration Links Updated
Attention WDRS users! If you were previously registered for the RAINIER Suite Spring Review (formerly known as the WUG or RSUG), the registration process has changed. Attendees must register for each session individually; registration links can be found on the WDRS User Community SharePoint. Registration links for all 2025 sessions are available.
RSSR is a meeting where developers present and discuss WDRS updates being implemented in the next build cycle. We recommend WDRS TB users attend when possible, especially epidemiologist staff or heavy WDRS users.
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Innovations in Tuberculosis (TB) Webinar Series
This Mayo Clinic Center for TB monthly webinar series offers healthcare professionals the latest insights in tuberculosis (TB).
March 24, 2025 | UCSF Center for Tuberculosis and Curry International Tuberculosis Center (CITC) World TB Day Symposium
This event is intended for all members of the tuberculosis community including healthcare professionals, researchers and advocates. Register here.
March 24, 2025 | World TB Day Webcast
Join TB experts from Heartland National TB Center, Texas Department of State Health Services, Baylor College of Medicine, IN-TRAC, and Texas Children’s Hospital as they discuss cutting edge topics in TB. Access brochure here. Register here.
Tuberculosis Civil Surgeon Webinar Series
This Mayo Clinic Center for TB webinar series provides civil surgeons with knowledge and skills in the management of tuberculosis screening, testing, and treatment for individuals who are seeking admission into the United States.
March 28, 2025 | SEATRAC Conversation with John Green about TB
Join University Book Store and Seattle Tuberculosis Research Advancement Center to discuss John Green's new book Everything Is Tuberculosis. Registration is required. Join waitlist here.
Washington's TB Project ECHO
On Tuesdays 12:30-1:30 pm PT, join our lunch-time virtual discussion about real TB cases with your peers. This free interactive event is guided by a panel of local TB experts. Click here for more information about this local project and our partners who make this ongoing event possible.
SEATRAC Seminar Series
SEATRAC hosts and promotes seminars, one Friday session per month from 12 - 1 PM, focused on TB basic and clinical sciences by local trainees', local and visiting faculty, and special guests.
2024 ECHO Colorado Newcomer Health Series
In partnership with ECHO Colorado, the Minnesota Center of Excellence hosts a monthly training on newcomer health on the last Tuesday of each month at 8:00 AM, PT. This series is designed to increase medical providers' knowledge of the resettlement and health issues of newcomers, including refugee, immigrant, and migrant (RIM) populations. More information here.
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Mayo Clinic Innovations in Tuberculosis (TB) Webinar Series
Access here.
CITC Archived Webinars
CME/CE units will not be offered for these trainings. Access here.
Rutgers TB Institute Webinar Archives
CE units are not available for these archives. Access here.
SNTC Archived Webinars
CME/CE units are not offered for these trainings. Access here.
SNTC Online Courses
CME units are offered for these trainings. Access here.
CDC: TB 101 for Health Care Workers
CE units expire on 11/6/2025 and are available at no cost. Access here.
TB ECHO Recorded Archives
Missed a TB ECHO® session? TB ECHO® has didactic presentations available for viewing on YouTube. Handouts related to the presentation are included where appropriate. Watch recorded TB ECHO®.
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Minnesota's Center of Excellence in Newcomer Health
- Access helpful tools, trainings, and updates for newcomers and refugee health here.
CDC
DOH Refugee Health Program
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Afghan Health Resources - Fact sheets, webinars, videos, and other health resources (scroll down for TB resources).
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Ukrainian Health Resources - Fact sheets, webinars, videos, and other health resources to support new arrivals from Ukraine (scroll down for TB resources).
Southeastern National TB Center
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