Infectious Diseases

About

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Rhode Island Data

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Infectious Diseases

About

Information for

Provider Advisories & Newsletters

Rhode Island Data

Programs

Services

Regulations

Publications

Partners

Supported by

Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Field Team

What we do

  • Help congregate care facilities implement effective on-site mitigation measures in response to outbreaks of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.
  • Enhance the knowledge, confidence, and competence of staff, leadership, and community members.

How it works

Facilities may request help with infection control assessments, customized infection prevention and control education and training, and strategies to prevent and mitigate infectious disease outbreaks. Click on each topic below to learn more about what we do.

Infection Control Assessment and Response (ICAR)

An ICAR visit assesses IPC practices in your long-term care facility to guide quality improvement activities and care. Its goal is to enhance the knowledge, technical proficiency, confidence, and competence of leadership and staff to reduce infectious disease transmission.

RIDOH’s COVID-19 Center for Epidemiology and the Center for Acute Infectious Disease Epidemiology collaborate to offer this non-regulatory Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiative.

What to Expect

  • An initial virtual assessment to evaluate IPC practices throughout your facility
  • A facility walk through and observations to evaluate IPC practices and/or primary areas of interest in real time
  • Clarification and support on ICAR topics such as hand hygiene, transmission-based precautions, environmental services, and wound care
  • Help for facility leadership to identify gaps in current IPC plans and provide best practice strategies for improvement

General Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Education and Training

This free on-site education and training helps congregate care settings prepare for and respond to infectious disease threats. In partnership with facility leadership, we assess and address the educational needs of staff to enhance their overall IPC competence and confidence.

What to Expect

  • An interactive and engaging on-site staff education and training session
  • Timely and relevant topics such as cleaning and disinfecting, enhanced barrier precautions, environmental services, hand hygiene, PPE donning and doffing, reducing the risk of illness, and transmission-based precautions
  • Support to establish a sustainable plan for infection prevention education

Infectious Disease Prevention and Outbreak Response

The infectious disease prevention and outbreak response visits help congregate care settings implement effective prevention and on-site mitigation measures to prevent and control outbreaks of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

What to Expect

  • Guidance on best practices to ensure the safety of people with COVID-19 or other infectious disease symptoms or exposure
  • Review of facility layout, prevention or outbreak mitigation plan, and facility-specific risks
  • Clarification of prevention and outbreak mitigation measures such as cleaning and disinfecting, physical distancing, symptom screening, and mask wearing
  • Evaluation of infectious disease testing strategies
  • Development of strategies to promote vaccination and treatment

Who we help

We support congregate care settings such as long-term care facilities, nursing homes, assisted living residences, and temporary housing facilities.

Cost

The IPC Field Team is a free, non-regulatory resource provided by the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH).

How to get IPC Field Team training or support

Fill out and submit a referral form. A team member will respond within one business day to discuss your organization's specific needs.