Setting of Care: Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

APIC: Updated Monkeypox Playbook (11/07/2025)

  • Recent updates to the Monkeypox Playbook include the CDC’s Traveler Health Notice advising enhanced precautions and an updated Risk/Triage Scale recommending increased awareness. Additional information covers the current global situation of monkeypox and the latest outbreak reports.

VDH Clinician Letter: Measles Updates for Virginia (3/12/2025)

  • Stresses importance of staying alert for measles given recent exposure events and other ongoing measles outbreaks in the United States.
  • Reviews CDC guidance for preventing and controlling measles in healthcare settings including vaccine recommendations. See the CDC measles Health Advisory for more reminders about measles.

VDH Clinician Letter: Avian Influenza Update for Virginia (1/31/2025)

  • Avian influenza A(H5) has not been detected in people or dairy cattle in Virginia. It has recently been detected in Virginia in wild birds, commercial poultry, and in birds housed in a zoo collection. These detections are not unexpected, as avian influenza A(H5) virus is currently widely circulating in the environment. The risk from avian influenza viruses to the public remains low. People with job-related or recreational exposure to birds or other avian influenza virus-infected animals are at greater risk of infection.
  • Clinicians should consider the possibility of avian influenza virus infection in persons showing signs or symptoms of acute respiratory illness or conjunctivitis who have a relevant exposure history. This includes people who have had contact with potentially infected sick or dead birds, livestock, or other animals or animal products within 10 days before their symptom onset.

EMS Infectious Disease Playbook Version 2.0

2 – Foundational
Clinical / Direct Healthcare Personnel
Downloadable
Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
Emergency Preparedness & Operations
English
Free
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Post-Training Support Materials
Print Resources
Standard Precautions
Transmission-Based Precautions
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Sterile Surgical Instrument Peel Packs: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly with Amy Britton (video)

This short (2.43 minute) video provides a thorough and engaging explanation about how a worker can validate that a peel pack that has been sterilized may continue to be considered sterile, or how it should be rejected, and not used.

3 – Intermediate
Acute Care Hospital
Acute Care Rehabilitation or Long-Term Care Acute Hospital (LTACH)
Ambulatory (Outpatient) Care
Ambulatory Surgery
Clinical / Direct Healthcare Personnel
Dental
Dialysis
Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
English
Free
Hospice and Palliative Care
Infection Preventionists
Non-Clinical / Indirect Healthcare Personnel
Nursing Home / Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF)
Pediatric / NICU
Sterile Processing
VDH
Video

VDH Resource Guide for Developing a Respiratory Program

A how to guide and checklist for developing a Respiratory Protection Plan

3 – Intermediate
Acute Care Hospital
Acute Care Rehabilitation or Long-Term Care Acute Hospital (LTACH)
Ambulatory (Outpatient) Care
Ambulatory Surgery
Assisted Living Facility (ALF)
Clinical / Direct Healthcare Personnel
Dental
Dialysis
Downloadable
Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
English
Free
Home Health
Hospice and Palliative Care
Infection Preventionists
Mobile Clinic
Non-Clinical / Indirect Healthcare Personnel
Nursing Home / Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF)
Pediatric / NICU
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Print Resources
Regulatory Compliance
Standard Precautions
Transmission-Based Precautions
VDH

Environmental Rounds – What to Look For

This is a 21 minute video that describes what a team should look for while conducting environmental rounds in a healthcare facility.

3 – Intermediate
Acute Care Hospital
Acute Care Rehabilitation or Long-Term Care Acute Hospital (LTACH)
Adult Day Care
Ambulatory (Outpatient) Care
Ambulatory Surgery
Assisted Living Facility (ALF)
Auditing / Observation / Monitoring / Assessment Tools
Behavioral Health Facilities
Cleaning and Disinfection
Clinical / Direct Healthcare Personnel
Dialysis
Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
English
Free
Hand Hygiene
Hospice and Palliative Care
Infection Preventionists
Injection Safety
Mobile Clinic
Non-Clinical / Indirect Healthcare Personnel
Nursing Home / Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF)
Pediatric / NICU
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Physical Environment / Environment of Care (EOC)
Quality Improvement
Risk Assessment
SPICE
Standard Precautions
Video