Tag: alabama

Mitigating the Spread of Respiratory Illnesses in Long-Term Care Facilities (January 21, 2025 at 12:00pm CT)

It’s respiratory season and in addition to hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, what else can we do to help protect our residents from respiratory illness?  This webinar will describe 10 strategies for mitigating the spread of respiratory illness.  Discussion will include information on air management and strategies for improving ventilation in long-term care facilities for helping to prevent the spread of respiratory pathogens.

Learning objectives:

  • Describe ten strategies for mitigating the spread of respiratory illnesses in the long-term care environment.
  • Discuss the impact of air and ventilation in the transmission of infectious pathogens.
  • Identify three mitigation strategies for improving ventilation in long-term care facilities.

This webinar is presented by the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control and co-sponsored by the Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety and the Alabama Statewide Area Health Education Centers (AHEC).

The Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators has reviewed and approved the seminar entitled “Mitigating the Spread of Respiratory Illnesses in Long Term Care Facilities” for 1 hour of continuing education credit for licensed nursing home administrators in the State of Alabama.

Nursing CEs pending.

A.C. Burke, MA, CIC

A.C. Burke has been working with RB Health Partners, Inc. since 2016 and has over 23 years of
experience working in public health and healthcare. A.C. worked for the Florida Department of
Health for 15 years; 5 of those years she served as the Healthcare-associated Infection
Prevention Program Manager. She later was the Director of Infection Prevention for Mayo
Clinic Florida. In her current role, she consults with long-term care facilities on infection
prevention and control policies, procedures, and practices, and provides training to nursing
homes and at conferences, including the 17-hour Nursing Home Infection Prevention Program
(NIPP) Nipping Infections in the Bud. NIPP was created to meet the CMS infection prevention
training required for a facility team member to be recognized as the designated Infection
Prevention Control Official (IPCO). A.C. is nationally recognized in her field and is the primary
author of this program. A.C. holds a master’s degree in health management and is nationally
Board Certified in Infection Control (CIC) by the Certification Board of Infection Control and
Epidemiology, Inc. She is currently the chair of Florida Health Care Association’s Infection
Prevention Council which was created to support Florida’s nursing homes in building and
sustaining infection prevention and antibiotic stewardship programs that meet national
standards. She works with clients to understand and implement national guidelines and best
practices and supports program implementation by creating and delivering education materials,
tools, and training.

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The Surge of Congenital Syphilis in Alabama: Exploring Reasons and Prevention Strategies (December 4, 2024 at 12:00pm CT)

Congenital Syphilis is preventable; However, Alabama continues to experience a record notable increase in congenital syphilis cases since 2018. Pregnant women with syphilis can transmit the infection to their unborn baby. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. Untreated syphilis during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, prematurity, low birth weight, hydrops fetalis, or infant death shortly after birth. Effective prevention of congenital syphilis depends on early detection of syphilis in pregnant women and adequate treatment at least 30 days before delivery.  

Learning objectives:

  • Identify the various missed opportunities for congenital syphilis prevention in Alabama. 
  • Establish prenatal syphilis testing and adequate treatment for syphilis in pregnant women and their partners as standard of care.  
  • Collaborate with the Alabama Department of Public Health to enforce CS prevention efforts. 

This webinar is presented by the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control and cosponsored by the Alabama Public Health Training Network at the Alabama Department of Public Health part of the Region IV Public Health Training Center, the Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety, and the Alabama Statewide Area Health Education Centers (AHEC).

The Deep South Center for OH&S is an approved provider of continuing education units for nurses by the AL Board of Nursing (Provider ABNP0420 Expiration Date 7/10/2025) and has awarded this program 1.2 ABN CEUs. All other professionals awarded .1 CEUs.

Dr. Agnes Oberkor, DrPH, MPH, MSN, CRNP-PC

Agnes Oberkor, DrPH, MPH, MSN, CRNP-PC, is the congenital syphilis coordinator, clinical consultant for sexually transmitted infections, and the lead trainer of the Alabama Department of Public Health Sexually Transmitted Disease Control and prevention. She is a board-certified registered nurse practitioner and a registered nurse. Dr. Oberkor’s primary interests are program improvement, training clinical staff in STD patient management, and writing clinic protocols. She is particularly interested in methods for understanding healthcare providers’ knowledge in STD prevention, especially syphilis in pregnant women and congenital syphilis. Dr. Oberkor holds a BSN from Auburn University, Montgomery, an MSN and MPH from the University of Alabama, Birmingham, and a Dr.PH in Health Advocacy and Leadership from Capella University, Minneapolis, MN. Her research was on quality improvement in public health programs. She coordinated the Expedited Partner Therapy policy and got approval for ADPH clinicians in 2014 and for all healthcare providers in 2024. Dr. Oberkor received the NCSD Public Health Policy Academy training in 2016. 

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