Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1311160
13 INFECTION CONTROL Michigan to fund infection control training for direct care workers By Erica Carbajal T he Michigan Department of Public Health and Human Services will provide $50,000 in COVID-19 relief funding to make free infection control training available for direct care workers, the state said Oct. 22. Impart Alliance, a research team at Michigan State University in East Lansing, will use the funding to develop infection control training curriculum as part of a larger effort to strengthen the state's direct care workforce. Training is meant to provide home- and community-based service program workers with enhanced infection prevention skills and resources. Such training is currently only required for employees working in nursing facilities. "Without proper training on infection control, direct care workers could unknowingly transfer COVID-19 or other infectious diseases from client to client, and put themselves, their families and the greater community at risk," Kate Massey, senior deputy director of MDHHS' Medical Services Administration, said in a news release. Training will be available for direct care workers by the end of 2020. n Maine hospital failed to enact adequate COVID-19 measures, inspection finds By Erivca Carbajal A CMS investigation revealed several infection control deficiencies at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, including some employees entering the building without face masks and unsanitary conditions in rooms, Maine Public reported Nov. 2. Surveyors visited the hospital in July and August and reported "dried brown liquid on the floor of rooms, tubing from IV machines touching the floor and overflowing trash cans" in the intensive care unit, according to Maine Public. e hospital also failed to take the temperature of some staff and visitors. "e couple of examples that were cited, we own them. We need to do a better job making sure that we are always following the same protocols that we have throughout our hospital," CMO John Alexander, MD, told Maine Public. Dr. Alexander also noted that the incidents came at the same time the hospital was facing staffing shortages due to a COVID-19 outbreak at a local nursing facility. A re-inspection has since confirmed that CMMC has resolved the issues, Dr. Alexander said in a statement to Becker's. "e actions CMMC executed included further restriction of entry points by staff, patients and visitors, with documentation of screening results for everyone entering the facility, heightened surveillance of the use of personal protective equipment, and improved documentation of cleaning and sanitizing patient care areas," Dr. Alexander said. e hospital said it is continuing to work with the state's department of health and human services and the CDC to ensure proper infection prevention measures are taken. n Half of isolation gowns from global suppliers don't meet US standards, report finds By Mackenzie Bean M ore than half of disposable isolation gowns tested by the ECRI Institute failed to meet standard protection levels, the patient safety organization said Nov. 10. ECRI researchers evaluated 34 disposable gowns from international or nontraditional suppliers. They found 52 percent of them failed to meet the lowest protection standards of the Association for the Advance- ment of Medical Instrumentation. The patient safety organization warned against using isolation gowns from international suppliers, as they may put employees at risk of exposure to various pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2. If healthcare organizations have no other option, the gowns should only be worn in "extremely low-risk circumstances," ECRI said. "Hospitals have been ramping up their procurement of isolation gowns to protect workers from the novel coronavirus, and we're finding that many of the products they are buying simply do not meet basic protection standards," Marcus Schabacker, MD, PhD, president and CEO of ECRI, said in a news release. "Our research shows that you can't judge the authenticity of the product based on its appearance, labeling or packaging, without product-testing." n