a:2:{i:0;a:1:{i:0;a:177:{i:0;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43850;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:44;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:1;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43850;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:83;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:15:" grace lee mph ";}i:2;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43850;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:85;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:18:" spotlight series ";}i:3;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43850;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:86;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:3034:" corha members and partners convened in atlanta ga for the annual hybrid corha fall meeting council members engaged in two days of meeting discussions that ranged from data modernization and sharing of hai ar data detection and response for respiratory viruses and robust breakout sessions from corhas three workgroups in addition council members were briefed on updates to the corha principles and practices for healthcare outbreak response chapters and other products such as a one pager to accompany the framework for healthcare associated infection outbreak notification document the council also analyzed the strategic map and considered key strategies for corha to achieve its mission vision and goals the primary strategies discussed were 1 review pertinent policies and guidance documents issued by corhas member organizations to ensure they meet the needs of the councils stakeholders and 2 raise awareness amongst policymakers and the public to support hai ar outbreak response in response to these areas of focus members discussed how corha will continue to engage with and identify member organization needs set priorities and explore ways to review and disseminate new guidance documents members also agreed that endorsement by corha is highly valued and opportunities for corha to provide such endorsements and aggregate multidisciplinary feedback will be explored addressing the second strategy members identified that corha can collaborate with state health departments for surveillance and data reports using storytelling and other methods to make data more widely accessible finally leveraging member organizations social media for increased corha visibility proactively preparing materials in advance of outbreaks and rethinking data sharing are other key strategies to further the goals of the council 2023 corha fall meeting attendees priority areas for corha members are efforts to enhance awareness of corhas goals and objectives among policymakers the public and both public health and healthcare professionals council members also strive to increase the utilization of genomic data in outbreak scenarios enhance public sharing of outbreak information and address gaps in respiratory illnesses multidrug resistant organisms and outbreaks of non reportable conditions future activities also involve updating existing guidance such as transforming influenza and covid 19 guidance into universal respiratory infection guidance as corha heads into 2024 the council will begin working on drafting a new strategic map for 2025 onwards fall meeting discussions will continue to be deepened and expanded upon through workgroup and governance committee activities workgroup and council wide discussions will frame the direction of corha and inform ongoing and future activities to provide the most up to date resources to build standardize and improve hai ar outbreak detection reporting investigation and control to stay informed on corha activities please continue reading the monthly corha correspondence newsletter ";}i:4;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43850;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:87;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:5;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43850;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:137;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:6;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43850;s:9:"attribute";s:4:"slug";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:34:" november 2023 fall meeting recap ";}i:7;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43850;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"title";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:34:" november 2023 fall meeting recap ";}i:8;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43857;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:44;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:9;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43857;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:83;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:21:" jaclyn abramson mph ";}i:10;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43857;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:85;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:18:" spotlight series ";}i:11;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43857;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:86;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:4096:" the evelyn and thomas mcknight family fund for patient safety and the cdc foundation created the mcknight healthcare outbreak heroes prize to encourage and reward those who protect patients from harm related to healthcare outbreaks were happy to introduce jennifer jones as the 2023 recipient of this prestigious award jennifer jones jennifer jones senior infection preventionist at helen devos childrens hospital part of corewell health in grand rapids michigan is the recipient of the 2023 mcknight prize for healthcare outbreak heroes award for her outstanding response to a methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus mrsa outbreak in a neonatal intensive care unit in the spring of 2022 the helen devos childrens hospitals infection prevention team led by jennifer senior infection preventionist was monitoring hospital acquired mrsa cases in their neonatal intensive care unit nicu the team identified an outbreak after observing a sudden uptick in mrsa bacteremia cases in a short period of time prompting an investigation the infection prevention team utilized their outbreak investigation policy referenced cdc apic resources and implemented mitigation strategies examples of these strategies included mandatory call to action sessions for all team members who enter the nicu weekly mrsa screening of all admitted nicu babies development of a decolonization protocol and installation of additional hand sanitizer dispensers jennifer exemplified outstanding leadership initiative and personal commitment as part of a successful effort to protect newborns throughout this outbreak response corha spoke with her about her lessons learned and keys to success jennifer recognized that during this outbreak good communication was essential for all stakeholders parents staff leadership the health department and cdc she organized weekly meetings to provide updates during the investigation that could be shared among their teams jennifer emphasized that navigating these conversations with partners during an hai ar outbreak response is always tough however when you provide data to support your rationale and response it makes the conversations easier a success jennifer shares is that her staff felt comfortable going to leadership and the infection prevention team with suggestions for example during their call to action sessions staff felt empowered to notify the infection prevention team that gloves in all sizes were not easily accessible to provide care jennifers team went onsite with facility and bedside team members to see where they could install a place to house small medium and large gloves for staff use this is just one example of open communication from over 40 suggestions that were provided to jennifers team sharing key messages with everyone who might enter the nicu space was a challenging and essential part of the outbreak response jennifers team rounded in the nicu frequently to conduct knowledge surveys and of course hand out candy this helped them evaluate whether their messaging was reaching the care team and provide real time observations and feedback the following is a key insight jennifer gained while leading the outbreak response get out there and observe what is truly happening and partner with the care team so it doesnt seem punitive walk alongside them in all phases of an outbreak scenario so it remains a partnership between the care team and infection prevention team we applaud jennifer for her leadership dedication and initiative to ensure a well coordinated and successful outbreak response to view resources to help your team on patient notification check out corhas patient notification page which includes our framework for healthcare associated infection outbreak notification there youll find advice for timely and transparent communication when faced with your next outbreak response click here to read more featured stories as part of the spotlight series that highlight the successes and challenges experienced on the local state and national levels when responding to and managing hai ar outbreaks across the healthcare continuum ";}i:12;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43857;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:87;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:13;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43857;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:137;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:14;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43857;s:9:"attribute";s:4:"slug";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:77:" jennifer jones 2023 mcknight prize for healthcare outbreak heroes recipient ";}i:15;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43857;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"title";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:77:" jennifer jones 2023 mcknight prize for healthcare outbreak heroes recipient ";}i:16;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43865;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:44;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:17;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43865;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:83;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:21:" jaclyn abramson mph ";}i:18;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43865;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:85;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:18:" spotlight series ";}i:19;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43865;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:86;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:3286:" the evelyn and thomas mcknight family fund for patient safety and the cdc foundation created the mcknight healthcare outbreak heroes prize to encourage and recognize those who serve and protect patients from harm related to healthcare outbreaks lisa hannah lisa hannah rn cic is the infection prevention team supervisor at the washington state department of health her infection prevention and control work during the ongoing covid 19 pandemic and her dedication to serving rural counties across washington state earned her the 2022 mcknight prize for healthcare outbreak heroes hannah is a nursing consultant advisor in the washington state department of healths office of communicable disease epidemiology in her role she led 300 covid 19 healthcare outbreak and infection prevention site visits across 70% of washington states counties many of them hard hit rural areas hannah built a robust and multi disciplinary hai ar team to offer support to healthcare facilities within 24 hours of notification of an outbreak the team developed and implemented a workplace resiliency training program to provide resources for staff to avoid burnout and support work life balance the team also converted the manual facility outreach and infection control assessment and response tracking process into redcap to collect real time data to optimize response times and project development efforts hannah also strengthened infection prevention and control by empowering healthcare facilities with training and educational resources she expanded the infection preventionists ips capacity to include dialysis clinics oncology clinics dental and ambulatory settings in addition to acute and long term care hannah overcame many obstacles throughout the pandemic including vague and shifting guidance scarce ppe and testing resources and the lack of electronic systems in place for tracking outreach and outbreak response observing the fear sadness anxiety and other emotions of the healthcare workers was something i had not experienced as an ip before this working with the staff and administration left me feeling that most often the facilities were doing the best they could with the resources available to them they were not prepared for this hannah credits her success to strong partnerships between local health departments lhds and healthcare facilities which were built on trust transparency and compassion this allowed for more customized approaches to ipc hannah organized the ips that were assigned to lhds and the healthcare facilities within that area with the goal of providing consistent support and proactive guidance hannah believes the future of hai ar response includes strategically evaluating the need for outbreak response and ipc activities with proactive education and outreach she also highlights the importance of emergency preparedness plans and drills and maintaining access to fit testing resources ppe and testing supplies in recognizing both the progress and challenges faced by the public health community in recent years hannah hopes that corhas outreach efforts can promote outbreak investigations in specialty settings amplify corha resources and increase ip confidence beyond covid click here to learn more about additional resources and products developed by corha ";}i:20;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43865;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:87;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:21;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43865;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:137;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:22;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43865;s:9:"attribute";s:4:"slug";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:74:" lisa hannah 2022 mcknight prize for healthcare outbreak heroes recipient ";}i:23;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43865;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"title";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:74:" lisa hannah 2022 mcknight prize for healthcare outbreak heroes recipient ";}i:24;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43871;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:44;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:25;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43871;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:83;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:15:" grace lee mph ";}i:26;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43871;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:85;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:18:" spotlight series ";}i:27;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43871;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:86;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:2963:" in early november 2022 after almost three years of virtual meetings council representatives and workgroup members convened in atlanta ga for the hybrid corha fall meeting this two day meeting consisted of robust discussions informative presentations and productive workgroup sessions aimed at improving healthcare associated infections and antimicrobial resistance hai ar outbreak response meeting attendees discussed corhas strategic map and reflected on their experiences leading the covid 19 pandemic response applying the successes and lessons learned from the response to corhas goal of improving current and future hai ar outbreak response corha fall 2022 meeting attendees the covid 19 pandemic significantly tested and strained our healthcare systems and public health professionals while illuminating the many challenges of responding to the outbreak meeting attendees noted that waterborne pathogens such as legionella fungal infections such as candida auris and other common respiratory viruses were pathogens of concern that can similarly test our healthcare outbreak response capacities corha has proven to be a vital resource for both healthcare and public health professionals as well as their leadership members and partners have utilized the newly updated reporting thresholds and outbreak definitions for covid 19 in healthcare settings document as well as the corha policy workgroups framework for healthcare associated infection outbreak notification document corha is growing into a trusted resource by providing and packaging timely hai ar outbreak response guidance and recommendations the fall meeting reinvigorated corhas member organizations to not only update and refine existing products to reflect evolving needs but also develop new resources and tools for future healthcare outbreaks meeting discussions highlighted many opportunities to expand the reach and increase visibility of the councils work first member organization representatives discussed improving bi directional communication and coordination between local state federal and private sectors to promote and share the councils work additionally attendees identified that corha would benefit from more strategic engagement with other organizations such as hospital associations and licensing or accrediting agencies finally members explored ideas such as developing one pagers for corha products establishing an ambassador program and using social media as strategies for boosting engagement discussions from the fall meeting will inform ongoing and future corha activities to provide the most up to date resources to build standardize and improve hai ar outbreak detection reporting investigation and control to stay informed on corha activities please consider sharing relevant resources to your professional networks and communication channels you are also encouraged to subscribe to the monthly corha correspondence newsletter and submit feedback on corha products ";}i:28;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43871;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:87;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:29;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43871;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:137;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:30;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43871;s:9:"attribute";s:4:"slug";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:34:" november 2022 fall meeting recap ";}i:31;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43871;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"title";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:34:" november 2022 fall meeting recap ";}i:32;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43878;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:44;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:33;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43878;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:83;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:21:" jaclyn abramson mph ";}i:34;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43878;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:85;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:18:" spotlight series ";}i:35;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43878;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:86;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:2246:" chapters 1 5 the field of healthcare epidemiology has expanded tremendously and now encompasses an extensive network of stakeholders working collaboratively across healthcare settings government agencies and partner organizations to decrease healthcare associated infections hais and antimicrobial resistance ar the corha principles and practices for healthcare outbreak response is a comprehensive reference that covers key concepts and topics related to hai ar outbreak detection reporting investigation and control in its final form the principles and practices will consist of 8 chapters and 2 supplemental documents corha is excited to announce that the first 5 chapters are now available chapter 1 overview introduces some basic concepts and terms such as hai ar outbreak and response and provides an outline and guide to subsequent chapters chapter 2 fundamental concepts focuses on the background and basis for surveillance of healthcare associated infections hais and antimicrobial resistant ar pathogens as well as associated outbreak response activities chapter 3 planning and preparation discusses strategies that public health agencies and other partners can use to create a strong foundation for healthcare outbreak response topics include communications legal authorities escalation recovery and follow up as well as potential implementation of incident command systems chapter 4 outbreak detection and reporting examines the detection and reporting of potential outbreaks including detection via reports and through use of surveillance data definitions of sentinel cases clusters and outbreaks are described chapter 5 investigation and control reviews the goals of a healthcare outbreak investigation and includes collections of resources to support and improve the hai ar outbreak response the chapter is arranged to follow the steps typically involved in a healthcare outbreak investigation with the publication of its principles and practices for healthcare outbreak corha aims to equip public health healthcare and other stakeholders with a useful resource to build on and improve their healthcare outbreak response capacities and practices click here to learn more about additional resources and products developed by corha ";}i:36;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43878;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:87;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:37;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43878;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:137;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:38;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43878;s:9:"attribute";s:4:"slug";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:97:" introducing corhas principles and practices for healthcare outbreak response and its importance ";}i:39;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43878;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"title";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:97:" introducing corhas principles and practices for healthcare outbreak response and its importance ";}i:40;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43882;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:44;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:41;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43882;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:83;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:15:" grace lee mph ";}i:42;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43882;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:85;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:18:" spotlight series ";}i:43;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43882;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:86;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:2889:" on june 21 corha governance committee members drs erin epson and dawn terashita convened 150 people for a virtual roundtable discussion at the annual cste conference where they provided an overview of corhas mission and goals the current progress of the principles and practices for outbreak response pp and other ongoing council work they highlighted corhas pp and pathogen specific products and described how these tools can prepare public health and healthcare practitioners for hai ar outbreak responses as well as assisting in onboarding new infection prevention and control staff implementing hai ar epidemiology competency trainings establishing hai ar outbreak definitions and providing guidance for case reporting attendees and facilitators engaged in a robust conversation on their engagement with the councils current products and provided suggestions for future work for corha to consider to further improve hai ar outbreak investigation and response many of the roundtable attendees discussed how they have turned to corha for recommendations and guidance especially during the ongoing covid 19 pandemic the facilitators solicited feedback from attendees regarding the use of infection control assessment and response icar tools and the responses were mixed some attendees said they used cdcs icar tools while others used corhas templates and some developed their own workflows within their state and local agencies for infection prevention and control efforts such as conducting pre site visit calls using a motivational interview approach an underlying theme that united all these icar approaches was the need for collaboration between public health agencies and healthcare facilities especially when the sectors may have competing needs and priorities while defining roles responsibilities and regulatory requirements is important public health and healthcare should aim to begin building and leveraging their relationships before an outbreak occurs this ultimately creates the most collaborative space for public health agencies and healthcare facilities to work together to respond to outbreaks drs epson and terashita closed the session by discussing products that will be considered for development such as one pagers for the chapters of the pp standardized online tools for icars guidance for non licensed facilities updated pathogen specific thresholds and definitions and a database where healthcare facilities can track and report hai ar outbreaks to stay informed on new and updated corha products please consider subscribing to the monthly corha correspondence newsletter corha will continue to work on providing the most up to date evidence based resources for healthcare and public health professionals who aim to build standardize and improve hai ar outbreak detection reporting investigation and control corha members also welcome feedback on corha products ";}i:44;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43882;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:87;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:45;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43882;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:137;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:46;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43882;s:9:"attribute";s:4:"slug";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:55:" corha governance committee cste roundtable discussion ";}i:47;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43882;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"title";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:55:" corha governance committee cste roundtable discussion ";}i:48;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43886;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:44;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:49;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43886;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:83;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:68:" maureen tierney md msc fidsa moon kim md mph dawn terashita md mph ";}i:50;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43886;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:85;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:18:" spotlight series ";}i:51;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43886;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:86;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:2454:" part two corhas new hai outbreak notification framework in part one of this blog we discussed the case for making outbreak notifications now we will talk about a new corha resource to assist with notifications the corha policy workgroup has been discussing both legal and policy considerations related to outbreaks of healthcare associated infections hais including those caused by antimicrobial resistant ar pathogens our workgroup aims to generate products that can assist policy makers at all levels with improving the detection reporting investigation control and prevention of hai ar outbreaks corhas framework for healthcare associated infection outbreak notification is a prime example the framework was created because standards for hai outbreak patient notification and public disclosure were lacking we recognize that communicating information about outbreaks to patients families and healthcare workers is critical so patients can make informed decisions about their health and take appropriate recommended steps or actions it is also very important for controlling and preventing further disease transmission our patient notification framework is based on public health best practices and grounded in bioethical principles of autonomy and beneficence it was developed as a resource to help navigate the growing expectations and charged conversations around outbreaks and patient notification the notification framework is designed to guide healthcare facility clinicians and policy makers with a standard set of actions that they may need to consider when an outbreak is identified at their facility healthcare partners should work with their local or state health departments to identify who to notify and how to notify as the framework details specific examples and considerations through the different steps of notification during an outbreak the framework addresses three different levels of notification immediate notification expanded notification and public notification and details steps and actions to consider depending on the circumstances of the outbreak notifications like outbreaks vary in size scale and complexity we anticipate corhas new framework will be a valuable tool to assist our healthcare facility and public health partners with navigating these multifaceted and demanding situations please click here to learn more about additional resources and products developed by corha maureen tierney moon kim dawn terashita ";}i:52;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43886;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:87;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:53;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43886;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:137;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:54;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43886;s:9:"attribute";s:4:"slug";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:94:" the importance of patient notification and corhas hai outbreak notification framework part 2 ";}i:55;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43886;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"title";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:94:" the importance of patient notification and corhas hai outbreak notification framework part 2 ";}i:56;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43903;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:44;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:57;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43903;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:83;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:68:" maureen tierney md msc fidsa moon kim md mph dawn terashita md mph ";}i:58;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43903;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:85;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:18:" spotlight series ";}i:59;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43903;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:86;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:2751:" part one truth and transparency patient notification is at the forefront now more than ever due to the covid 19 pandemic the corha policy workgroup has been working to develop an hai outbreak notification framework to help assist health departments and facilities with the process of notifying patients and providers during outbreaks in this post we will be discussing the importance of notification and the benefits to everyone involved check back soon for part two where we will discuss the hai outbreak notification framework in more detail notifying patients about outbreaks enables them to make informed decisions about their health and take actions to protect themselves transparency promotes confidence and increased trust between patients and providers making clear and transparent communication key patients want and need to be informed of potential impacts on their health and wellbeing and we have personally heard from facilities that patients and their families generally appreciate transparency about outbreaks patients appreciate providers discussing risks the impact on their care information on how to protect themselves and what the facility is doing to prevent new infections although the circumstances surrounding outbreaks vary communication needs to be truthful clear and timely ideally notification should be done as soon as an outbreak has been identified so changes or enhancements in infection control practices can be adhered to by patients visitors and healthcare providers outbreak control measures can impact patients visitors and healthcare personnel and often include actions like case finding immediate implementation of strict hand hygiene enhanced environmental cleaning personal protective equipment use or patient isolation its also important that as additional information becomes available it is communicated to the affected groups outbreaks are complex so acknowledging what is known and what is still unknown can also help educate individuals regarding risks and actions to prevent further transmission communicating timely accurate information can address inaccuracies and help stop further transmission on the other hand with poor communication people could take inappropriate or unnecessary actions like not seeking care or delaying necessary care or feel they had been misled if information regarding their care is withheld another common dilemma occurs when a large number of people may need to be notified about a longstanding error in sterilizing instruments but the likelihood of individual patient exposure is uncertain and the risk of infection could be very low these are just a few of the tough communication challenges faced regarding patient notification maureen tierney moon kim dawn terashita ";}i:60;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43903;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:87;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:61;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43903;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:137;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:62;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43903;s:9:"attribute";s:4:"slug";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:94:" the importance of patient notification and corhas hai outbreak notification framework part 1 ";}i:63;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43903;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"title";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:94:" the importance of patient notification and corhas hai outbreak notification framework part 1 ";}i:64;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43911;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:44;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:65;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43911;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:83;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:22:" kelly wroblewski mph ";}i:66;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43911;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:85;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:18:" spotlight series ";}i:67;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43911;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:86;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:4191:" public health laboratories are foundational to our nations public health infrastructure while the covid 19 pandemic response presented many significant challenges for public health laboratories it has also provided opportunities to strengthen partnerships and implement new technologies that will enhance the ability to detect and respond to healthcare associated infections hais moving forward kelly wroblewski from the earliest days of the covid 19 response public health laboratories faced scarcity of laboratory reagents and supplies staff shortages inability to meet high testing demands and outdated test ordering and reporting systems although several of those challenges remain public health laboratories have adapted to the pandemic response by installing high throughput testing platforms implementing electronic test order and result systems enhancing their capability and capacity to perform genomic surveillance and establishing training programs for point of care testing public health laboratories genomic sequencing capacity is one of the most striking examples of technologic advancements made during the pandemic while the recent covid 19 omicron variant wave exacerbated ongoing issues with testing it also highlighted the significant developments made in genomic sequencing capacity and the ability of health departments to effectively utilize point of care tests performed in a wide variety of healthcare settings both of which were not common practices early in the pandemic since march 2020 the number of public health laboratories that are performing genomic sequencing for sars cov 2 to monitor the emergence and spread of variants and identify transmission networks has increased from five to 71 partnerships with hai ar programs healthcare facilities and other entities have also been vital in preventing the spread of covid 19 in healthcare settings during the early stages of the pandemic it quickly became apparent that residents of congregate settings would be at the highest risk of contracting covid 19 and would be especially vulnerable to severe illness and death given this public health laboratories worked with partners to rapidly develop interventions to respond to these populations unique needs some of the most significant partnerships between public health laboratories and hai ar programs during the pandemic occurred through interventions aimed at limiting transmission and preventing outbreaks in long term care facilities ltcfs to support implementation of a cms testing directive encouraging serial screening of residents and health care personnel hcp to facilitate rapid case identification public health laboratories worked with hai ar programs and ltcfs to develop testing training programs extend clia licenses support acquisition of clia certificates of waiver and establish mechanisms for reporting notably a collaboration between minnesotas hai ar program and public health laboratories demonstrated the importance of serial screening in ltcfs to limit the spread of covid 19 and the utility of genomic sequencing to determine the source of transmission in addition the michigan department of health developed a covid 19 webpage specific to ltcfs with training materials and videos that public health laboratories helped develop to ensure that testing is conducted properly gains made during the covid 19 pandemic response can be leveraged to improve detection reporting response and investigation of future hai ar outbreaks for example public health laboratories advancements in performing genomic sequencing are already being applied to support sars cov 2 testing as well as other hais and ar pathogens including carbapenem resistant enterobacterales and candida auris hai ar programs and public health laboratories partnerships that were strengthened during the pandemic will continue to be valuable for sustainable and innovative approaches to prevent and control hai ar outbreaks similarly public health laboratories experiences are helping inform development of resources such as corhas product offerings and will continue to equip health departments and healthcare facilities with the tools to improve hai ar outbreak responses ";}i:68;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43911;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:87;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:69;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43911;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:137;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:70;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43911;s:9:"attribute";s:4:"slug";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:144:" leadership pandemic response public health laboratories rise to the challenges with kelly wroblewski association of public health laboratories ";}i:71;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43911;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"title";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:144:" leadership pandemic response public health laboratories rise to the challenges with kelly wroblewski association of public health laboratories ";}i:72;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43916;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:44;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:73;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43916;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:83;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:46:" dawn terashita md mph facpm zachary rubin md ";}i:74;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43916;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:85;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:18:" spotlight series ";}i:75;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43916;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:86;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:3923:" covid 19 has impacted healthcare associated infections and antimicrobial resistant hai ar threats across all healthcare settings los angeles county saw an increase in hais such as central line bloodstream infections clabsi as a result of many facilities changing their clabsi prevention efforts to accommodate the challenges of caring for covid 19 patients additionally los angeles county saw an increase of multidrug resistant organisms mdros such as candida auris due to personal protective equipment ppe practices being altered early in the pandemic due to severe shortages despite the difficulties brought on by covid 19 awareness of infection prevention efforts has improved over the last two years especially in nursing homes the covid 19 pandemic has had both negative and positive impacts on infection prevention in healthcare the negative impacts such as ppe shortages staffing shortages facility crowding frequent moving of patients throughout the facilities due to covid related cohorting and lack of focus on identifying and containing mdros contributed to increased mdro spread the positive impacts include new legislative actions increased funding and building stronger relationships and partnerships to support infection prevention efforts across the healthcare community california introduced a new state law requiring all nursing homes to employ a full time infection preventionist ip funding opportunities from the centers for disease control and prevention cdc at the local and state level have helped to improve infection control and has provided some much needed resources for nursing homes and other long term care facilities increased funding stakeholder engagement and requirements for infection preventionists have helped shaped the backbone for an unprecedented future educational program centered on infection prevention within nursing homes there are many insights that we have gained while leading the healthcare outreach unit at the los angeles county department of public health that can help improve hai ar response we believe that stakeholder engagement is a key to success for health departments programs rolled out by public health departments should be developed in conjunction with stakeholders and should address the concerns that these stakeholders bring to the table as an example to support nursing homes we have hired two geriatricians and nurses with experience working in this setting who understand many of the concerns and constraints present in these facilities and already have relationships in the field we have learned that you should not underestimate the importance of giving each nursing home a specific public health nurse to work with and build rapport we have also strengthened our ties with the leadership in individual nursing homes and with the nursing homes operators which helps to improve stakeholder buy in and input we plan to use the engagement and trust that we have developed over the last two years to elevate infection prevention across all nursing homes through standardized template policies and training instead of allowing each facility to develop their ip program unilaterally which is what many facilities have done in the past with mixed success overall we believe the future of hai ar response success is dependent on the ability to adapt and remain flexible while refocusing activities beyond covid 19 the council for outbreak response healthcare associated infections and antimicrobial resistant pathogen corha plays a vital role in improving practices and policies at the local state and national levels regarding hai ar outbreaks across the healthcare continuum we hope that through sharing our experience we can help promote corhas mission to improve practices and policies for the detection investigation control and prevention of hai ar outbreaks with other local health departments and healthcare facilities dawn terashita zachary rubin ";}i:76;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43916;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:87;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:77;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43916;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:137;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:78;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43916;s:9:"attribute";s:4:"slug";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:145:" leadership dawn terashita zachary rubin los angeles county department of public health on the future of hai ar response in the face of covid 19 ";}i:79;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43916;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"title";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:145:" leadership dawn terashita zachary rubin los angeles county department of public health on the future of hai ar response in the face of covid 19 ";}i:80;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43923;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:44;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:81;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43923;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:83;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:21:" joseph perz drph ma ";}i:82;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43923;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:85;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:18:" spotlight series ";}i:83;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43923;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:86;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:4567:" the biden harris administration and cdc recently announced a $2 1 billion investment as part of the american rescue plan arp to improve infection prevention and control activities across the u s public health and healthcare sectors health departments received $885 million of this total in late october 2021 to support this work corha interviewed dr joe perz our lead representative from cdc and a governance committee member to learn more about the funding what is the new funding weve been hearing about the initial funding is divided between two projects that are managed under a cdc cooperative agreement with health departments one of these is the nursing home long term care facility strike team and infrastructure project which totals $500 million the other is the strengthening hai ar program sharp capacity project which totals $385 million how is healthcare outbreak response reflected in the new funding healthcare outbreak response is clearly recognized as a core function and essential need in both new funding opportunities which cover the response continuum beginning with outbreak detection and extending to on site investigation as well as longer term follow up activities to prevent a recurrence can you unpack that a bit in relation to the nursing home long term care project sure the ltc project guidance includes a directive to support nursing homes and other types of long term care facilities with covid 19 outbreak response thats the primary motivation and the funding can be used to support the rapid reactive activities like testing cohorting infection control auditing and even supplemental staffing when sars cov 2 has entered a facility and transmission is ramping up the allowable activities also support more proactive measures like helping equip facilities with technology for infection tracking and reporting or communication with health department partners in addition we are supportive of creative approaches for staff recruitment development and retention the overall aim here is to build infection prevention infrastructure and achieve a greater quality of care in other words greater resilience to sars cov 2 and outbreaks more generally susceptibility to the rapid spread of infections is something that nursing homes really must guard against given the congregate and residential nature of long term care and what about the sharp project same spirit spread farther the sharp funds are intended to enhance health department hai ar healthcare associated infections antimicrobial resistance program activities across all healthcare settings not limited to long term care the sharp project guidance reflects the central challenge that corha was originally founded on which was the need to build capacity for public health and healthcare to improve outbreak detection response and prevention this requires close collaboration and relationship building between public health professionals and healthcare providers which has been growing steadily but could really blossom now with these arp supported investments outbreak detection should improve thanks to sharp activities related to both the ar lab network and national healthcare safety network nhsn these will enhance surveillance for drug resistant pathogens and hais providing data for action likewise outbreak investigation should benefit from additional staffing and increased engagement with healthcare partners sharp encourages health departments to build hai ar prevention and response capacity throughout their jurisdictions such as expanded use of local and regional approaches to address hai ar threats and controlling the spread of resistant pathogens the guidance describes requirements for funded hai ar programs to establish a lead position to coordinate and oversee hai response activities and to train staff in outbreak response advice for corha and its member organizations yes lets lean into this opportunity corha is identified as a key source for healthcare outbreak training resources it would be great to see increased activities in that realm including collaboration with corhas member organizations to improve and expand our collective offerings both of the new projects emphasize direct engagement with individual facilities the sharp project references activities such as medical product investigations targeted ar threats molecular testing methods patient notification and many other aspects of healthcare outbreak response these all represent opportunities for corhas workgroups and member organizations to take our work to the next level joseph perz ";}i:84;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43923;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:87;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:85;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43923;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:137;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:86;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43923;s:9:"attribute";s:4:"slug";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:74:" leadership new cdc funding recognizes healthcare outbreak response needs ";}i:87;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43923;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"title";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:74:" leadership new cdc funding recognizes healthcare outbreak response needs ";}i:88;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43930;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:44;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:89;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43930;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:83;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:31:" linda greene rn mps cic fapic ";}i:90;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43930;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:85;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:18:" spotlight series ";}i:91;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43930;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:86;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:3410:" as a front line infection preventionist and director of infection prevention in a healthcare organization preventing healthcare associated infections and addressing antimicrobial resistance are both high priorities of mine prior to the covid 19 pandemic my work with outbreaks included surgical site infections and an outbreak of healthcare associated influenza the influenza outbreak investigation and response were remarkably successful and stemmed from our ability to identify an initial source of the outbreak and implement several recommended infection prevention measures response actions included closing the unit to new admissions carefully screening staff and administering pre and post exposure prophylaxis however in my experience the greatest outbreak and infection prevention and control challenges i have witnessed were related to covid 19 the greatest outbreak and infection prevention and control challenges i have witnessed were related to covid 19 our hospitals covid 19 clusters were associated with myriad issues including staff to staff transmission patient to staff transmission and staff to patient transmission in addition patient and visitor non compliance with masking risk from aerosol generating procedures patients who initially test negative and incubate on admission as well as contamination during donning and doffing personal protective equipment were the main difficulties we navigated another challenge was the shortage of private rooms and medical supply delays especially at the height of the pandemic which exacerbated our containment efforts these matters have highlighted areas and opportunities for improvement in practices testing and hardwiring processes looking to the future of outbreak investigation we need access at the local level to important tools such as whole genome sequencing once these and other tools become more readily available we will be able to identify attribute and mitigate outbreaks in a more comprehensive and timely manner i have gained many insights from my involvement in corha most notably i have a greater appreciation for and recognition of the link between hospital infection prevention and public health this is an important and essential relationship as i have acquired invaluable knowledge from both my public health colleagues in my state and in cohra recently i worked with corha to develop the corha cste proposed investigation reporting thresholds and outbreak definitions for covid 19 in healthcare settings and more broadly to review corhas principles and practices for outbreak response as a former apic president my perceptions and experiences have granted me the ability to contribute to corha in a distinctive way apics competencies for infection preventionists are critical during the covid 19 pandemic in particular the leadership competencies communication collaboration critical thinking behavioral science program management and mentorship my hope for the future of corha is to expand its strategy and awareness to other emerging pathogens and continue development of principles and practices for addressing product and device associated infections as well as important healthcare associated infection outbreaks the diverse organizations who contribute to cohra represent an abundance of knowledge and expertise and embody the essential link between patient safety infection prevention and public health linda greene ";}i:92;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43930;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:87;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:93;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43930;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:137;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:94;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43930;s:9:"attribute";s:4:"slug";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:116:" leadership linda greene director of hospital infection prevention at the university of rochester highland hospital ";}i:95;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43930;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"title";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:116:" leadership linda greene director of hospital infection prevention at the university of rochester highland hospital ";}i:96;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43941;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:44;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:97;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43941;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:83;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:19:" kelley garner mph ";}i:98;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43941;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:85;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:18:" spotlight series ";}i:99;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43941;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:86;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:5731:" mentorship is an important part of the public health profession and the hai ar outbreak response field not only does it guide direct and shape your present situation and future opportunities for the better but it also improves the ways in which we respond to hai ar outbreaks i have had numerous experiences with being both a mentor and mentee in my career i started as an intern at the arkansas department of health where i faced many challenges as the sole coordinator in the hai program i was fortunate to have mentors in various roles from diverse professional backgrounds and with a broad scope of expertise surrounding myself with mentors early in my career helped me improve and master both my technical and leadership skills and helped me to overcome those challenges i experienced as an intern and continues to shape a lot of my current work dont be afraid of mentorship at every level of your career constantly surround yourself with experts in the field a key mentor in my career was dr nate smith the former state health official from arkansas whose interest and involvement in our hai ar program activities was instrumental in establishing and guiding the direction of our hai program from day one dr smith invested his time in boosting my confidence such as when he ensured i felt comfortable presenting data in front of arkansass hai ar advisory committee early on in my career he encouraged me to be creative to meet the public health needs for hai ar as well as taught me to think big finally dr smith appreciated my input and asked questions which allowed me to develop control measures and descriptive work to tackle an outbreak of a new species of mycobacterium within the state i was later hired and promoted to a supervisor and now the chief of epidemiology on hai ar at the arkansas department of health throughout my career my mentors have been safe spaces and part of my support system to help me excel in my roles hai ar outbreak response can be complex and sometimes we encounter unique situations that may benefit from additional guidance or perspectives from others in the field during these times mentors are pivotal for either providing you with the information and guidance necessary or working with you through the challenge to reach a solution for example i recall an outbreak linked to contaminated saline bottles in a rural part of arkansas which required a process of documentation and analyses with limited available written guidance my mentors helped me manage that outbreak and supported me through that experience while ive continued to surround myself with experts in the field who continue to serve as my mentors ive also taken on roles as a mentor to others i currently mentor college students and scholars in public health and i have formed mentor relationships with hai coordinators in neighboring states like missouri and oklahoma where i support them in their ipc and hai outbreak response work such a role has been particularly valuable because of the cross collaboration and relationship building this has contributed to our hai ar outbreak response activities for example weve invited states to participate in infection control assessment and responses which has allowed us to get an outside perspective on arkansass outbreak response and for other states to learn from our processes additionally weve assisted states with analyzing complex data which further expanded our states resources across the spectrum of hai ar finally working with other states has created a sense of community within the infectious disease field and has mutually instilled confidence in us as state health leaders of hai ar im proud of the many success stories that have emerged from my mentorships throughout my past and current mentorship experiences ive gained insight into what makes a mentorship successful good mentors have similar shared experiences and starting points as their mentees exercise transparency in sharing both successes and failures set realistic expectations and create a safe space for mentees to try new things within boundaries help their mentees learn through experience can boost confidence foster and instill critical leadership skills such as communication decision making responding to the press conducting patient notifications and other outbreak response skills emphasize the broader impact of hai ar response serve as inspiration for their mentee to succeed mentorship is a two way street and its important for both the mentor and mentee to reach a consensus on the goals for the relationship as the roles change over time while traditional and formal mentorship opportunities through fellowships and peer to peer convenings such as cste or astho can create a strong foundation to learn and build relationships there are equally impactful mentorship experiences that can occur informally and organically with people in various roles and with diverse experiences skills and expertise groups like the corha can also support mentorship in the hai ar outbreak community as they develop tools and resources that bridge public health and healthcare outbreak response mentorship in the hai ar outbreak field is critical and to those that are early in their career a mentor can help you identify your priorities and manage your expectations find a mentor with the right personality and someone who understands where you are coming from also look for mentors who are transparent and honest and give you the space to think creatively i believe mentorships are critical at all levels and just as important for those who have progressed in their career dont be afraid to embrace mentorship experiences at all levels and to continuously surround yourself with experts kelly garner ";}i:100;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43941;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:87;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:101;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43941;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:137;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:102;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43941;s:9:"attribute";s:4:"slug";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:115:" leadership kelley garner arkansas department of health on the value of mentorship in the hai ar outbreak response ";}i:103;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43941;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"title";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:115:" leadership kelley garner arkansas department of health on the value of mentorship in the hai ar outbreak response ";}i:104;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43948;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:44;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:105;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43948;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:83;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:22:" david gifford md mph ";}i:106;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43948;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:85;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:18:" spotlight series ";}i:107;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43948;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:86;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:2838:" my work over the past 20 years has focused on how to improve the healthcare system to ultimately improve healthcare outcomes in pursuit of this life goal i have worked with numerous agencies in furthering healthcare quality improvement efforts i helped create the quality department at the american health care association which assists providers in their quality improvement i also directed the centers for medicare and medicaid cms quality improvement organization nursing home based quality improvement efforts when i served as chief medical officer for quality partners of rhode island now i work on initiatives with the national trade association representing long term care providers during my 6 years as director of the rhode island state department of health i led the states response on several disease outbreaks such as the h1n1 influenza outbreaks throughout the past couple of decades i have gained insight into improving hai ar outbreak response from both the public health and healthcare perspectives adequate investigation surveillance and clear guidance are necessary in developing and implementing evidence based actions to prevent the spread of infections in healthcare settings this was exemplified during the covid 19 pandemic where inconsistent guidance led to challenges in responding to these outbreaks the covid 19 pandemic underscores the need for standardized approaches frameworks and guidance that are clear and implementable as well as the importance of corha and the work that its members and partners are doing to develop these tools one outcome of the pandemic response is how it has bolstered both the provider and public health communities collaborative efforts against the common threat of hai ar outbreaks in my new role on corha i aim to help support the council in developing and promoting guidance and resources that can be widely adopted to help improve hai ar outbreak investigation in a more consistent timely and efficient manner i look forward to integrating the provider community into public healths hai ar outbreak response and protocols and strengthening sustainable relationships between the provider and public health communities finally i hope that corha will help advance and highlight the important role of rapid whole genome sequencing more widely as part of hai ar outbreak investigations i believe that civic service is one of the most rewarding challenging and underappreciated jobs our colleagues in public health and healthcare are some of the most passionate and mission driven individuals i have had the pleasure of working with thank you all for the work you have done so far in improving hai ar outbreak response standards i look forward to all of you continuing to achieve the councils mission of protecting patients and preventing harm from hai ar outbreaks david gifford ";}i:108;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43948;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:87;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:109;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43948;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:137;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:110;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43948;s:9:"attribute";s:4:"slug";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:58:" leadership leadership perspectives from dr david gifford ";}i:111;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43948;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"title";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:47:" leadership perspectives from dr david gifford ";}i:112;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43962;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:44;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:113;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43962;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:83;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:45:" enyinnaya merengwa md drph mha mph thi dang ";}i:114;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43962;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:85;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:18:" spotlight series ";}i:115;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43962;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:86;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:4367:" the covid 19 pandemic presented challenges in how our healthcare associated infections and antimicrobial resistant pathogens hai ar program provides support to long term care facilities ltcf experiencing outbreaks as the pandemic unfolded we quickly realized the need to increase our infection prevention capacity we sought out support from leadership and partners to modify our staffing structures in order to provide continued quality and focused support to our healthcare facilities the texas department of state health services dshs is divided into 8 public health regions with 64 local health departments that operate at the county or city level texas has approximately 4 000 licensed nursing facilities assisted living facilities and group homes including 1 200 centers for medicare medicaid services cms certified nursing homes across 254 counties traditionally one hai epidemiologist is assigned to each public health region to lead and support hai outbreak response activities including providing direct assistance and on site infection control assessments to healthcare facilities the texas department of state health services dshs is divided into 8 public health regions with 64 local health departments that operate at the county or city level texas has approximately 4 000 licensed nursing facilities assisted living facilities and group homes including 1 200 centers for medicare medicaid services cms certified nursing homes across 254 counties traditionally one hai epidemiologist is assigned to each public health region to lead and support hai outbreak response activities including providing direct assistance and on site infection control assessments to healthcare facilities this structure worked for our team until the onset of the covid 19 pandemic when it became evident that one hai epidemiologist per public health region was insufficient to support the surge in covid 19 cases so we explored the options of increasing infection prevention staff at our public health regions to build capacity for our covid 19 response we received approval and support to build staffing capacity from dshs leadership and they provided us with the resources to contract with 3 infection preventionists per public health region for a total of 24 additional infection preventionists throughout the state the real challenge however was finding certified infection preventionists to recruit at that time healthcare facilities and local health departments were also in the process of recruiting infection preventionists so we were competing for contractors in a limited pool we decided to partner with the association for professionals in infection control and epidemiology apic who aided with the recruitment process out of the 24 infection preventionists we sought to recruit we were able to contract with 17 these additional infection preventionists were instrumental in building our capacity during the response they performed on site infection control assessments and provided dedicated support to meet the needs of facilities from the first quarter of 2021 we started seeing a decrease in the number of requests for assistance from our regulatory partners and healthcare facilities and as a result we reduced the number of apic contractors it was important for us to still maintain a reasonable number of staff to assist with the continued pandemic so we currently have at least one contracted infection preventionist in each public health region to assist the assigned hai epidemiologist with outbreak response activities coordinating with the texas health and human services commission hhsc our regulatory branch and utilizing established communication pathways facilitated the coordination of our response activities we held daily meetings with hhsc dshs and the division of emergency managements state operations center soc where all communication plans and guidance were developed for dissemination to facilities by hhsc thanks to the support of dshs leadership and partners as well as the dedication of our team we worked together in a coordinated fashion to build capacity and respond to covid 19 outbreaks in healthcare facilities enyinnaya merengwa healthcare safety investigations group manager and state hai coordinator at the texas department of state health services thi dang hai epidemiologist at the texas department of state health services ";}i:116;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43962;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:87;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:117;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43962;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:137;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:118;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43962;s:9:"attribute";s:4:"slug";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:178:" state how the texas state healthcare associated infections hai program increased capacity in public health regions to support healthcare facilities during the covid 19 response ";}i:119;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43962;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"title";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:178:" state how the texas state healthcare associated infections hai program increased capacity in public health regions to support healthcare facilities during the covid 19 response ";}i:120;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43968;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:44;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:121;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43968;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:83;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:22:" erika baldry mph cic ";}i:122;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43968;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:85;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:18:" spotlight series ";}i:123;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43968;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:86;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:5804:" montana the fourth largest state geographically in the u s spans more than 147 000 square miles slightly larger than japan and is home to about 1 million people montana has a decentralized public health system so a lot of the authority and responsibility for implementing rules and regulations and every aspect of pandemic response actually land with the counties many of which have limited staff in order to provide public health support to city and rural areas we partnered with our states local health departments survey agency quality innovation network quality improvement organization qin qio hospital and public health preparedness teams and laboratory partners to identify and provide support to ltcf experiencing covid 19 outbreaks we worked closely with these partners prior to the pandemic so these existing relationships led to a coordinated approach during the covid 19 response our team coordinates outbreak response efforts with local public health departments healthcare facilities and the state survey agency at the beginning of the pandemic i communicated with facilities at least daily to get updates on their covid 19 outbreaks and to provide guidance and technical assistance including offering covid 19 focused infection control assessments icar to all healthcare facilities in montana i now check in with ltcfs alfs and local public health at least weekly to monitor active outbreaks our local health departments really stepped up during the pandemic given montanas decentralized governance structure our local health department staff take on multiple roles and usually do not have a dedicated communicable disease staff person so their collaboration with us and their engagement with the facilities was a huge benefit to the response the montana hai program hosted weekly webinars for all montana apic chapter members as well as infection preventionists from other states this webinar series which was established prior to the pandemic provided a platform to communicate updates share resources and provide trainings to infection preventionists it also helped strengthen our relationship with infection preventionists which led to timely and frequent communication about outbreaks in facilities additionally in november of 2020 our hai program partnered with a local acute care hospital and the agency for healthcare research and quality to provide a 16 week ltcf training course primarily focused on covid 19 we also leveraged our good relationship with qin qios and our hospital association to use their communications channels to send important messages and updates to facilities state wide as a rural state we faced unique challenges when it came to reaching every facility testing for example was a huge logistical challenge since some facilities are not located near a hospital and our laboratory courier system could not reach every facility we were fortunate to have our governors support and some time to plan and respond so we worked with our state public health laboratory and other laboratory partners to figure out ways to offer baseline testing and implement surveillance testing prior to national ltcf testing recommendations took effect we also worked closely with the hospital preparedness and public health preparedness programs hpp using data from the national healthcare safety network nhsn to address ppe and other supply shortages in ltcfs each week the hpp coordinator submitted the state ltcf integrated red report which we used to reach out to facilities reporting ppe and staffing shortages during this outreach we reminded facilities of the staffing and ppe resources available through the state and communicated information on how to obtain these resources one of the biggest contributing factors to the success of our response was the additional funding from cdc which led to the growth of our hai program we were able to expand our hai program team to four infection preventionists who now consult with facilities perform infection control assessments and provide direct support and assistance to facilities the additional funding has also allowed us to expand the services we offer to facilities as a rural state we have more critical access hospitals so our infection prevention activities have focused on providing one on one support to these facilities which typically have limited staff who are stretched across multiple roles during the pandemic we were able to expand these services to ltcfs and assisted living facilities and have hopes to expand to other types of congregate living settings including outpatient health clinics dialysis centers schools and jails our experience during this pandemic has highlighted the importance of infection control we have learned that infection control is a responsibility and duty of everyone in the facility and this facility wide approach to infection prevention can contribute to a successful outcome we also recognize the importance of inter and intra facility communication as well as communicating information to residents and family members to prevent the spread of infections and outbreaks we were met with challenges every day but because of our hard working and dedicated infection preventionists we were able to overcome a lot of them it has also been inspiring to work with our amazing healthcare workers and public health staff during the response we have a lot of work in front us but i remain excited because this experience has been the catalyst for us to enhance our infection prevention activities expand our reach and support and provide guidance and education on infection prevention standards erika baldry healthcare associated infections and antimicrobial resistance hai ar epidemiologist and program coordinator at the montana department of public health and human services dphhs ";}i:124;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43968;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:87;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:125;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43968;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:137;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:126;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43968;s:9:"attribute";s:4:"slug";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:96:" state montana leverages partnerships to manage covid 19 outbreaks in long term care facilities ";}i:127;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:43968;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"title";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:96:" state montana leverages partnerships to manage covid 19 outbreaks in long term care facilities ";}i:128;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:45383;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:44;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:129;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:45383;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:83;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:59:" moon kim md mph dawn terashita md mph jaclyn abramson mph ";}i:130;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:45383;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:85;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:18:" spotlight series ";}i:131;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:45383;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:86;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:2843:" sharing data between health departments and other healthcare organizations makes conducting public health activities like investigations identifying and addressing issues and evaluating intervention efforts easier and more effective however data sharing between state local and private health entities is not without challenges data sharing and reporting outbreaks of healthcare associated infections hais is one of the most pressing issues the success of this type of outbreak response hinges on access to accurate timely data while technology limitations represent some challenges like data system access for public health professionals and system interoperability other challenges are administrative like dedicating resources for up to date data systems and informatics and having access to staff with informatics expertise any solutions must also carefully balance public awareness and patient confidentiality even if challenges in accessing and using available electronic health information are overcome gaps in collecting or reporting data between health departments and local healthcare organizations may still exist for instance demographic data that could identify populations disproportionately impacted by hai outbreaks and individual cases of antimicrobial resistance ar are not collected consistently posing a challenge to understanding health inequities manually sharing reports between healthcare organizations and public health can further strain thinly stretched healthcare staff the best time to work through technical issues and reporting inconsistencies is prior to an outbreak incident it is integral to effective outbreak response efforts some ways to work through challenges include establishing data dictionaries checking data system interoperability mandating reporting parameters and standardizing data corhas policy workgroup aims to advocate for and establish more transparency related to data collection and reporting we recognize that accomplishing this goal requires additional guidance resources and buy in from leadership across public health and healthcare given the variations from state to state in public health data sharing rules national level mandates and public health law advocacy may also be necessary to address this challenge the corha policy workgroup continues to develop resources on public data sharing and reporting of hai ar outbreaks with the goal of balancing public data sharing and the protection of patient confidentiality the following corha resources can be used to inform policies and legal frameworks for outbreak reporting investigation notification and disclosure framework for hai outbreak notification framework for hai outbreak notification one pager principles practices chapter 4 outbreak detection and reporting principles practices chapter 8 notification and communication ";}i:132;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:45383;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:87;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:133;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:45383;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:137;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:134;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:45383;s:9:"attribute";s:4:"slug";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:96:" importance of data sharing and reporting a conversation with corhas policy workgroup co chairs ";}i:135;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:45383;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"title";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:96:" importance of data sharing and reporting a conversation with corhas policy workgroup co chairs ";}i:136;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:45391;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:44;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:137;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:45391;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:83;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:20:" james lewis md mph ";}i:138;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:45391;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:85;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:18:" spotlight series ";}i:139;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:45391;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:86;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:2422:" in the previous spotlight we learned about the importance of data sharing to support outbreak response and some of the challenges public health and healthcare professionals face here i will highlight snohomish county health departments schd lessons learned and strategies for successfully gaining access to electronic health records ehrs of healthcare system partners within our jurisdiction and how it streamlines our case reporting outbreak detection and response and case investigations schd based in washington state developed close relationships with healthcare organizations hcos during the pandemic which were elemental in gaining access to our jurisdictions hcos ehrs the pandemic also emphasized the benefits of public health having direct ehr access direct access helps streamline a process that can be confusing and burdensome for hco staff previously this type of information exchange could involve multiple rounds of faxes or phone calls when we reach out to pursue a new ehr access agreement my colleagues and i have conversations with the hcos executive c suite leaders to identify their concerns we underscore our willingness to support the data sharing agreement process and its flexibility regarding potential hco requirements such as limiting public health account access to requesting specific types of patient information or records this establishes a basis to build trust from which growth can occur with the long term goal of gaining full read only access to all hco partner ehrs as is allowable under hipaa and public health law with these foundational relationships lhds can expand data sharing opportunities to improve community health another strategy schd has leveraged was to first target the hcos with the lowest barriers to ehr access for both public health and healthcare providers from different systems once we had multiple hcos that granted access it was easier to persuade other organizations that were more hesitant we also worked internally to identify the hcos for which ehr access would be most beneficial to our disease and outbreak investigation work snohomish county also recommends a proactive approach in which ehr access is obtained prior to outbreaks and relevant accounts are ready to go were hopeful that our experience implementing these strategies serves as a learning opportunity for other jurisdictions to establish data sharing agreements with their hcos james lewis ";}i:140;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:45391;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:87;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:141;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:45391;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:137;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:142;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:45391;s:9:"attribute";s:4:"slug";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:77:" local health departments use of data sharing modeled by snohomish county wa ";}i:143;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:45391;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"title";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:77:" local health departments use of data sharing modeled by snohomish county wa ";}i:144;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:45444;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:44;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:145;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:45444;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:83;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:28:" natasha bagdasarian md mph ";}i:146;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:45444;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:85;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:18:" spotlight series ";}i:147;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:45444;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:86;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:1791:" for almost 20 years my career has focused on hospital epidemiology infection prevention and control ipc and antimicrobial stewardship programs asp so i am excited about joining this group of like minded folks my blended international and state level perspectives have helped me identify opportunities in ipc guidance and to ponder ways health care and public health could work together now more than ever it is crucial to strengthen the relationships between public health and healthcare communication and relationship building are critical corha is well positioned to assist this effort for example the council brings public health and healthcare partners together to engage in dialogue about some of the most pressing issues facing us today such as strengthening public health infrastructure increasing trust in messaging and communication building and deepening relationships with community members and prioritizing health equity we are in a moment when outbreak and pandemic preparedness is experiencing greater visibility and this is our opportunity to ask for the things public health needs flexible funding robust data infrastructure and workforce support this is also a good time to communicate about what public health does and why this work is so important in my new leadership role with corha representing the association of state and territorial health officials i will work on these initiatives and further the councils mission vision and goals of protecting patients from outbreaks i feel passionate about addressing the issues of health care associated infections and antimicrobial resistance and improving outbreak preparedness at all levels national state community i look forward to meeting and working with others who share these interests with corha natasha bagdasarian ";}i:148;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:45444;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:87;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:149;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:45444;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:137;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:150;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:45444;s:9:"attribute";s:4:"slug";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:35:" leadership dr natasha bagdasarian ";}i:151;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:45444;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"title";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:35:" leadership dr natasha bagdasarian ";}i:152;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:51138;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:44;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:153;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:51138;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:83;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:71:" meghan baker md scd and susan huang md mph julia moody ms sm ascp cic ";}i:154;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:51138;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:85;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:18:" spotlight series ";}i:155;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:51138;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:86;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:3833:" an innovative automated tool that enhances outbreak detection in hospitals for hundreds of pathogens has successfully served as an early warning system to identify and respond to potential outbreaks the cluster trial evaluated this tool in 82 hospitals in a study which spanned several years including the start of the covid 19 pandemic before the distractions of the covid 19 pandemic the tool reduced the size of outbreaks by 64% contagious bacteria and other pathogens pose a significant threat in hospitals increasing the risk of harmful infections among patients while healthcare facilities strive to prevent infections and minimize outbreak opportunities there is no standardized approach for detecting transmission early detection is critical for rapid responses that can mitigate outbreaks effectively a practical and standardized approach outbreaks in hospitals are often overlooked or identified too late resulting in preventable infections this study introduced a free statistical software program that uses a hospitals clinical laboratory data and patient locations to detect early transmission and halt potential outbreaks this outbreak detection tool was able to provide real time alerts to hospital infection prevention programs along with a standardized protocol for effective response the cluster tool monitors over 100 bacterial and fungal species automatically reviewing organisms identified in patients cultures a statistical assessment determines whether there is an unusual increase compared to historical data when such increases are detected the system triggers automatic notifications prompting hospital personnel to activate response protocols to prevent additional cases read more about the study published in nejm evidence scalable collaboration this ongoing collaboration continues to leverage the scale of hca healthcare both the number of our hospitals and our advanced data ecosystem as we work to rapidly answer clinical questions that benefit patients everywhere said kenneth sands md mph chief epidemiologist at hca healthcare we are using this detection tool in the hospitals where we tested it and are evaluating implementation more widely across our system accessible tools and protocols the underlying software whonet and satscan are available for free to all hospital systems but requires integration into their respective electronic health record ehr systems or other clinical workflow platforms these tools have already been successful in detecting outbreaks at facilities beyond the study hospitals including brigham and womens hospital and the university of california irvine health system additionally an outbreak response protocol is available online this protocol can be adapted by any hospital to provide a standardized framework for responding to clusters of healthcare associated pathogens by combining cutting edge automation with a standardized approach the cluster trial demonstrates how healthcare systems can transform outbreak detection and prevention ultimately improving patient safety on a large scale explore the valuable resources available on corhas cluster detection resource page the study was funded by cdc and conducted through a longstanding scientific consortium including hca healthcare harvard pilgrim health care institutes department of population medicine the university of california irvine and the cdcs prevention epicenters program it is part of a growing body of work by the partners to improve patient care and reduce risk of healthcare associated infections support for hca healthcares participation in the study was provided in kind by hca the views expressed in this publication represent those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of hca healthcare or any of its affiliated entities meghan baker susan huang julia moody ";}i:156;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:51138;s:9:"attribute";s:4:"slug";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:133:" automated rapid outbreak detection analyzing clinical laboratory data to provide real time alerts a strategy from the cluster trial ";}i:157;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:51138;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"title";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:133:" automated rapid outbreak detection analyzing clinical laboratory data to provide real time alerts a strategy from the cluster trial ";}i:158;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:51356;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:44;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:159;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:51356;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:83;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:57:" moon kim md mph dawn terashita md mph grace lee mph cph ";}i:160;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:51356;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:85;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:18:" spotlight series ";}i:161;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:51356;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:86;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:5974:" certain high consequence pathogens such as ebola h5n1 mpox measles and even rabies are infrequently seen in healthcare settings but still challenge the resilience of our healthcare and public health systems the term high impact pathogens hips may be a fitting designation due to their implications for healthcare preparedness and response the corha policy workgroup led a discussion on this topic at the 2025 cste annual conference in grand rapids michigan the discussion highlighted major gaps in hip preparedness and response and informed how corha can address challenges guide efforts and lead progress against these threats this summary captures these key themes inconsistencies and unfamiliarity can shape hip responses inconsistencies in responding to hips affect both public health and healthcare some healthcare facilities may not have experience with hips for example one session participant shared an example of measles exposures in a healthcare setting they described a lack of clarity around who was responsible for monitoring patients visitors and healthcare workers this example also highlighted that roles and responsibilities across state healthcare associated infections and antimicrobial resistance hai ar programs hospital occupational health programs and other entities are often blurred inconsistencies in collaboration across local and state levels of public health further compound these challenges as some local jurisdictions automatically involve hai ar programs in hip responses while others leave them out entirely potentially missing opportunities for training capacity building and the engagement of public health staff with relevant expertise while there still may be ongoing confusion corha and partners like cste are well positioned to help improve coordination to better prevent and address outbreaks in healthcare settings building trust and reducing fear of penalties issues with trust between healthcare facilities and public health agencies also present a critical gap fear of regulatory penalties or legal consequences can make facilities hesitant to share information or admit mistakes during and after an outbreak public health is often perceived as intertwined with licensing and enforcement bodies fueling anxiety during hip investigations it is essential to create an environment where facilities feel safe reporting issues raising questions and requesting consultative support without fear of punishment as one participant noted during the cste session people are afraid of being dinged by public health clarifying the role of public health and establishing strong relationships with clear open communication channels between public health and healthcare can help mitigate this fear advocating for standardized processes for effective responses to clearly define the role of hai ar programs in hip responses we must address several remaining gaps advocating for processes for both public health departments and healthcare facilities can help ensure that relevant teams and resources are not overlooked during these events some areas where clearer guidance can be provided include involvement of preparedness teams regional treatment centers and preparedness teams both within healthcare facilities and public health departments can be key partners to hai ar programs additional resources to support effective coordination and collaboration among these teams can help strengthen response efforts integration of information developing and integrating standardized templates and plans processes that incorporate hip and other infectious disease information can ensure hai staff are looped in immediately during a response occupational health coordination for healthcare worker exposures to hips the role of public health vs occupation health at the facility needs to be further clarified occupational health departments in facilities may be contracted outside the hospital and public health will need to work with these companies which may not be reachable on weekends and holidays for urgent response to exposures a clear approach can improve hip responses some jurisdictions have found success in pairing health departments with hospital risk management teams to navigate these urgent hip responses given some of the gaps discussed there may be a promising path forward for corha to support improved collaboration on hips in the future next steps for corha in hip response so how does corha move forward a few ways corha can help address these challenges and fill the gaps in hip response are educate on the need for clear guidance articulating the hai ar programs role in hip responses promote collaboration across public health programs such as between preparedness teams and hai ar programs and facility driven occupational health teams through education on how public health systems work roles within public health departments and communication processes between healthcare and public health encourage development of standardized processes to ensure effective consistent and verifiable responses to hips highlight successful models like health departments working with risk management teams that can be replicated in other jurisdictions foster trust and open communication between public health agencies and healthcare facilities through routine meetings correspondence and strong leadership through corhas partner organization networks ultimately bridging these gaps will enable public health and healthcare partners to respond to hip threats more efficiently effectively and with greater confidence as corha evolves following recent strategic planning it is poised to convene and connect stakeholders leverage the expertise of its partners organization members and ultimately drive this work forward to promote change what do you think let us know what opportunities you see for corha to improve how public health and healthcare collaborates to prevent detect and respond to outbreaks of hips and email us at info corha org ";}i:162;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:51356;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:87;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:0:"";}i:163;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:51356;s:9:"attribute";s:4:"slug";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:54:" bridging gaps in responding to high impact pathogens ";}i:164;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:51356;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"title";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:54:" bridging gaps in responding to high impact pathogens ";}i:165;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:51580;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:44;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:112:" a 2025 mcknight prize recognition of a career that helped shape partnerships prevention and national readiness ";}i:166;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:51580;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:83;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:26:" dr joseph f perz drph ma ";}i:167;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:51580;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:85;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:18:" spotlight series ";}i:168;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:51580;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:86;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:4188:" the evelyn and thomas mcknight family fund for patient safety and the cdc foundation created the mcknight healthcare outbreak heroes prize to encourage and reward those who protect patients from harm related to healthcare outbreaks were pleased to recognize joe perz as the 2025 recipient of this prestigious award joe retired from the centers for disease control and prevention cdc in 2025 he says receiving the mcknight prize for healthcare outbreak heroes in recognition of his contributions to injection safety was truly the honor of a lifetime we asked joe to reflect on how his early experiences shaped his career and helped inform ongoing efforts to strengthen patient safety today joes reflections and advice many of the outbreaks that inspired my passion for patient safety occurred in outpatient and long term care settings often perceived as lower risk than hospitals patients receiving joint injections colonoscopy sedation chemotherapy infusions or routine fingersticks trusted that these common procedures were safe yet investigations revealed that lapses in basic infection control including the reuse of needles syringes or single use medications could spread life threatening infections to dozens or even hundreds of patients encountering these outbreaks early in my cdc career was both sobering and motivating i worked closely with epidemiologists eis officers laboratory experts and healthcare partners to identify sources stop transmission and document lessons learned like many in public health and clinical fields i identify as a problem solver before entering public health i trained and worked as an engineer these outbreaks shook me was healthcare safety really a roll of the dice engineers design systems for reliability and apply safety margins to account for human error it was deeply unsettling to recognize how much healthcare relied on assumptions and trust as the work went on it became clear that strong partnerships are critical to preventing and responding to healthcare outbreaks publicizing the risks associated with unsafe injections with help from advocates like the mcknights led to the formation of the safe injection practices coalition that coalition brought together healthcare public health and industry partners to educate advocate and innovate to promote safer care practices this collaborative model ultimately helped inspire the council for outbreak response healthcare associated infections and antimicrobial resistance corha which has strengthened coordination visibility and support for healthcare outbreak response nationwide through corha experts across disciplines share knowledge build partnerships and improve readiness to address emerging threats efforts like these have helped shape a stronger foundation for outbreak response looking back i am encouraged by the progress the field has made awareness of injection safety has increased provider training has expanded and partnerships between healthcare and public health have grown more coordinated and effective today outbreaks are more rapidly detected and addressed supported by networks and technologies that did not exist when i began this work at the same time new challenges continue to emerge requiring sustained vigilance and a commitment to learning from every event the progress achieved so far demonstrates what is possible when professionals across sectors work together toward the shared goal of patient safety reflecting decades of learning and collaboration across public health and healthcare communities my advice for the next generation of investigators is simple this work requires patience and perseverance take satisfaction in building relationships improving efficiencies and steadily advancing the field by applying epidemiology to uncover patterns hidden risks and root causes you will help grow response driven prevention making healthcare safer for all this recognition reflects the dedication of countless colleagues mentors and partners who have contributed to this effort over the years protecting patients has always been and will remain a collective responsibility to identify and learn from mistakes one outbreak at a time if thats what it takes ";}i:169;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:51580;s:9:"attribute";s:4:"slug";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:92:" honoring joe perz advancing injection safety and transforming healthcare outbreak response ";}i:170;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:51580;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"title";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:92:" honoring joe perz advancing injection safety and transforming healthcare outbreak response ";}i:171;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:52243;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:44;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:100:" addressing gaps improving safety and supporting infection prevention in ambulatory surgery centers ";}i:172;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:52243;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:83;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:59:" simone godwin dvm mph ms cic jaclyn abramson mph pmp ches ";}i:173;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:52243;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:85;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:18:" spotlight series ";}i:174;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:52243;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"field";s:7:"fieldId";i:86;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:6639:" recent outbreaks of nontuberculous mycobacteria ntm infections in ambulatory surgery centers ascs have highlighted critical gaps in infection prevention and control ipc across outpatient settings from january 2023 through november 2024 an outbreak of mycobacterium fortuitum prosthetic joint infections affected 17 patients who underwent hip or knee procedures at two ascs in tennessee prompting a comprehensive public health investigation the investigation identified multiple systemic gaps including the absence of a formal water management program limited infection prevention staffing and training and inadequate surveillance and reporting systems in this corha spotlight dr godwin shares key insights from the outbreak investigation offering practical lessons for public health professionals facility leaders and infection preventionists to strengthen ipc programs and prevent similar events in outpatient settings lessons learned from the outbreak one lesson we learned is simply what we didnt and still dont know about the outpatient setting like the volume types of procedures and barriers they face the other big takeaway was that when healthcare workers are implicated in outbreaks it is critical to focus on the gaps in the system at an organizational level that allow ipc lapses to occur rather than scrutinizing an individual worker this approach to shared accountability and a commitment to creating safer systems is often referred to as just culture just culture is usually referenced in the context of medical errors but can be applied during an outbreak investigation and response process as well especially if individual behaviors may contribute to transmission a just culture approach aims to not just contain one outbreak but also prevent future outbreaks through fostering an organization wide culture of safety reporting fairness the outbreak also underscored challenges in detection and reporting although ntm is reportable in tennessee instead of the states health department being notified of the first case the cluster was not reported until multiple cases occurred because interpretation of what constitutes a cluster can be up to facilities in some cases facilities may struggle with defining the cluster leading to underreporting this led tennessee to create more detailed reporting guidance for providers to ensure that all clusters are reported and all settings are aware of the guidance applies to them additionally concerns about litigation and licensing consequences can discourage early reporting despite evidence that transparent communication builds patient trust another gap is the lack of setting specific reporting for ascs unlike acute care hospitals ascs often lack required reporting of surgical site infections ssis limiting real time outbreak detection while systems like nhsn provide standardized definitions and trend monitoring data lag and limited outpatient participation reduce their utility for rapid response how corha guidance can help corhas ntm recommended practices for healthcare outbreak response guidance provides a critical framework for outbreak investigations including reminders to request acid fast cultures for non resolving infections and to review facility practices policies and infrastructure however many asc infection preventionists need awareness of other corha foundational tools to know how to track infections conduct laboratory lookbacks and create line lists before organism specific guidance can be fully leveraged connecting outpatient ipc staff with corha apic and public health resources is essential to ensure they are not out to sea without support regarding the guidance to investigate even a single case of ntm an initial assessment of the likelihood of healthcare association is important as is reaching out to public health early to help monitor for additional cases from that facility and others in the area there are limits to what you can interpret from just one case however it can be difficult to differentiate what could be a product of individual risk factors and a healthcare associated infection key infection control lapses and systemic challenges one of the most significant challenges in outpatient settings is the lack of dedicated ipc staff unlike hospitals or long term care facilities where teams of infection preventionists support surveillance and prevention outpatient centers often rely on nurse managers who juggle multiple responsibilities without specialized ipc training this creates vulnerabilities in oversight and implementation of infection control practices water management programs also emerged as a critical but commonly neglected area these programs require coordination across facilities management and administration along with specialized expertise resources that many outpatient facilities may lack without robust oversight water systems can become reservoirs for pathogens like ntm outpatient settings often involve complex ownership structures with corporations physician groups and building owners sharing responsibilities this can obscure accountability for critical functions like water management hvac maintenance and environmental services facilities should define roles and duties in written infection control programs and ensure ipc professionals are included in major operational decisions regular auditing of ipc practices using standardized tools is another key step audits should be conducted consistently by trained personnel to identify gaps before they lead to patient harm facilities should prioritize interrupting transmission pathways even when the source cannot be fully remediated key messages for leaders and practitioners strong ipc programs including water management surveillance and auditing are fundamental to preventing healthcare associated infections regardless of the organism transparency is equally important provider notification during outbreaks can accelerate detection guide testing and treatment and surface barriers to patient safety raising awareness of uncommon outbreak threats to improve awareness of ntm and other uncommon pathogens we need to continue to publish public health findings and share protocols and tools storytelling and human impact narratives can also elevate awareness and drive action professional organizations and public health networks are well positioned to engage the public and media providing context while respecting patient privacy by strengthening ipc infrastructure fostering transparency and leveraging corhas resources outpatient facilities can close critical gaps and better protect patients from emerging and uncommon infectious threats ";}i:175;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:52243;s:9:"attribute";s:4:"slug";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:88:" strengthening infection prevention in outpatient settings lessons from an ntm outbreak ";}i:176;a:5:{s:9:"elementId";i:52243;s:9:"attribute";s:5:"title";s:7:"fieldId";i:0;s:6:"siteId";i:1;s:8:"keywords";s:88:" strengthening infection prevention 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