Infection control without adding staff — it’s not just a fluke
By
Mary Cole
Jul 26, 2023
In a recent letter to leaders in Congress, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) highlighted the “astonishing lack of attention to infection prevention and control...
Breaking news that hopefully won’t break us
By
Jean Wendland Porter
Oct 20, 2022
By now, we’ve all heard how the CDC has lowered requirements for infection control in the new world of endemic COVID-19. But here’s an abridged list anyway: Vaccination status is no longer used to...
Time for government – not nursing homes – to shoulder collective COVID-19 blame
By
Brendan Williams
Jun 07, 2021
In his 1964 State of the Union Address, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared that “[e]very American community will benefit from the construction or modernization of schools and libraries and hospitals...
How we used machine learning to reduce rehospitalizations
By
Mike Logan
Feb 12, 2021
In late 2020, I applied for a technology grant through a machine-learning technology company that builds customized, machine-learning tools based on a facility’s retrospective EHR and rehospitalization...
Facts don’t support attacking nursing home care
By
Brendan Williams
Jul 26, 2023
We can probably assume no House Select Subcommittee will stage a showy hearing to examine the recent finding that the excess mortality rate was better during the COVID-19 pandemic for those with dementia...
The delta variant and long-term care: Key liability and risk considerations
By
James “JJ” Maskowitz
Sep 08, 2021
Over the course of 2020, it became apparent that long-term care facilities needed to be thoroughly prepared for unexpected health or safety issues. Facilities around the nation learned that it is vital...
Expect the unexpected
By
Jean Wendland Porter
Apr 26, 2021
It’s a beautiful spring day in April in Northeast Ohio, and there are four inches of snow on the ground. It’s covering the daffodils and the apple blossoms. This is not unusual nor unexpected,...
The punitive fist versus the hand of support
By
Buffy Lloyd-Krejci, DrPH, CIC
May 03, 2023
In the late 2010s, the long-term care industry began to take action that would reflect the growing importance of incorporating robust infection prevention practices. Facilities were required to develop...
The significance of on-site medical staff and timely communication during COVID and beyond
By
Randall J. Morse, MD
Deborah Freedman, RN
May 14, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic, which initially affected the long-term care community disproportionately, led to significant changes within skilled nursing centers. As we continue to emerge from COVID and the overall...
Now is the time to remove the slippers
By
Martie Moore
Feb 10, 2021
The noise overhead was deafening. I had relocated to the basement as the roofers tore off old and added new. Because of schedule delays, the roofing project careened into a day when I was scheduled to...