Virginia Infection Prevention & Control Training Alliance (VIPTA)

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VIPTA is a statewide infection prevention and control education collaborative, led by the Virginia Healthcare-Associated Infections Advisory Group.  Through partnership, VIPTA curates IPC resources for Virginia’s healthcare, congregate care, and public health settings.

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Stand Up for Infection Prevention on Internation Infection Prevention Week

🎆Let’s Throw an Infection Prevention Party!

International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW) is October 19–25 and a great reason to have a party! A simple way to add flare to your celebration is with the brand-new Cheers for Peers certificate. It’s a ready-to-use tool that makes it easy to spotlight the everyday wins that keep patients, residents, and staff safe. You can hand one out during a huddle, post it on a breakroom bulletin board, or make it part of a bigger party.

Free Tools to Bring the Fun: The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) makes it easy to host your own celebration. The IIPW toolkit offers:

  • Fun graphics and posters to brighten up your space.
  • Ready-to-use PowerPoint slides to add flair to your next huddle or staff meeting.
  • Promotional videos and infographics that spark conversation.
  • Daily themes and games to keep the energy high all week long.

Explore and download resources at: Infection Prevention and You.

Party Ideas for Your Team

  • Kick off the week by surprising a unit with balloons, snacks, and a quick game.
  • Hand out Cheers for Peers certificates to celebrate a champion of healthcare infection prevention, an infection-free milestone, great hand hygiene audits, or a colleague who consistently models best practices.

Puzzle It Out! Want to add an extra layer of fun? Create your own infection prevention puzzles for staff to solve using a free site like Puzzel.org. Imagine sending someone a crossword or jigsaw puzzle that, when solved, reveals: “You won a Cheers for Peers award!”

Why It Matters: Celebrating infection prevention wins is more than just fun — it can boost morale and remind your team that every effort counts. As we head into the busy fall respiratory season, a little joy goes a long way in keeping spirits high.

So, gather your balloons, download your graphics, and throw an infection prevention party this IIPW. And don’t forget to share your celebrations with VIPTA, we’d love to cheer alongside you!

Target Audience: Essential IPC Education Level

Guidance & Regulation Updates

VIPTA members track guidance and regulation resources to share source documents that guide infection prevention and control practices for public health staff and clinical and non-clinical healthcare personnel.

The date of the regulation or guidance update is included in each post.  Please check linked content to be sure it is the most up to date and recommended practice.

CMS Fiscal Year 2027 Acute Care Hospital and Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Prospective Payment System Final Rule: CMS-1849-F (8/04/2026)
CMS
Acute Care Hospital
Acute Care Rehabilitation or Long-Term Care Acute Hospital (LTACH)
Quality Improvement
CMS updated Medicare payment and quality requirements for hospitals and LTCHs. The Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program (HACRP) will continue. Hospitals with the poorest performance on hospital-acquired conditions may lose 1% of Medicare fee-for-service payment.
CMS Fiscal Year 2027 Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Prospective Payment System Final Rule: (7/31/2026)
CMS
Nursing Home / Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF)
Quality Improvement
CMS will remove two COVID-19 vaccination measures from the SNF Quality Reporting Program beginning in FY 2028.SNFs will no longer report COVID-19 vaccination coverage for healthcare workers or whether residents are up to date through this program. Facilities should still follow current CDC vaccination guidance and CMS infection control requirements.
Surveillance for Candida auris — United States, 2022–2024 (07/02/2026)
CDC
Acute Care Hospital
Acute Care Rehabilitation or Long-Term Care Acute Hospital (LTACH)
Department of Health
Nursing Home / Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF)
Surveillance
CDC reported continued growth of Candida auris in U.S. healthcare settings from 2022–2024. Clinical cases increased from 2,882 to 6,197, and screening cases increased from 6,226 to 12,432. CDC emphasizes continued C. auris screening of high-risk patients, appropriate Transmission-Based Precautions, use of disinfectants effective against C. auris, communication of C. auris status during transfers, antifungal susceptibility testing, and strong coordination between healthcare facilities and public health to limit further transmission.

Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA)

SHEA

Infection Prevention and Control of Candida auris in Pediatric Settings (6/23/2026) The guidance recommends identifying at-risk pediatric patients through targeted screening, using appropriate isolation and room-placement precautions, and coordinating closely with infection prevention and public health partners when Candida auris is suspected or confirmed. It also emphasizes prevention through meticulous hand hygiene, effective environmental cleaning and disinfection, and careful...

What’s In Your Water?

Hayley Andrews, an infection preventionist in the southwest region of Virginia, used her curious mind and a desire to educate others to help uncover environmental contamination that caused an illness in one of her patients.

Hayley’s facility admitted a patient with sepsis, and blood cultures grew Aeromonas hydrophila.  Because Hayley had never heard of this organism, she researched it and learned that it is typically a waterborne organism.  Hayley took this information to the nursing unit where the patient was located and the patient’s son heard her educating the nurses about Aeromonas.  He joined in and mentioned that his mom had a well and he was concerned that it may be contaminated.

The health department visited the home and tested the water. Sure enough, it was contaminated with Aeromonas and other organisms, and failed potability testing. The health department was able to get the patient an alternate, safe water source upon her discharge to prevent further infection until her well water could be remediated. 

Thank you, Hayley! Your diligence prevented this patient from getting sick again, and perhaps prevented other neighbors from a similar outcome! 

IPC Education & Training Library

Search the VIPTA library of curated infection prevention and control (IPC) education and training resources. The IPC Education & Training Resource Library includes state and national resources related to healthcare-associated infections, antimicrobial resistance and/or IPC. Visit the VIPTA FAQ page to learn more about VIPTA library content.

 

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