Do you have questions about infection control clinical or regulatory guidance? Or facility sanitation or industrial hygiene? Well, we've established an EPIC Online Help Center to answer those questions. If you have any questions about infection control you can email the EPIC online Help Center at EPIC@azhca.org. You can also call the DR EPIC phone Helpline at 602-241-4644 and we will assist you.

National Preparedness Month is recognized each September to promote family and community disaster planning now and throughout the year. As we continue to respond to COVID-19, there is no better time to be involved and prepared. Check out our Disaster Ready website at www.disasterreadyaz.org for resources to guide you in your preparedness efforts.

Since 2011, AHCA has been funded by ADHS to assist skilled nursing facilities in Arizona to prepare, respond and recover from emergencies and disasters.  To help evaluate this program, we are asking providers and appropriate staff to complete this short questionnaire to identify program strengths, gaps and opportunities for improvement. Please distribute this questionnaire to key people within your facility or organization who have participated in Disaster Ready training so they can answer some simple questions and provide us with valuable feedback. Please complete this by September 25, 2020 and contact Krysten Dobson, Disaster Ready Program Manager at kdobson@azhca.org with any questions. Thank you for your support of the Disaster Ready program!

Germs are everywhere, even in the water we drink. Water systems in skilled nursing facilities can be complex and underused. Managing the health of your water systems is critical to protecting the health of your occupants and staff. Legionellosis, like many other diseases, disproportionately affects the immunocompromised (e.g. the sick and aged). Make sure you establish a team to address Legionella in your facility planning on a recurring basis. For more on Legionella prevention and response, see our EPIC Fact Sheet on Legionnaire's Disease, visit one of the other resources available through the EPIC program, or reach out to one of our EPIC consultants directly. To learn more, check out the fact sheet.

Here is a recent question answered by the DR EPIC Helpline.

Q. Can you help clarify the 28 day isolation requirement from Maricopa County? When would the first day of the isolation begin?

A. The Maricopa County guidance states that if a facility has a resident that develops COVID-19 in the building (not admitted with and not acquired within the first 14 days after admission) the facility is required to use COVID-19 isolation precautions for all residents, until 28 days have passed with no new cases. Please see below:

 

“Isolation of residents without respiratory symptoms or laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 can be lifted after 28 days (2 maximum COVID-19 incubation periods) have passed with no new cases identified in the facility who might have been exposed in the facility (i.e., resident was in the facility at any point during the 14 days before they became symptomatic/were tested). This does not include those who were known to be positive upon admission.” Here is a link to this guidance.