Infection Control - August 2020
India Deploys Portable, Foldable Covid Hospital
Facility can be set up in a few hours by fewer than five people
8/31/2020
Mobile COVID Clinical Trial Travels To Nursing Homes
An experimental drug to halt sudden outbreaks is being tested
8/31/2020
Staten Island Hospital Installs Thermal Scanners
Employees and visitors can be tested when entering the hospital
8/31/2020
Many Doctors Say Pandemic Won't Be Contained Until June
Eighty-six percent of physicians said COVID-19 won't be under control until at least January 2021
8/28/2020
Selecting the Right Steam Control Mechanism
Moving beyond ‘business as usual’ regulators and relief valves to explore different steam control options
8/28/2020
Report: Nursing Homes Facing Severe Staffing And Protective Equipment Shortages
Report includes results from a new national database containing 98 percent of U.S. nursing homes
8/28/2020
Legionella May Be COVID-19 Reopening Risk
Stagnant water can be a breeding ground for waterborne pathogens, like legionella. Here's how to reduce the risk
8/28/2020
Study: Children With Covid May Be More Contagious Than Adults
Infected children had significantly higher levels of virus in their airways
8/27/2020
CMS to Resume Routine Nursing Home Inspections
Onsite revisit surveys, non-immediate jeopardy complaint surveys and annual recertification surveys will resume
8/27/2020
Connecticut Report Says Nursing Home Staff Should Not Work In Multiple Facilities
The report also said that facilities assign staff to the same units and schedule longer shifts to cut down on departures and arrivals
8/27/2020
What to Know about Germicidal Lighting And Coronavirus
Fighting pathogens with lighting is not new, but can be tricky
8/26/2020
Solar-Powered Hospitals Saving Lives in Congo
The installation at a hospital consists of 100 solar panels and seven batteries capable of accumulating the necessary energy to run the facilities for two full days
8/26/2020
N.C. Hospital Launches Drone Delivery Service
The drones transport medicines and personal protective equipment
8/26/2020
7 Million N95 Masks From Federal Stockpile Earmarked For Nursing Homes
Stockpile has 44 million masks
8/25/2020
Strike Teams Deployed To Combat Covid-19 in Nursing Homes
States are sending teams to help with outbreaks
8/25/2020
N.J. Hospitals Install Temperature Screening System for COVID-19
Alerts from thermal imaging cameras can be sent instantly to medical staff or security personnel
8/25/2020
Personal Robots Used In Senior Facilities May Be Vulnerable To Cyberattacks
Cybersecurity experts tested the robots and found four separate vulnerabilities
8/24/2020
COVID Patient Cohorting Can Come With Challenges
There are a number of considerations when planning patient-care arrangements during a pandemic
8/24/2020
A Healthcare Facility Lighting Retrofit Checklist
How do you begin to coordinate and come up with funds to replace lighting systems across thousands of square feet?
8/24/2020
Clean Energy Microgrid Built For Covid-19 Hospital In Migrant Camp
Batteries combined with photovoltaics provide power for the pop-up clinic
8/24/2020
N.Y. Hospital Sets Up Outdoor Visits For Elderly Patients
Rome Memorial Hospital helping its residents reconnect
8/21/2020
Flu Season With COVID Uncharted Territory For Healthcare Facilities
Things could be complicated because there’s going to be no way to distinguish between the two — without better testing capabilities
8/21/2020
N.Y. Hospital Adds Brick Pizza Oven To Energize Retail Cafeteria
So far, the North Shore Hospital cafe is open only to staff
8/21/2020
The ‘Hospital Of Tomorrow’ Expected To Extent Beyond Hospital Walls
Coronavirus accelerating the transition
8/21/2020
Texas COVID Recovery Centers Ready For Patients
State’s largest recovery centers located at Casa de Amistad and the McAllen Convention Center
8/21/2020
Mayo Clinic Hospital Has Salad-Making Robots
Fresh Food Robots program may be future of food service
8/20/2020
VA To Welcome Volunteers Back to Healthcare Facilities
Some volunteer roles will be new, modified, virtual or remain paused
8/20/2020
Monitoring Feedback Recommended For Hand-Hygiene Programs
Monitoring hand-hygiene performance and providing personnel with feedback is key
8/20/2020
Preventing HVAC From Spreading Airborne Coronavirus
Good ventilation, filtration and humidity control can be crucial to mitigating the spread in facilities
8/20/2020
IoT Leverages Existing Systems To Effect Operating Efficiencies
Actionable data drives value across organizations
8/20/2020
Report Links Spike In New Nursing Home COVID Cases To Community Spread
The report shows these cases increased in July after having dropped in June
8/19/2020
Best Practices for Healthcare Data Collection During COVID-19 and Beyond
Every COVID-19 case offers an opportunity to learn
8/19/2020
Study: Cleaning COVID Hospital Rooms Requires Contact Precautions
Education about infection prevention and maintaining adequate supplies of personal protective equipment was emphasized
8/19/2020
San Francisco Health Department May Cut Ties With Sheriff’s Department
Disproportionate use of force with Black patients in the ER cited
8/18/2020
Technology Key To Transforming Dorms to Alternative Hospital Space
When states look for pop-up hospitals, college housing is often one of the options to consider
8/18/2020
Inspecting, Testing, And Maintaining Fire Alarm Systems
Refer to Chapter 14 of NFPA 72 to understand minimum levels of performance for fire alarm systems
8/18/2020
Switching From Phone To Video Telehealth
The Institute for Family Health was conducting 1,800 telehealth visits per day — about two-thirds of which were via telephone
8/17/2020
Securing A Hospital Campus During A Pandemic
Protecting entries to healthcare facilities is key
8/17/2020
Glasgow Hospitals Increasing Security After Rise In Attacks
Since March, hospital staff have reported more than 2,300 attacks
8/17/2020
California Senior Care Homes Still Aren’t Ready for Wildfires
State and federal laws demand that long-term care facilities plan and train to keep residents safe in a disaster
8/17/2020
Proper Handling and Laundering of Bed Linen Can Help Curb Infection
Fabrics are sometimes overlooked as a potential source of healthcare-acquired infection
8/14/2020
Study: Healthcare Workers Of Color Nearly Twice As Likely To Get COVID
They were also more likely to care for COVID-19 patients and report having PPE issues
8/14/2020
Keeping Facility Ice Machines Clean and Safe
Ice machines can become contaminated with bacterial and viruses. These pathogens are often introduced by a person using the ice machine – not the machine itself.
8/14/2020
Keeping Patients, Staff Safe With Smart Healthcare Facilities
A look at the future of integrated life safety
8/14/2020
Hospitals Tracking COVID-19 With Sensors On Employee Badges
If a patient or staffer is diagnosed with the virus, the sensor system can pull up a map that shows who might have been in close proximity
8/13/2020
National Guard Helping Ease Long-Term Care Facilities’ Staffing Issues
National Guard members are also help run COVID-19 testing sites
8/13/2020
Preparing Healthcare Facilities for the Next Crisis
Facilities must ensure the health of patients outside of COVID, and be more prepared for the next emergency
8/13/2020
Consider Coronavirus, Hygiene Issues WIth Restrooms Upgrades
Upgrades should adapting to the pandemic, while improving productivity of custodial staff and reducing costs
8/13/2020
Telemedicine’s Impact Expected To Last Beyond Coronavirus
2020 has accelerated already-growing trend
8/12/2020
Full-Time Facilities Employees Key During Pandemic
There is no one-size-fits-all formula to determine the proper number of FTEs
8/12/2020
These High-Touch Surfaces Are Often Missed By Healthcare Facilities Cleaners
Healthcare workers are more likely to spread infection after touching these non-disinfected surfaces
8/12/2020
California Hospitals Expect To Face PPE Shortage For Next 2 Years
Hospitals across the state describe growing PPE shortages
8/11/2020
Longterm Impact From COVID-19 Expected For Senior Facilities
Facility design will need to enable residents to be smarter about living together
8/11/2020
CHP Systems Offer Energy Efficiency At The Source
A loss of power can have devastating effects, particularly in hospitals and healthcare facilities that need reliable power to keep their patients alive and healthy
8/11/2020
Orlando Hospitals Remind Public That Medical Facilities Are Not Hurricane Shelters
Facilities stress the point this year because of social distancing needs
8/10/2020
Anesthesiologist Tracking Healthcare Workers Killed By COVID-19
Industry professionals say the lack of good official data is putting lives in danger
8/10/2020
Study Said Healthcare Workers Wearing PPE Still Have Three Times The COVID-19 Risk
Minority workers have an even greater risk, the study said. Minority care providers were five times more likely to contract Covid-19 than white colleagues.
8/10/2020
Hospitals Prepare For Hurricane Season During Pandemic
COVID-19 has many hospitals planning to shelter in place
8/10/2020
Georgia Reopens Temporary Hospital in Atlanta To Deal With Covid Surge
The Georgia World Congress Center facility has a 120-bed capacity
8/7/2020
Use Of Domestic Medical Suppliers More Expensive
Johns Hopkins VP says 40-cent surgical gowns now cost $9
8/7/2020
Using Resources Wisely During COVID-19:
Waste and recycling options for healthcare facilities
8/7/2020
Inspection After First Covid Case Finds Va. Hospital Staffers Failed To Clean Hands And Equipment
A state inspector cited the issues at Maryview Medical Center in Portsmouth during an unannounced visit this spring
8/7/2020
Pennsylvania Nursing Homes' Second COVID-19 Wave Linked To Mistakes
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expects a second wave to start in the fall, during the traditional flu season, but the increase seen in Pennsylvania has begin early
8/6/2020
Healthcare FMs Challenged with Unified Response for Facilities Nationwide
Varied responses offer an opportunity to learn and share best practices across geographies that much more quickly
8/6/2020
Mayo Clinic Invests $1M To Expand Telehealth
Expansive telemedicine network available to treat COVID-19 patients
8/6/2020
FEMA Sends Gowns Without Arm Holes And Strapless Masks To Care Homes
$134 million shipment to frontline workers included ‘glorified garbage bag gowns’
8/6/2020
California Hospital Weathering Supply Chain Challenges
Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital’s parent company acquired stake in PPE manufacturer
8/6/2020
South Carolina Hospital Installing Tents As It Deals With COVID-19 Patients
Regional Medical Center Orangeburg Hospital is also preparing for the upcoming hurricane season
8/5/2020
The Importance Of Surge Protection In Healthcare Facilities
Ventilators and other monitors must have a constant stream of power to reduce risks to patients
8/5/2020
Microgrids in Hospitals Can Support Bolster Public Health
Hospitals need electricity for critical functions such as ventilators and dialysis machines
8/5/2020
Regulatory Compliance at Healthcare Facilities As Non-Covid Patients Return
The policies around the handling and disposing of PPE may have changed
8/4/2020
Hand Hygiene Even More Important in the Post-COVID-19 Era
Healthcare facilities must sustain the gains achieved during the pandemic
8/4/2020
Puerto Rico Lacks Hospital To Survive COVID-19
Puerto Rico has a surge in COVID-19 infections
8/4/2020
Telemedicine Market Expected to Hit $175 Billion by 2026
The rising number of COVID-19 infections across the globe is one of the key factors driving the demand for telemedicine
8/4/2020
Hospital Cyber Attacks On the Rise with Covid
Temporary facilities are potentially adding to the problem
8/4/2020
23 Employees, 13 Patients Infected At Mass. Hospital After Employee Visited A Coronavirus Hotspot
The coronavirus cluster emerged on a non-COVID unit
8/3/2020
Tenn. Hospitals Preparing Extra Space If Needed For Covid-19 Patients
COVID-19 hospitalizations are hitting new highs in the region
8/3/2020
Contact Tracing Gets Real
Hospitals and clinics look to location based intelligence (LBI) for fully automated, real-time contact and contagion tracking
8/3/2020
NICUs Facing Unique Challenges During Covid
A patient is labor is not going to be asked to wear a mask
8/3/2020
Some R.I. Hospitals Getting Pushback on Mask Requirements
A state ban ban on hospital visits changed in July and restrictions were eased — but not lifted
8/3/2020
Germicidal Technologies Can Reduce Hospital Airborne Pathogens
UV-C energy can fortify hospital defenses against infectious diseases by reducing their concentrations without increasing their resistance to medicines
8/1/2020
