Bug Busters!
This month, we are featuring the UVA Health Infection Prevention and Control (IP&C) team and their Bug Busters program!
Attending the IP Roadshow with Ginger Vanhoozer from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) inspired Julianna Felsher, Jim Hovanec, Ann Sidebottom, and Fati Craighead to bring fun infection prevention and control education to acute care at UVA Health University Medical Center in Charlottesville, Virginia.
In August 2024, the IP&C team launched a mobile poster board initiative to deliver timely, engaging education across units. The cart (with candy, of course!) features rotating content on key topics like catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), and other relevant infection prevention efforts. Each section is updated monthly, with educational materials attached via Velcro® for easy customization. The team spends about 30 minutes per unit, giving staff the flexibility to engage around their clinical duties. Creative themes–such as December’s festive “Grinch Busters”–help draw attention and boost participation.
Bug Busters has been very well received by the staff who have commented on how much they love the colorfulness of the board, the informal setting, and of course, the candy! The casual nature of education encourages staff to ask questions that they may not have realized they even had. They have even had departments such as wound care ask how they can create their own education programs just like this one.
Thank you to the UVA Health IP&C team for sharing your program with us and helping our readers find creative ways to bring education to the masses!
VDH Southwest Regional Team Infection Prevention Mentorship Program
This month, Paige Bordwine, Southwest Regional Epidemiologist with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is highlighting the successes of an infection prevention mentorship program among health department staff in her region.
The Southwest Virginia Regional Infection Prevention team consists of three infection preventionists (IPs), supported by regional containment team members who assist with COVID-19 investigation and prevention. To strengthen IPC expertise and expand regional support, the IPs began mentoring containment team members. Through shadowing during on-site IPC assessments, mentees gained hands-on experience in conducting observations, providing education, and offering resources to address facility needs.
After facilities receive their recommendations report, an IP mentee follows up to address questions and needs, as well as provide education, observations, and interventions based on the IPC assessment. Notably, many skilled nursing and congregate care facilities lacked trained N95 fit testers. In response, the regional team assigned a specialist to conduct train-the-trainer sessions and assist with initial fit testing.
The Southwest Region has received excellent feedback on the value of the IP mentee program. Facilities benefit from mentee support, while mentees gain infection prevention experience, often using the program as a pathway to becoming infection preventionists and pursuing certification in infection control. Mentees describe the experience as rewarding, impactful, and an invaluable learning opportunity.
Celebrating Sue Moeslein’s Dedication to Mentorship
Susan (Sue) Moeslein is not just a leader in infection prevention, she’s a mentor shaping the next generation of professionals. With over 40 years in healthcare and 17 years as an infection preventionist (IP), Sue has been a steadfast advocate for patient safety and quality of care. With a diverse background spanning various healthcare settings and roles including infection prevention and care management, Sue has brought her wealth of experience to Health Quality Innovators (HQI).
Sue is passionate about mentoring the next generation of IPs. As co-chair of the APIC-Virginia/VDH IP Mentorship Program, she has been instrumental in the program’s success. Recognizing the challenges faced by early-career IPs, Sue played a key role in developing this structured, low-burden mentorship program. By pairing experienced IPs with newcomers, the program fosters professional growth, enhances knowledge sharing, and standardizes best practices across the field. Sue’s dedication helped create a scalable model that supports both mentors and mentees while reducing the workload on seasoned professionals.
Thanks to her efforts, the mentorship program has seen high engagement, strong retention rates, and overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants. With structured learning modules, interactive discussions, and continuing education credits, mentees gain the skills and confidence needed to excel in infection prevention.
Sue’s passion for mentorship embodies the spirit of collaboration and leadership. Her work ensures that infection prevention professionals across Virginia are supported, empowered, and prepared for success.
Fun Facts About Sue
- Celebrating her 43rd wedding anniversary this year
- Has 3 grandchildren
- Registered nurse for 42 years
- In her spare time, she loves to quilt (and is very good at it)
Infection Prevention Made Fun: Creative Ideas for Staff Involvement
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!
VDH Infection Prevention Education in the Northwest Region
Kayleigh Rehkopf, VDH’s Northwest Regional Infection Preventionist, would like to highlight three VDH staff in the Northwest region (Stephanie Neal, Candace Ashworth, and Brad Evert) for their outstanding work in infection prevention and control (IPC) education!
Stephanie is the Junior District Epidemiologist for Lord Fairfax Health District, and she has been working on preparing and disseminating IPC education for nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and schools. Brad and Candace, part of the Regional Containment Team, eagerly jumped in to help with the education and went outside their normal scope of work to be a part of this important initiative. They did a great job familiarizing themselves with the education and making connections in the community to deliver the content effectively. Having them on the team really helped to make this education effort a success.
Thank you, Stephanie, Candace, and Brad, for all that you do to keep our community safe and healthy!
VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital
This month we are highlighting the great infection prevention work at VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital. They haven’t had a reportable catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), central line-associated bloodstream infection, ventilator-associated event, MRSA bacteremia laboratory-identified event, or surgical site infection following a colon procedure in 2023 or 2024 so far! They are a small facility (only 37 beds), so even one healthcare-associated infection causes their standardized infection ratio to be high.
According to Director of Infection Prevention, Donna Tignor, and Director of Quality, Kate Bradshaw, they are most proud of their work on CAUTI reduction. VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital has the standard CAUTI prevention practices in place, such as a CAUTI prevention bundle and discussing necessity every day in interdisciplinary rounds. However, the initiative with the biggest impact was the facility’s effort to empower nurses to follow the nurse-driven protocol for urinary catheter removal. Despite having a nurse-driven protocol in place, nurses were still calling physicians for permission to remove the catheter. Infection prevention and nursing leaders rounded with staff to share their support for the nurse-driven protocol and empower nursing staff to follow the protocol. These leaders made a commitment to back up the nursing teams if the decision to remove a catheter under the protocol was called into question. Infection prevention at Tappahannock also performs in-person onboarding with new physicians so they can review the nurse-driven catheter removal protocol with them. This ensures that physicians are aware of the facility’s protocols and that this is a part of their culture. Great work VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital!