Infection Control - April 2020

Healthcare facilities learning agility during Covid crisis

Adjustments and innovation is helping almost every state is avoiding ICU bed shortages

4/30/2020



Technology applications for infection control

Locating and sensing services enables real-time tracking of medical equipment, staff and patients.

4/30/2020



Mold found in baby’s heart after surgery at Seattle Children’s hospital

The operating room where the baby had his procedure did not have a HEPA filter

4/29/2020



Regulations, Codes & Standards Q&A: Generators in an ambulatory surgery center

Brad Keyes discusses regulations for GFCI receptacles

4/29/2020



Plumbing upgrades focus on health and hygiene

Water conservation, less maintenance and improved hygiene are all popular targets of system improvements

4/29/2020



Keeping the lights on during COVID-19

Ventilators and other equipment essential to treating patients with acute symptoms of the virus depend on electricity to function

4/28/2020



Repurposing parking structures for COVID-19 patients

Fire and life safety requirements in parking structures are different from occupied spaces

4/28/2020



FDA says 4 million N95 masks could be reused

Emergency-use authorizations allow sterilizing and reprocessing N95 masks

4/27/2020



Pizza and takeaway donations to UK hospitals could 'compromise' infection control

Officials asked people to stop donating hot and fresh food deliveries as it increased ‘certain risks.’

4/27/2020



Flooring company creating personal protective equipment for healthcare workers

So far, two facilities have made 10,000 face shields and 5,000 gowns

4/27/2020



Cool roofs can promote energy savings

By reflecting heat, and emitting absorbed heat, they keep building cooling costs lower

4/27/2020



Five ways to minimize infection risks in a healthcare facility

In an emergency event, strict control of who’s entering the lobby needs to be maintained

4/24/2020



Real-time visibility into patient, staff and equipment locations takes safety and strategy to the next level

Searching for equipment is a consistent facility-wide challenge, and a major patient safety risk caused by distraction and delays in care delivery as staff hunts for missing items

4/24/2020





Engineering firm produces reusable face shields for DC-area hospitals

Company offers sterile 3D printer patent for COVID applications globally

4/23/2020



Keeping your ice machine clean and safe

Ice machines provide a damp and dark environment which is ideal for mold to grow

4/23/2020



Tunable white LED lighting can offer energy savings

It also offers the chance to optimize the utility of your lighting system

4/23/2020



A greener environmental services department can have a wide impact

Green practices can increase environmental sustainability and improve patient care

4/23/2020





2,000-bed coronavirus hospital being built in the Colorado Convention Center

Health officials hope to have the beds ready by the end of the month for people recovering from the new coronavirus

4/22/2020



Oklahoma hospital sets up tent for potential overflow

The tent is 19 feet wide and 20 feet long with a generator as well as heating and air units.

4/22/2020



Planning plumbing systems in healthcare facilities

With planning, managers can ensures the success of maintenance and upgrades of plumbing systems

4/22/2020



Michigan zoo donates meals, protective equipment

Binder Park Zoo staff donated medical supplies to Bronson Healthcare

4/21/2020



Research examines wastewater to detect community spread of coronavirus

Samples from a wastewater treatment plant serving a large metropolitan area found that the amount of SARS-CoV-2 particles in the sewage samples indicated a far higher number of people likely infected with Covid-19

4/21/2020



Minnesota volunteers pitching in making hospital supplies

Volunteers are manufacturing on home 3-D printers

4/21/2020



1,000-bed field hospital in Boston accepting coronavirus patients

Boston Convention and Exhibition Center transformed to temporary medical space

4/21/2020



Shuttered N.C. hospital reopened to deal with coronavirus overflow

The former Sandhills Regional Medical Center has rooms for 49 patients but could take up to 60 or 65

4/21/2020



Rhode Island is converting a former Lowe’s store into a coronavirus hospital

As many as 624 beds will be set up in the 140,000-square-foot building

4/20/2020



UV light offered to sterilize face masks for healthcare workers

Hospitals aren’t ready to jump on board yet

4/20/2020



COVID-19 reinventing how healthcare providers use mobile medical vehicles and RVs

Healthcare facilities are using specialty vehicles that are already built and upfitted for various medical uses and repurposing them to provide frontline support

4/20/2020



South Carolina expanding hospital capacity for coronavirus with three-tier plan

The surge plan is based on projections of 3,500 coronavirus patients being hospitalized in early May

4/17/2020



Disney Parks donates supplies to hospitals fighting coronavirus

Disney has donated 150,000 rain ponchos to MedShare

4/17/2020



McCormick Place hospital ready to accept patients this week

The facility includes 500 negative pressure tents

4/17/2020



Army Corps scales back size of field hospital in suburban Detroit

A 250-bed facility will be built inside the convention hall instead of the original 1,100-bed plan

4/17/2020



McCormick Place field hospital built in 5 days

Chicago convention center will eventually have 3,000 beds

4/16/2020



Soldiers, engineers building field hospital for coronavirus patients in Detroit

The upper floor will accommodate patients who require oxygen, but not a ventilator

4/16/2020



L.A. clinics lack safety supplies as coronavirus spreads

Facilities for the poor continue to face a shortage of test kits and medical equipment

4/16/2020



Transmission bacteria linked to hospital sink drain

Two patients with NDM-1 Klebsiella pneumoniae had stayed in the same room

4/16/2020



California children's hospital adds plexiglass protection to ER

Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego is seeing a drastic drop in the number of Emergency Room visits

4/15/2020



Inspections expected to focus on infection control, emergency preparedness

The Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General is expected to add COVID-19 topics to its annual work plan

4/15/2020



Lawsuit says hospital security guard prohibited from wearing mask

His supervisor allegedly berated him for wearing a mask, telling him it was against hospital policy

4/15/2020



New study demonstrates accuracy of Legionella detection test

Regular testing for Legionella pneumophila is the only way to be certain that a water management plan is working properly to prevent patient exposure

4/15/2020



Pandemic preparedness: How hospitals can adapt buildings to address worst-case scenarios

A Canadian healthcare architect looks at how hospital staff can act now to modify facilities and contain a pandemic

4/14/2020



Minnesota plans 2,750 hospital beds for ‘alternate care sites’

One site considered is a shuttered private prison in western Minnesota

4/14/2020



A 250-bed field hospital is being built inside Massachusetts’ DCU Center

Photo tour of construction posted on telegram.com

4/14/2020



CDC studies show drop in MDR bacteria, C diff in US hospitals

Infections caused by four multidrug-resistant organisms decreased in US hospitals from 2012 through 2017

4/14/2020



Plumbing strategies to reduce HAIs

Bacteria lurking in the plumbing pipes and fixtures can contribute to HAIs

4/14/2020



Lower-profile hospital workers worry about their COVID-19 risk

Many hospitals are struggling to obtain protective equipment

4/13/2020



CDC director says: 'This virus is going to be with us'

Re-embracing social distancing may be necessary

4/13/2020



Technology takes the top position in outbreak management

Cloud-based software solutions provide unified platforms where data from diagnostic tests can be gathered

4/13/2020



Librarian using 3-D printer to make equipment for healthcare workers

Public library’s printer is being used to create respirator masks

4/9/2020



3M says not sharing N95 masks could make the shortage worse

Millions of respirators are surfacing, but healthcare workers say they need more

4/9/2020



Ford, GE Healthcare to produce 50,000 ventilators by July

Car maker is using design from small tech company

4/9/2020



Nurses using baby monitors in the ICU

Healthcare workers want to limit risky interactions and preserve equipment already in short supply

4/9/2020



Minnesota looking for temporary hospital space

Officials are looking for large, vacant spaces

4/9/2020



Managing COVID-19 medical waste

The CDC has recommended that control of COVID-19 waste be handled through routine procedures

4/8/2020



Union alleges Calif. hospital risked coronavirus spread to workers

Parkview Community Hospital Medical Center in Riverside sent at least 10 employees home because they came in contact with a patient who had symptoms of coronavirus

4/8/2020



‘Healthcare facilities’ in N.J. to submit daily reports on capacity, supplies

Reports could include on bed capacity and availability of supplies, including personal protective equipment, ventilators

4/8/2020



Study says construction industry masks can be used for healthcare

Elastomeric half-mask respirators (EHMRs) provide the same level of infection protection as N95 respirators

4/7/2020



Green hospitals may be better prepared to deal with crises

Boston Medical Center monitors its energy use around the clock

4/7/2020



South Carolina hospitals set up outdoor tents to curb coronavirus spread

At Conway Medical Center, emergency patients entering through the emergency department now have to be screened in an outdoor tent before entering

4/7/2020



During a pandemic, hospital staffers urged to get better at hand-washing

Specific hand-hygiene standards for doctors, nurses and hospital staff are needed

4/7/2020



Maintenance insights to keep plumbing systems flowing

New-generation drain cleaning products offer efficiency and safety

4/7/2020



New York's Javits Center to be one of the largest hospitals in the country

There will be nearly 3,000 beds available

4/6/2020



Lessons from China’s temporary hospitals

The temporary hospitals are 10 times less expensive than building a new comprehensive COVID-19 care hospital

4/6/2020



Study: C. diff not affected by ultraviolet disinfection devices

Measuring the effectiveness of UV can be difficult

4/6/2020



Fake masks could put healthcare workers at risk

Healthcare facilities also contend with escalating costs, with some vendors raising equipment prices tenfold or more

4/6/2020



Upgrading plumbing systems can improve efficiency

Effectively diagnosing plumbing problems and performing successful upgrades can help minimize utility costs

4/6/2020



Hospital's housekeepers quitting over coronavirus safety issues

Environmental services workers say they are cleaning coronavirus rooms without proper gear

4/3/2020



CMS has redefined a hospital to include tents and dorm rooms

Hospital safety rules relaxed amid coronavirus

4/3/2020



US military is working to convert N.Y. buildings into hospitals in three or four weeks

The US Army Corps of Engineers is retrofitting hotels and dormitories

4/3/2020



Chicago’s McCormick Place to be turned into hospital

City may be ‘hot spot’ for COVID-19

4/3/2020



Healthcare workers’ masks donated by Facebook were stockpiled after wildfires

Many healthcare facilities’ frontline workers don’t have the proper protective equipment

4/3/2020



Newly approved machine can decontaminate 80,000 respirator masks a day

The decontamination system uses vapor phase hydrogen peroxide to decontaminate the masks

4/2/2020



Healthcare facilities in Nebraska are experimenting with new equipment disinfecting technique

Ultraviolet light is being used to decontaminate medical supplies at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha

4/2/2020



Applying lessons learned from 9/11 biodefense response to the COVID-19 pandemic

The most important lesson to learn is to fight the current war and plan for the next, but don’t fight the last war

4/2/2020



Southwestern Vermont Medical Center feeds the hungry with surplus food

Between July 2016 and the end of 2019, the program has produced 61,365 meals

4/2/2020



Coronavirus will affect not-for-profit hospitals for the longterm

Many hospitals are canceling profitable elective surgeries

4/2/2020



Shuttered hospitals reopening as COVID-19 spreads

State and local governments across the nation are rushing to reopen facilities

4/1/2020



How healthcare facilities can go green in 2020

Systems like Innova Health, Dignity Health and John Hopkins are even working to combat plastic pollution by eliminating plastic straws and switching to paper straws in their cafeteria facilities

4/1/2020



 
 
 


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