LHJ Partnerships

SHARP/ STRIKE CDC Grant Funded LHJs

In September 2022, Chelan-Douglas, Kitsap, Seattle-King, Skagit, Snohomish, Spokane, Tacoma Pierce and Whatcom Counties received two-year SHARP/STRIKE grant funding from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to build or strengthen Healthcare Associated Infection & Antimicrobial Response (HAIAR) programs in their jurisdictions. If your local health jurisdiction (LHJ) is interested in strengthening its HAIAR program, please continue to check back here for announcements of future funding opportunities! Training resources are also listed below.

With this funding, these LHJs have each been able to:

Hire infection preventionists (IP) and public health nurses.
Attend Infection Prevention Champions training to prepare for the Certification in Infection Prevention and Control (CIC) exam.
Plan to attend conferences for programs such as the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), the Council of State & Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), and others.
Enroll their IPs in APIC memberships.
Expand infection control assessment and response (ICAR) activities, both for COVID/respiratory illness and non-COVID response.
Begin using the REDcap database for ICAR reporting.
Increase outreach to local healthcare facilities, including long-term care (LTC) adult family homes (AFH), skilled nursing facilities (SNF), dialysis centers and hospitals.

While still in the beginning stages of this program, a few additional projects these LHJs have been working on with this funding as of February 2023 are as follows:

Leena Quraini, MPH & Peter Williams
Leena joined CDHD in December Working to become acquainted with CDHD, the Chelan-Douglas area (recently moved from Texas), and SHARP/STRIKE goals and expectations. Working to initiate monthly meetings with local IPs

Josh Harmon, PHN & Michelle McMillan
Josh joined KHD in September. Trying to schedule monthly meetings with SNF IPs and has received a lot of good feedback from them so far. Recently gave a presentation on CRE. Gaining traction collaborating with ACH. First onsite visit in a long time will occur next week. Lead first ICAR last week.

Stephanie Sharpe, PHN, CIC
Recently passed CIC exam! Working on scheduling IP meetings: one for AL/SL/AFH/Home Health facilities and one for ACH/SNF facilities. Meeting with ACH labs to review procedures and reporting for MDROs and CREs. Collaborated with Skagit Regional Health to do an investigation of a CPO (no + test results). Updating SCHD’s website to include more LTC resources. Focusing more on emergency preparedness and is planning tabletop exercises with that tea

Stephanie Sharpe, PHN, CIC

Recently passed CIC exam!
Working on scheduling IP meetings: one for AL/SL/AFH/Home Health facilities and one for ACH/SNF facilities.
Meeting with ACH labs to review procedures and reporting for MDROs and CREs.
Collaborated with Skagit Regional Health to do an investigation of a CPO (no + test results).
Updating SCHD’s website to include more LTC resources.
Focusing more on emergency preparedness and is planning tabletop exercises with that tea

Claire Brostrom-Smith, Tiana Jones & Emily Spence-Davizon
Will host a virtual c. auris tabletop next week for facilities, with 44 participants registered. Planning more in-person tabletop exercises for Spring, collaborating with Snohomish HD in March & TPCHD in February. Building an ICAR training program for use when onboarding new PHNs.

Samantha Matthew BSN, RN, AS-BC & Amanda Reilly
Conducting ICARS Scheduled skills demos. Planning to cohost an in-person tabletop in early March with PHSKC. Participating in DOH’s Improving Interfacility Communications COP. Working on Font reporting and providing a lot of guidance about reporting.

Mark Springer, Drew Pratt, Kira Lewis & Veronica Burns
Busy with shigella outbreak response Single-facility c. auris tabletop exercise planned. Working to update the SRHD website with more IP resources.

Spokane Regional Health District, white letters with blue background

Elle Cooper, MSN, RN & Chantou Lach
With RSV alert above the threshold, we are working on IP principles, training, and guidance. Supporting 2 large ventilator-capable SNFs with biannual proactive MDRO screening. Working to get LHJ & facility access to Point Click Care and CMT Participating in DOH Improving Interfacility Communications COP and quality improvement project to reduce the # of times patients are transferred without communicating. Cross-training CDE staff in IP and response to MDRO cases. Setting up a process to request ICARs online.

Elle Cooper, MSN, RN & Chantou Lach

With RSV alert above the threshold, we are working on IP principles, training, and guidance.
Supporting 2 large ventilator-capable SNFs with biannual proactive MDRO screening.
Working to get LHJ & facility access to Point Click Care and CMT
Participating in DOH Improving Interfacility Communications COP and quality improvement project to reduce the # of times patients are transferred without communicating.
Cross-training CDE staff in IP and response to MDRO cases.
Setting up a process to request ICARs online.

Zacchary Doobovsky PHN, BSN, RN, CIC, Harp Cheema BSN, RN & Katy Vilders BSN, RN, PHN
Develop a manual for policies/procedures for ICARs, combining state DOH guidelines and others. Create a training program to provide congregate and non-congregate healthcare facilities with quantitative respiratory fit testing. Plan to purchase a fit testing machine to loan out to facilities.

Whatcom County Health District, white letters with teal background

LHJ Partnerships

SHARP/ STRIKE CDC Grant Funded LHJs

Resources