Tag: infection

Yes: Having a Robust Hand Hygiene Program is Still Important (March 12, 2024, 12:00pm CT)

Hand hygiene has been the cornerstone of a strong infection prevention program for years. However, creating a robust hand hygiene program is not as simple as it sounds. This presentation will explain why every healthcare facility needs a hand hygiene program and identify the key elements that are needed. We will review what should be included in the audit, who should perform the audits, how to educate the auditors and what you can do with the results of the audits. We will explore some auditing tools and resources available. Finally, we will discuss some innovative ways to engage staff in the hand hygiene program. This webinar is presented by the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control and is cosponsored by 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 12/22/2025) and has awarded this program 1.2 ABN CEUs. All other professionals awarded .1 CEUs, SW awarded 1.0 CEUs

Mary M. Duncan

Senior Director of Infection Prevention· University of Alabama-Birmingham Health System.

Mary Duncan is an experienced, certified Infection Preventionist who has spent the last 18 years implementing best practices at various facilities to prevent infections in patients. She is currently the Senior Director of Infection Prevention at the University of Alabama-Birmingham Health System. This is an 1100+ bed Level 1 trauma center in the city of Birmingham, AL.  Through her passion and innovative approaches, she strives to decrease infections by working with front-line staff to make sure they are educated on best practices and have access to the tools they need to do the right thing. Mary is skilled in the ability to listen and identify issues or problem areas and form innovative solutions that increase the safety for both patients and staff.


Evaluation

Understanding Multidrug-Resistant Organisms (February 7, 2024, 12pm CST)

In this webinar, Kate Draper, Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists Applied Epidemiology Fellow with the Infectious Diseases & Outbreaks Division at the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH), will provide an overview of Multidrug-Resistant Organism (MDROs), their impact, causes, and potential solutions. Also, She will discuss MDROs and causal factors for rapid spread, describe surveillance, colonization screenings, and laboratory testing methods, review infection prevention and control strategies and highlight state, national, and international initiatives to combat MDROs. This webinar is presented by the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control and cosponsored by the Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety, the Alabama Public Health Training Network at the Alabama Department of Public Health, 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 12/22/2025) and has awarded this program 1.2 ABN CEUs. All other professionals awarded .1 CEUs, SW awarded 1.0 CEUs.

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Kate Draper

Kate Draper is currently a Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists Applied Epidemiology Fellow with the Infectious Diseases & Outbreaks Division at the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH). She received a Bachelors of Science in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology in 2019 and a Masters in Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology in 2022 from the University of Nevada at Reno. In her current position, she assists with outbreak activities related to foodborne diseases and healthcare acquired infections (HAI) as well as pursues projects related to health equity in HAI and shadows other ADPH departments for a holistic understanding of public health.

EVALUATION

What Parents Need To Know About The COVID Vaccine For Children Under 5

For many months, parents have been told COVID vaccines for their children under 5 were on the way. But shifting timelines, delays and misinformation have left many parents frustrated and confused. In addition, as COVID restrictions are relaxed, many parents of young children are desperate to know when they can expect a vaccine to be authorized for their young children. To bring some clarity to this conversation, we have invited Dr. Candice Dye, an Associate Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Academic General Pediatrician at Children’s of Alabama, to join us to talk about the latest updates on the COVID vaccine approval for children under 5.

Thank you to our co-sponsor for this podcast, the Alabama Public Health Training Network at the Alabama Department of Public Health a community-based training partner of the Region IV Public Health Training Center.

Using QATs, Hydrogen Peroxide and Phenol as Disinfectants Safely in Schools and Healthcare

Proper disinfectant usage is of paramount importance in the fight against COVID-19 and other viruses. Join Dr. Ziad Kazzi from Emory University as he shares with the ARC IPC his expertise on three common disinfectants: Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (QATs), Hydrogen Peroxide and Phenol. Dr. Kazzi will explain how and why to learn more about and properly, safely use these chemicals to disinfect against COVID-19 and other viruses.

Omicron’s Impact

This past week the U.S. reported a record single-day number of daily Covid cases, with more than 1 million new infections, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, as the highly infectious omicron variant continues to spread throughout the country and beyond. The The Omicron variant continues to shatter records in the U.S. We’re learning more about the new variant, and, so far, it seems to spread faster but cause less severe illness than previous variants. There is a lot of speculation about the Omicron surge and its aftermath. To help us answer these questions, and for a look at how 2022 might unfold, we invited Dr. Suzanne Judd to join us for this podcast. Dr. Judd is the Director of the Lister Hill Center for Health Policy and a Professor in the School of Public Health at UAB.

Thank you to our co-sponsor for this podcast, the Alabama Public Health Training Network at the Alabama Department of Public Health a community-based training partner of the Region IV Public Health Training Center.

Omicron, Booster Shots – Staying Healthy in 2022

This past week the U.S. reported a record single-day number of daily Covid cases, with more than 1 million new infections, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, as the highly infectious omicron variant continues to spread throughout the country and beyond. The U.S. also has the highest seven-day average of daily new cases in any country tracked by Johns Hopkins. Even though Omicron has only been around a short period time, it has quickly made its mark. We have invited Dr. Rachael Lee, Associate Professor in the UAB Division of Infectious Diseases and UAB Health Epidemiologist, to talk about all things related to the Omicron variant.

Thank you to our co-sponsor for this podcast, the Alabama Public Health Training Network at the Alabama Department of Public Health a community-based training partner of the Region IV Public Health Training Center.

The Safe Use of Bleach as a Disinfectant in Schools and Healthcare Settings

In this podcast Dr. Ziad Kazzi of Emory University discusses the use of bleach as a disinfectant, potential health hazards of bleach, and how to use bleach safely in schools and healthcare settings.

List N: Disinfectants for Coronavirus (COVID-19) – (EPA) https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus/about…

FDA (Safely Using Hand Sanitizers) – https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consume…

CDC (Disinfection and Sterilization) – https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/…

American Academy of Pediatrics (Healthy Children) – Cleaners, Sanitizers, and Disinfectants – https://www.healthychildren.org/Engli…

Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSU) Safer Disinfectant Use – https://www.pehsu.net/Safer_Disinfect…

American College of Medical Toxicology Safe Disinfectant Use- https://www.acmt.net/Safer-Disinfecta…

Using Disinfectants Safely in Schools and Healthcare Settings

In this podcast Dr. Ziad Kazzi of Emory University introduces listeners to the basics of cleaning including disinfection and sterilization as well as the proper and safe use of disinfectants to prevent infectious disease transmission.

List N: Disinfectants for Coronavirus (COVID-19) – (EPA) https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus/about…

Establishing an Effective Infection Prevention and Control Program: The Starting Point

There are many components of an effective infection prevention and control program. The IPC risk assessment is the starting point for creating an IPC program. A risk assessment is used to identify important infection control issues in your organization and determine goals to include in your infection prevention and control plan. Per The Joint Commission, an annual infection prevention and control (IPC) risk assessment is required to define programmatic goals and objectives and to provide a framework for identifying gaps in services, safety or data as well as tracking progress in meeting specific goals. Today, we are joined by Janet Chance, Director of Infection Prevention, Accreditation, Quality at Cullman Regional Medical Center, and Meredith Lutz, Chief Quality Officer, Medical West Hospital Authority, to discuss risk assessment and planning for infection prevention and control specialists.