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.
Ready Before the Rush: Respiratory Disease Season Resources
Respiratory disease season is on the way. October is a great time to get prevention messages in front of staff, patients, and residents before respiratory illness activity picks up.
Check out the Guidance, Recommendations, & Regulatory Updates section for new respiratory disease season updates. Learn what’s new for sick or exposed healthcare workers and how to prevent the spread of respiratory diseases at your workplace.
Then, grab a few ready-to-use training tools to help your team put prevention into action.
What to Expect:
- VDH Respiratory Disease Resources: Find flyers, social media graphics, and healthy habits tools. You’ll also find vaccine information, flu materials, and more.
- CDC Respiratory Illness Season Toolkit: Find posters, handouts, social media graphics, and videos. Use them to help your team prepare for respiratory disease season.
- National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) Respiratory Disease Resources: Mix up your flu education with 30-second videos and graphics. You’ll also find the “Wild to Mild” campaign and an antiviral infographic.
Put it into Action:
- Start early. Add a reminder to your next staff huddle. Post one in a waiting area.
- Keep it quick. Show a short video at a meeting.
- Mix it up. Share a new message each week. Cover vaccines, healthy habits, symptoms, or treatment.
- Know what’s going around. Check Virginia respiratory disease data. Share key updates with your team.
Start now and keep it simple. You’ll have tools ready when you need them.
Target Audience: Foundational & Intermediate IPC Education Level
Ready for Anything: EVMS and Compassionate Crisis Care
The COVID-19 pandemic showed us the tough challenges faced by long-term care residents and their caregivers. It also led to a great team effort that we’re excited to share. Dr. Paul Aravich from Eastern Virginia Medical School of Macon and Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University led a group from all over Virginia to create the Compassionate Crisis Care video series.
These videos are a valuable tool for healthcare workers, caregivers, and emergency responders. They teach how to provide compassionate care during emergencies like disasters and pandemics. The videos offer practical techniques for handling tough situations with empathy and skill. The Compassionate Crisis Care team has made a big impact by focusing on this important part of infection prevention and control.
We encourage you to watch these helpful videos and celebrate the Compassionate Crisis Care team’s important work. Congratulations to everyone involved for their outstanding contribution to improving crisis care!
Image: Behind the scenes peek of VPM videographers and actor preparing to do a nasal swab on a nursing home resident with dementia (not seen).
