Resources – Organizations and Partners

Numerous state and national organizations and agencies are dedicated to infection prevention and patient safety.

STATE

  • Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Virginia Chapter (APIC-VA)
    • The state chapter of APIC, a voluntary membership organization representing members of the infection prevention profession.
  • Medical Society of Virginia (MSV) Foundation
    • Nonprofit subsidiary of the Medical Society of Virginia, a professional association of more than 8,700 Virginia physicians.
    • From 2003 to 2011, coordinated Get Smart Virginia: Know When Antibiotics Work, a partnership of organizations that aims to reduce the problem of antibiotic resistance in Virginia by educating consumers about appropriate antibiotic use.
  • Mid-Atlantic Renal Coalition (MARC)
    • One of 18 Medicare-funded organizations dedicated to improving the quality of care delivered to patients with end-stage renal disease in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia.
  • Virginia Ambulatory Surgery Association (VASA)
    • A not-for-profit organization of ambulatory surgery providers dedicated to providing high quality, cost-effective care that is sensitive to the needs of ambulatory surgery patients.
  • Virginia Assisted Living Association (VALA)
    • A not-for-profit membership organization dedicated to providing advocacy, communication, education, and resources for Virginia’s assisted living industry.
  • Virginia Association of Nonprofit Homes for the Aging (VANHA)
    • A membership organization that represents the interests of not-for-profit facilities serving older adults in Virginia.
  • Virginia Department for the Aging
    • A state agency that works with local area agencies on the aging to help older Virginians find the services and information they need.
    • Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program advocates for older persons receiving long-term care services by providing information, advocacy, and assistance to help resolve care problems.
  • Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services
    • A state agency that provides public mental health, intellectual disability, and substance abuse services to children and adults through 16 state-operated facilities and 40 locally-run community services boards.
  • Virginia Department of Social Services
    • A state agency that administers programs and provides services to help people triumph over poverty, abuse and neglect, and achieve self-sufficiency.
    • Division of Licensing Programs (DOLP) licenses assisted living facilities, which are residential settings that provide or coordinate personal and health care services, 24-hour supervision, and assistance for the care of four or more adults who are aged, infirm, or disabled.
    • For more information for assisted living facilities on working with VDSS, Division of Licensing Programs, click here.
  • Virginia Health Care Association (VHCA)
    • A voluntary membership organization of nearly 300 nursing and assisted living facilities dedicated to advocating for and representing the interests of these facilities, the residents they serve, and their staff.
    • The Virginia Center for Assisted Living (VCAL) is the assisted living arm of VHCA.
  • Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA)
    • A voluntary membership organization of 39 health systems and hospitals, representing 108 community, psychiatric, rehabilitation, and specialty hospitals throughout Virginia.
    • Publishes a Quality and Safety scorecard that includes one HAI measure currently (central line-associated bloodstream infections); another measure (catheter-associated urinary tract infections) will be added in the future.
  • VHQC
    • A healthcare consulting firm and the federally designated Quality Improvement Organization for Virginia that provides expertise in quality improvement, utilization management, analytic services, and health information technology support.
  • Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH) Program
    • Program run by the Virginia Department of Labor & Industry.
    • Serves as the Commonwealth of Virginia’s counterpart to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The VOSH Program is responsible for enforcing occupational safety and health laws and regulations in the private and public sectors and also provides free consultative, outreach and training services to encourage and provide assistance to Virginia’s employers to enhance safety and health protections for their employees.

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NATIONAL

  • Safe Injection Practices Coalition (SIPC)
    • A partnership of healthcare-related organizations that was formed to promote safe injection practices in all US healthcare settings.
    • Leads a public health campaign with CDC called the One & Only Campaign to raise awareness among patients and healthcare providers about safe injection practices.
  • Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA)
    • A voluntary membership organization representing healthcare epidemiologists that is dedicated to advancing the science and practice of healthcare epidemiology and preventing and controlling morbidity, mortality, and the cost of care linked to HAIs.

For additional resources specific to patient advocacy and consumer education, please see the Consumer and Public Information page.