Wisconsin Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) in Long-Term Care Coalition

PDF Version of DQA 12-016  (PDF, 110 KB)

Wisconsin Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) in Long-Term Care Coalition

The purpose of this memo is to announce the formation of the Wisconsin Healthcare-Associated Infections in Long-Term Care Coalition, a collaborative effort to reduce and eliminate healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) among long term care residents. The Coalition brings long term care providers, professional organizations, University of Wisconsin and Department of Health Services staff together to provide healthcare personnel in long-term care facilities education and training on the prevention and treatment of HAIs.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines healthcare-associated infections as infections that residents acquire during the course of receiving healthcare treatment for other conditions.

Background Information: In 2009, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published the National Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections: Roadmap to Elimination recognizing that HAIs are both a public health and patient safety issue. The plan establishes a three phase approach to reduce and eliminate HAIs targeting specific provider types over a five year period.

Acknowledging that long-term care (LTC) facilities are in phase three of the National Plan and coordinated national and state efforts would not be implemented until 2013 or later, the Division of Quality Assurance began discussions in 2011 with the CDC and the Wisconsin Division of Public Health to launch an HAI in LTC initiative in Wisconsin. In March 2012, the Wisconsin HAI in LTC Coalition was formed. The Coalition currently includes representatives from the following organizations:

• Gundersen Lutheran Health System
• Ingleside Manor
• Iola Living Assistance
• LindenGrove Inc.
• Long Term Care Nurse Administrator Group
• Medical College of WI
• MetaStar (Wisconsin’s Quality Improvement Organization)
• Ministry Health - Sacred Heart-St Mary’s Hospital
• Pleasant View Nursing Home
• ProHealth Care
• St. Anne’s Salvatorian Campus
• ThedaCare
• Transitional Care Unit
• UW Madison – Medical School & School of Public Health
• William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital
• Wisconsin Association for Professionals in Infection Control & Epidemiology
• Wisconsin Association of Medical Directors
• Wisconsin Director of Nursing Council
• Wisconsin Division of Public Health
• Wisconsin Division of Quality Assurance

The Wisconsin HAI in LTC Steering Committee is finalizing the development of an online prevention practices assessment survey based on the CDC LTC Baseline Prevention Practices Assessment Tool. All LTC facilities in Wisconsin, with input from the facility’s infection preventionist, will be asked to complete the anonymous online survey as a way to evaluate the status of infection prevention and control efforts in Wisconsin. The Coalition will use the results from the survey to determine next steps for the Coalition. While completion of the survey is voluntary, we encourage all facilities to complete the assessment survey. The aggregate results of the survey will be shared with the CDC as well as Wisconsin’s LTC community.

Please direct questions regarding this memo to Vicky Griffin, Nursing Consultant at (414) 227-4705 or via email at Victoria.Griffin@wi.gov.

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Last Updated: October 04, 2012