Spring 2025 IPC Collaboration Series

Ring in the New Year with APIC's Spring 2025 IPC Collaboration Series focusing on Construction and Renovation! This series provides an opportunity for participants to hear from  IPs and various department leaders about best practices and results which can be accomplished when leveraging strong inter-departmental relationships. 

See webinars in this series below. Please note, you will be registering for all webinars in this series.

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A Collaborative Approach to Effective Environmental Infection Control During Construction in Healthcare 

CE: 1/IPU: 1 

Monday, January 13, 2025 @ 1 pm ET 

Chris Olson, MBA, M(ASCP)CM, CIC, LTC-CIP, CPHQ and ART GOGUEN, MEPM 

The presentation focuses on the collaboration of science, performance, and facilitation as critical relationships to achieve successful infection prevention and control  

Learning Objectives: 

1. How does the hospital ensure that the contractors that are brought in have the requisite training prior to project commencement?  

2. The science behind healthcare construction containment design and critical check points to observe during containment monitoring.  

3. Some of the Best Practices that are critical to the delivery of exceptional environmental infection control measures during construction in healthcare facilities. 

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IP and Healthcare Construction: Built for Safety 

CE:1/IPU:1 

Monday, February 10, 2025 @ 1 pm ET 

Kristen VanderElzen, MPH, CIC and Rusty Hudson, Assoc. AIA 

New building planning and construction for healthcare is a multi-faceted process. Infection Prevention ICRA’s often focus on the build process (earth moving and physical construction), however, design and commissioning processes are key stages in ensuring the safety of the building for staff and patients. Infection Preventionists (IPs) may not be familiar with the different aspects of commissioning. They need to know how they can ensure that testing best practices are met and the building meets with expected parameters. IPs need to ensure the new owners of the building (Maintenance/Facilities) understand how to prepare and maintain it once they have taken over from the contractor and before patients occupy it. Our different perspectives enable us to identify risks and solutions in a broad sense. Working closely together has allowed us to make quick turnaround on best practice questions and to address potential problems before they arise.  

Learning objectives:  

1. Understand key features related to planning and design for air and water delivery systems in a new/renovated healthcare building.  

2. Identify steps to ensure the building is safe for occupancy.  

3. Describe the as-built review, review of special water systems (RO, etc.) and special air management environments. 

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Blueprint for health: uniting infection prevention and facilities in construction excellence 

CE:1/IPU:1 

Monday, March 10, 2025 @ 1 pm ET 

Kelly Zabriskie, BS, MLS, CIC, FAPIC and Chris Reitz  

As our health system continued to grow and construction and renovation projects seemed to escalate, the System Infection Preventionist (IP) and the System Facility Regulatory leaders began to look at our overall process for construction/renovation projects. We identified that there was no consistency in the protocols being followed and we needed to create an aligned approach. Construction/renovation projects can be big or small, scheduled or emergent, performed by in house staff or by contractors; but regardless of the project there needed to be a standardized approach that created a partnership between the facility and infection prevention team to minimize the risks to patients in the hospital. We gathered other stakeholders to join our initiative, including Planning, Desing and Construction (PDC) and Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), to brainstorm for a standardized process towards construction projects that removed variation and created consistency. Initially, Bi-weekly ICRA Committees were established at each hospital with defined members and goals to review construction projects. We then instituted a software tool that generated construction permits that required approval by IP and EHS once construction ICRAs were inputted by facilities. In depth education sessions were provided for facilities, infection prevention, PDC and contractors to ensure full understanding and alignment of the new process. A collaborative, coordinated approach helped secure a standardized approach to construction and renovation projects. Over the next year, we followed up with meetings to identify concerns, gaps and areas for improvements with the new aligned process.  

Learning Objectives:  

1.How to foster a collaborative relationship between facilities and IP  

2.Develop a business case for creating a standardized approach for construction/renovation projects  

3.How to identify stakeholders to support your plan -How to sustain engagement and provide improvement 

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The IP, the PM and the Construction Site 

CE:1/IPU:1 

Monday, April 7, 2025 @ 1 pm ET 

Candice Fearon, MSGH, BSN, RN, CIC and Natalie Jordan 

Any construction or renovation project in or around a healthcare setting carries unique considerations and challenges. The Project Managers (PMs) are the leads with the Infection Preventionist (IP) providing support and subject matter expertise. In a large academic medical center, construction and renovations are endless. As such the Facilities Design & Construction (FDC) and Clinical Epidemiology (Epi) departments have over time built a collaborative relationship aimed to provide the safest environment for patients and staff during construction or renovation.  

Learning Objectives:  

1. Understand the collaborative relationship between the Infection Preventionist and Project Manager during construction or renovations projects  

2. Understand the role of the Infection Preventionist during construction or renovation projects 

3. Understand the role of the Project Manager during construction  

4. Recognize the types of projects requiring close collaboration with the Infection Preventionist 

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Continuing Education (CE) Credit: 

In support of improving patient care, The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. (APIC) is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. 

 Nursing: 

• APIC designates this activity for 4 Nursing Contact Hours 

Physicians: 

• APIC designates this live course activity for a maximum of 4 PRA Category 1 Credits™ 
• Physicians should claim only the credits commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. 

IPUs: 

• APIC designates this activity for 4 infection prevention unit(s). 
• For more information, please see https://www.cbic.org/CBIC/Recertify/Recertification-by-Continuing-Education.htm