Keep Your Family Healthy
When you’re in our care, our goal is to help you feel better and healthier than you did when you first walked through our doors. Part of that goal is making sure our patients, staff and volunteers are safe from infection. Our Infection Prevention and Control Department is made of prevention experts who are well-versed in infection control, screenings and immunizations. Through training, education and preventive measures, we strive to avoid any complications with your care, so you can get back to feeling your best.
Infection Control Expertise
- Prevention and Education
-
Preventing infection starts with education. Whether it’s educating staff, volunteers or patients, it’s important that everyone who walks through our doors understands how to play a role in controlling infection. Some infections may be brought in from the community, such as a flu virus, while others may be spread within the care facility, such as from a blood spill. Regardless of the type of infection, our team is determined to find potential sources, establish control measures and prevent infection from spreading. Some of the steps we take include:
- Assisting during Joint Commission surveys
- Collaboration with other departments to develop strategies that prevent infection
- Creating infection prevention education programs for our staff and the community
- Managing surveillance for hospital-based (nosocomial) infections
- Monitoring patient care areas
Participation in department and unit environmental rounds and audits
- Committed to Improving the Quality of Health Care
-
Controlling infections is not only about preventing them in our own facilities, it’s also about educating the community on how to reduce the spread of germs and disease. Our infection control experts are on a mission to improve the quality of health for everyone in our community through educational programs and by serving as the liaison for local, regional and state health departments.
- Proper Hand-washing
-
Washing our hands thoroughly is the first step in preventing the spread of disease and infection. Whether you’re a staff member, patient or volunteer at our care facility, proper hand-washing is priority number one. Follow these steps to ensure your hands are clean and free from germs:
- Wet your hands with warm, running water.
- Apply soap and lather well.
- Use brisk rubbing to clean all hand surfaces, paying close attention to cuticles, under the fingernails, between fingers, and the tops of your hands.
- Wash your hands for at least 10 – 15 seconds.
- Rinse your hands under a steady stream of warm, running water while holding hands downwards.
- Dry your hands thoroughly with a clean towel or warm-air hand dryer.
- Use a clean towel to turn off the faucet and, if possible, use a clean towel to open the door when leaving a public restroom.