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, VIPTAcurates IPC resources for Virginia’s healthcare, congregate care, and public health settings.
Winter means watching your step outside, scanning sidewalks and parking lots for patches of ice. But in healthcare settings, ice deserves just as much caution indoors as it does outdoors. From ice machines to scoops and storage bins, ice can become a hidden source of germs if it’s not handled carefully.
The CDC Project Firstline “Think Twice About Ice” micro-learn offers an easy-to-use training resource with a facilitator discussion guide and an educational handout.
How to use it
Tie-in to Facility Protocols: Connect the micro-learn’s points to your facility’s infection control policies. For example, clarify who is responsible for cleaning and maintaining ice machines and how often equipment should be disinfected.
Post the Job Aid: Print the one-page job aid and place it on breakroom boards, near staff lounges, or by ice machines. Visual reminders reinforce key actions like washing hands before handling ice and using clean scoops and containers.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
Acute Care Rehabilitation or Long-Term Care Acute Hospital (LTACH)
Assisted Living Facility (ALF)
Behavioral Health Facilities
Hospice and Palliative Care
Nursing Home / Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF)
Antimicrobial & Diagnostic Stewardship
Toolkit for Improving Skin Care and Multidrug-Resistant Organism (MDRO) Prevention in Long-Term Care Settings Clinical topics in the toolkit center around four key strategies to protect skin and prevent infection: (1) Keep skin clean and safe; (2) Reduce MDRO transmission; (3) Use antibiotics wisely; and (4) Clean high-touch surfaces. The toolkit also includes “teachable moments.” These documents use real-world healthcare scenarios to reinforce concepts related to skin care and infection prevention.
This month we are celebrating Reenaba Chudasama and her great infection prevention education at Jones & Cabacoy Veterans Care Center (JCVCC), part of the Department of Veterans Services. Reenaba attended the VDH Infection Prevention Educator Roadshow and loved the creative ideas for education that were shared there. She used some of these ideas at her long-term care and skilled nursing facility to get the frontline staff engaged in activities involving infection prevention and control. Here are some of the fun activities they did:
“Did You Clean Your Hands”: Staff used GloGerm to assess the quality of their hand washing skills. Once they successfully removed the GloGerm, they had 30 seconds to fill up a bottle of hand sanitizer and kept however much they were able to fill as a reward.
“Magic of Memes”: Staff created infection prevention memes and posted them on their communication channels.
“Who Let the Bug Out”: Staff dressed up in germ costumes and paraded around the facility, asking staff members and residents how they would handle them.
“Basket-Call” game: Staff were presented with simulated dirty linen, regular trash, and regulated medical waste and had to dispose of it correctly in given time.
“Cause it’s Everyone’s Business”: Each department made a two-to-five-minute video showing how their department contributes to infection prevention. The facility’s maintenance department did one about plumbing and how they help reduce waterborne diseases!
“Golden Pen Award”: Award given for the best infection prevention notes and nursing assessment. The winner got a shout out on the facility’s communication channel.
🌟Awesome job, Reenaba, for all the ways that you’ve inspired your staff to take an active role in infection prevention!
📢Let the VIPTA Cheers for Peers team know if you decide to follow Reenaba’s lead and try out some of these fun infection prevention education activities in your workplace!
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.
