Cleaning with Purpose: EVS and the Fight Against HAIs

Infection prevention isn’t ONLY about hand hygiene and PPE—it starts with the very environment we work in. Environmental Services (EVS) professionals are on the front lines of infection prevention, playing a critical role in stopping multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) and keeping patients, staff, and visitors safe.

What to Expect
These resources highlight the essential role of EVS teams in infection prevention, from stopping the spread of MDROs to creating a safe environment for patients, residents and staff.

Association for the Health Care Environment’s EVS Educational Video Series (Now available in Spanish!): Short, focused videos that highlight why EVS work is critical to patient safety and how infection prevention best practices can be seamlessly integrated into daily workflows.
California Department of Public Health/Project Firstline EVS Toolkit: A comprehensive resource pack with bite-sized training materials and interactive games that can be used in team huddles, staff meetings, or individual learning.
EVS and the Battle Against Infection – Graphic Novel: A unique, engaging way to showcase the vital role of EVS professionals in infection prevention.

How to Use These Resources

Incorporate them into EVS team huddles and training sessions.
Use videos as onboarding tools for new EVS staff.
Empower EVS teams by reinforcing their critical role in healthcare safety.

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.

CDC: Core Elements of Hospital Diagnostic Excellence (DxEx) (February 4, 2026)

CDC

Acute Care Hospital

Acute Care Rehabilitation or Long-Term Care Acute Hospital (LTACH)

Assisted Living Facility (ALF)

Department of Health

Hospice and Palliative Care

Nursing Home / Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF)

Core Elements of Hospital Diagnostic Excellence (DxEx) (February 4, 2026) The Diagnostic excellence (DxEx) provides guidance to implement actionable strategies within hospitals to enhance diagnostic accuracy through improved diagnostic reasoning, testing methodologies, and communication processes, ultimately elevating patient safety standards. It encourages the implementation of systematic approaches and evidence-based practices for improving diagnostic processes, ultimately aiming to reduce errors and increase patient safety across healthcare settings.

CDC: Clostridioides difficile Infection (CDI) Surveillance (March 19, 2026)

CDC

Any Practice Setting

Department of Health

Surveillance

Clostridioides difficile Infection (CDI) Surveillance (March 19, 2026) The guidance on Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) emphasizes the importance of implementing prevention strategies, including appropriate antibiotic use, enhanced infection control practices, and patient education to reduce the incidence of C. diff infections in healthcare settings. It highlights the role of the Emerging Infections Program (EIP) in monitoring C. diff cases, promoting research on infection trends, and improving response efforts to effectively manage outbreaks and improve patient care.

VDH: Clinician Letter – Updates on Virginia Department of Health Vaccine Recommendations (2/19/2026)

VDH

Department of Health

Pediatric / NICU

Vaccination

Clinician Letter: Updates on Virginia Department of Health Vaccine Recommendations (2/19/2026) The clinician letter reports that Virginia recommends continued use of the American Academy of Pediatrics 2026 immunization schedule despite recent federal changes, emphasizing that current vaccine guidance should remain grounded in established scientific evidence and clinical best practices. The letter also states that there are no changes to Virginia school immunization requirements and urges clinicians to continue offering recommended vaccines and use clinical judgment in shared decision-making with patients and families.

CDC: Considerations for Reducing Risk – Water in Healthcare Facilities (2/6/2026)

CDC

Any Practice Setting

Water Management

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Considerations for Reducing Risk: Water in Healthcare Facilities (February 6, 2026) CDC recommends establishing a water management program that identifies risk areas in a facility’s water system and implements controls to prevent harmful pathogens like Legionella. The program should be routinely monitored, documented, and adjusted to ensure it remains effective and responsive to changing conditions.

ASHRAE: Ventilation of Healthcare Facilities (2/16/2026)

Any Practice Setting

Air Quality

Ventilator

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Ventilation of Healthcare Facilities (02/16/2026) The 2025 edition of ANSI/ASHRAE/ASHE Standard 170 outlines minimum ventilation requirements for health care facilities, emphasizing compliance and best practices for HVAC system design. Key updates include the option for natural ventilation, total outdoor air calculations for combined spaces, and clarified requirements for imaging and outpatient areas.

Image of educational posters and learning areas.

Virginia Long-Term Care Infrastructure Pilot Project (VLIPP)

Carilion Clinic’s Virginia Long-Term Care Infrastructure Pilot Project (VLIPP) is a grant-funded program focused on improving infection prevention and control practices within local long-term care (LTC) facilities. The team has been working on various projects since the program’s launch, collaborating with LTC facilities across the Southwest Region. A keystone of the project is staff education on setting-specific infection prevention and control practices. The team provides education in fun and engaging ways including escape rooms and simulated training that incorporates real-life scenarios. The program also hosts a quarterly “Staying in the Know” webinar series aimed at providing updates and guidance on current infection prevention and control issues. Visit Carilion Clinic Infection Prevention and Control for additional information about Carilion Clinic VLIPP.

In addition to education, training, and onsite technical support, a peer-to-peer network has been launched for LTC facility infection preventionists (IPs). The network’s goal is to create a safe space for LTC IPs to connect, share resources and perspectives, and support one another. The network provides an avenue for IPs to talk about IP challenges in the facility, problem solve, and promote mentorship relationships between the IPs. The inspiration for the network arose from feedback received from facility IPs. Interest in knowing how other IPs practice in the LTC setting and navigate their roles and responsibilities was identified as a recurring theme.

The successful launch of the peer-to-peer network demonstrates the devotion of the LTC IPs to the work they do. The Carilion Clinic VLIPP team is excited to see a positive response to the network. LTC IPs in Virginia are welcome to join the network. For additional information about joining, reach out to either of the Carilion Clinic VLIPP infection preventionists listed below.

Steve Carter – stcarter@carilionclinic.org

Matthew Skinner – mrskinner@carilionclinic.org