At the time of writing this article, America is facing a pandemic as we have never seen before. COVID-19 has been responsible for 447,715 deaths in the United States alone. Many administrators and directors of nursing had never imagined Infection Control would be at the forefront of our daily planning. If you adhere to the following regulation provided by OHCF you will be sure to avoid potential issues with not just COVID-19, but many other infectious diseases:
1200-08-25-.06 ADMINISTRATION.
- Each ACLF shall meet the following staffing and procedural standards:
(5) Infection Control
(a) An ACLF shall ensure that neither a resident nor an employee of the ACLF with a reportable communicable disease shall reside or work in the ACLF unless the ACLF has a written protocol approved by the Board’s administrative office.
(b) An Assisted-Care Living Facility shall have an annual influenza vaccination program which shall include at least:
- The offer of influenza vaccination to all staff and independent practitioners at no cost to the person or acceptance of documented evidence of vaccination from another vaccine source or facility. The Assisted-Care Living Facility will encourage all staff and independent practitioners to obtain an influenza vaccination;
- A signed declination statement on record from all who refuse the influenza vaccination for reasons other than medical contraindications (a sample form is available at http://tennessee.gov/health/topic/hcf-provider);
- Education of all employees about the following:
(i) Flu vaccination;
(ii) Non-vaccine control measures; and
(iii) The diagnosis, transmission, and potential impact of influenza;
- An annual evaluation of the influenza vaccination program and reasons for nonparticipation; and
- A statement that the requirements to complete vaccinations or declination statements shall be suspended by the administrator in the event of a vaccine shortage as declared by the Commissioner or the Commissioner’s designee.
(c) An ACLF and its employees shall adopt and utilize standard precautions in accordance with guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for preventing transmission of infections, HIV, and communicable diseases, including adherence to a hand hygiene program which shall include:
- Use of alcohol-based hand rubs or use of non-antimicrobial or antimicrobial soap and water before and after each resident contact if hands are not visibly soiled;
- Use of gloves during each resident contact with blood or where other potentially infectious materials, mucous membranes, and non-intact skin could occur and gloves shall be changed before and after each resident contact;
- Use of either non-antimicrobial soap and water or antimicrobial soap and water for visibly soiled hands; and
- Health care worker education programs may include:
(i) Types of resident care activities that can result in hand contamination;
(ii) Advantages and disadvantages of various methods used to clean hands;
(iii) Potential risks of health care workers’ colonization or infection caused by organisms acquired from residents; and
(iv) Morbidity, mortality, and costs associated with healthcare-associated infections.
(d) An ACLF shall develop
Title: Infection Control in the ALCF
At the time of writing this article, America is facing a pandemic as we have never seen before. COVID-19 has been responsible for 447,715 deaths in the United States alone. Many administrators and directors of nursing had never imagined Infection Control would be at the forefront of our daily planning. If you adhere to the following regulation provided by OHCF you will be sure to avoid potential issues with not just COVID-19, but many other infectious diseases:
1200-08-25-.06 ADMINISTRATION.
- Each ACLF shall meet the following staffing and procedural standards:
(5) Infection Control
(a) An ACLF shall ensure that neither a resident nor an employee of the ACLF with a reportable communicable disease shall reside or work in the ACLF unless the ACLF has a written protocol approved by the Board’s administrative office.
(b) An Assisted-Care Living Facility shall have an annual influenza vaccination program which shall include at least:
- The offer of influenza vaccination to all staff and independent practitioners at no cost to the person or acceptance of documented evidence of vaccination from another vaccine source or facility. The Assisted-Care Living Facility will encourage all staff and independent practitioners to obtain an influenza vaccination;
- A signed declination statement on record from all who refuse the influenza vaccination for reasons other than medical contraindications (a sample form is available at http://tennessee.gov/health/topic/hcf-provider);
- Education of all employees about the following:
(i) Flu vaccination;
(ii) Non-vaccine control measures; and
(iii) The diagnosis, transmission, and potential impact of influenza;
- An annual evaluation of the influenza vaccination program and reasons for nonparticipation; and
- A statement that the requirements to complete vaccinations or declination statements shall be suspended by the administrator in the event of a vaccine shortage as declared by the Commissioner or the Commissioner’s designee.
(c) An ACLF and its employees shall adopt and utilize standard precautions in accordance with guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for preventing transmission of infections, HIV, and communicable diseases, including adherence to a hand hygiene program which shall include:
- Use of alcohol-based hand rubs or use of non-antimicrobial or antimicrobial soap and water before and after each resident contact if hands are not visibly soiled;
- Use of gloves during each resident contact with blood or where other potentially infectious materials, mucous membranes, and non-intact skin could occur and gloves shall be changed before and after each resident contact;
- Use of either non-antimicrobial soap and water or antimicrobial soap and water for visibly soiled hands; and
- Health care worker education programs may include:
(i) Types of resident care activities that can result in hand contamination;
(ii) Advantages and disadvantages of various methods used to clean hands;
(iii) Potential risks of health care workers’ colonization or infection caused by organisms acquired from residents; and
(iv) Morbidity, mortality, and costs associated with healthcare-associated infections.
(d) An ACLF shall develop and implement a system for measuring improvements in adherence to the hand hygiene program and influenza vaccination program.
Top Takeaways:
- (b) An Assisted-Care Living Facility shall have an annual influenza vaccination program which shall include at least:
Partner with your Home Health Care agency or pharmacy to set up a flu vaccine. They typically will do this as a free service and use it as a marketing tool for their company. You both win!
- Encourage frequent handwashing. There is nothing more powerful than the complete buy-in of proper handwashing techniques by ALL staff members.
and implement a system for measuring improvements in adherence to the hand hygiene program and influenza vaccination program.
Top Takeaways:
- (b) An Assisted-Care Living Facility shall have an annual influenza vaccination program which shall include at least:
Partner with your Home Health Care agency or pharmacy to set up a flu vaccine. They typically will do this as a free service and use it as a marketing tool for their company. You both win!
- Encourage frequent handwashing. There is nothing more powerful than the complete buy-in of proper handwashing techniques by ALL staff members.