Virginia Infection Prevention & Control Training Alliance (VIPTA)

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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Healthcare Ventilation Can Really Blow

When it comes to infection prevention, what’s in the air matters. This month’s featured resources focus on healthcare airflow and ventilation, breaking down complex concepts into practical tools that are easy to use. Be sure to check the Regulation & Guidance Updates section for new information from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) to stay current on the latest recommendations.

What to Expect

  • ASHE Project Firstline Explainer Videos: Short, easy-to-share resource from American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE) that help facility managers and frontline staff understand the critical role ventilation plays in keeping healthcare environments safe. (English & Spanish)
  • CDC Project Firstline Ventilation Factsheet: A clear, shareable overview of how ventilation supports infection control and helps reduce the spread of germs in healthcare settings. (English & Spanish)
  • ASHE Ventilation Quick Guide FAQs: A plain-language reference with concise answers to common questions about ventilation and prevention in the healthcare environment. (English & Spanish)

How to use it:

  • Walk-Through with Unit IP Champion: Have a charge nurse or IP do a 5-minute walk of the area looking for best practices and asking staff:
    • “What should never be in front of an airflow vent?”
    • “What rooms require doors closed?”
  • Breakroom Air Facts Board: Post the CDC factsheet with a simple header like: “This room protects patients/residents too. Here’s how the air helps.”
  • Play Rank That Risk!: Use airflow issues you found on rounds or create hypothetical risks you want staff to be aware of like a vent blocked by a trashcan, propped open door of an airborne isolation room, or a missing or open ceiling tile. Ask: “What’s the risk here?”

Target Audience: Intermediate 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: 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. 
CDC: Updated 2026 National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Surveillance Protocols (January 2026)
CDC
Any Practice Setting
Department of Health
Surveillance
CDC updated the NHSN Patient Safety Component Manual, including Antimicrobial Use and Resistance (AUR) Module protocols and data definitions used for facility reporting. These updates include new documentation and reporting guidance, effective for 2026 surveillance. A summary of updates is available on the CDC website. 
APIC: New White Paper on Centralized Health-Associated Infection Surveillance Programs and Micro-Credential to Advance Centralized HAI Surveillance and Patient Safety (1/20/2026)
APIC
Any Practice Setting
Department of Health
Surveillance
This paper offers guidance and expert perspectives on implementing centralized surveillance programs for healthcare-associated infections (HAI) data within health systems, a key step toward more standardized HAI measurement and prevention. It emphasizes improving surveillance accuracy, data use, and patient safety. 
VDH: Clinician Letter: Respiratory Illness and Measles Updates for Virginia (1/21/2026)
VDH
Acute Care Hospital
Ambulatory (Outpatient) Care
Department of Health
Outbreak Investigation
Standard Precautions
Vaccination
The clinician letter reports that respiratory illness activity in Virginia has declined but influenza-related hospitalizations remain elevated, and clinicians should continue vaccination, testing, and prompt antiviral treatment for high-risk patients.   The letter also warns of ongoing measles cases and exposures in Virginia, urging clinicians to maintain a high index of suspicion, immediately isolate suspected cases, notify public health, and ensure staff and patients have documented MMR immunity.  

Spotlight on Lake Taylor Transitional Care Hospital

This month, we’re highlighting Lake Taylor Transitional Care Hospital in Norfolk, VA—a 296‑bed facility offering multiple levels of care, including skilled nursing rehabilitation, long‑term care, an adult ventilator unit, and a 25‑bed pediatric unit caring for medically complex children who often require ventilators, tracheostomies, feeding tubes, and continuous monitoring. 

When a pediatric patient transferred to an acute‑care hospital for a respiratory infection and grew carbapenem‑resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) in Spring of 2025, Lake Taylor quickly identified a second child in their own facility with the same organism. In response, the team launched unit‑wide point prevalence testing every two weeks. Over seven rounds, six asymptomatic children tested positive. All were promptly cohorted to reduce transmission risk.

The facility conducted a thorough review of hand hygiene practices, signage, and supply placement. They introduced ATP testing to validate environmental cleaning and switched to a disinfectant with a shorter contact time to improve compliance. According to Infection Preventionist, Carol Evans and VP of Patient Services, Karen Wilhelm, these changes strengthened staff confidence and consistency.

Collaboration with the Virginia Department of Health and the CDC was central to their success. Leadership remained deeply engaged, implementing recommendations swiftly. The team at Lake Taylor spoke highly of the mentorship they received from VDH throughout the process, and Devonne Winston from VDH, who nominated the Lake Taylor team for this month’s Cheers for Peers, says “They led by example” of the leadership team.

On October 17, Lake Taylor hosted a highly successful education event with 106 participants from across the facility, recognizing that this education was important in the adult units as well. Staff practiced hand hygiene using GloGerm, completed PPE donning and doffing demonstrations, learned about multiple MDROs, and participated in an environmental cleaning station.

Kudos to the Lake Taylor team for their rapid, coordinated response and commitment to protecting patients throughout the facility.

✨Check out the McKnight Prize for Healthcare Outbreak Heroes – a great way to cheer on a peer nationally!

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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Last Updated: March 24, 2026