May 11, 2023, marks the expiration of the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) declaration. As a result, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated the infection control recommendations for healthcare facilities.
To support healthcare workers to understand the updated recommendations and how they may be implemented in various facilities and settings, all healthcare providers are encouraged to register and attend the Virtual Project Firstline Town Hall on May 16, 2023, at 11:30 AM Central/10:30 AM Mountain.
“As the public health emergency comes to an end, we need to keep in mind that infection control practices will not. Education on infection control topics will always be needed. The importance infection control plays in the lives of everyone will still remain,” commented Jess Danko, MSHA, RRT, LTC-CIP, program manager for South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care.
“When entering a healthcare facility, we as patients, caregivers, and visitors have been assured that infection control practices are a part of the everyday practice of care. Infection prevention and control is a priority for quality healthcare delivery and South Dakota Project Firstline offers up-to-date training opportunities across the state.”
South Dakota Project Firstline (SD PFL) provides onsite or virtual training and educational opportunities to all areas of healthcare. The training can be for a specific department in an in-person learning and sharing opportunity or it may be during a ten-minute virtual training during monthly staff meetings. SD PFL accommodates the needs of the healthcare facility and works to provide training when it is convenient for the teams and infection prevention staff.
Cheri Fast, RN, CIC, LTC-CIP, WOCN, added, “A viral breakout that was only expected to last a few months turned the world upside down over the past three years. Even though the pandemic is officially over, we will never return to ‘normal’ as it was prior to COVID-19.”
Learn more from CDC officials and fellow healthcare professionals, and about working together to stop the spread of infection at the Virtual Project Firstline Town Hall on May 16, 2023, at 11:30 AM Central/10:30 AM Mountain.
