Spread Prevention - Not Infection: Celebrating our IPAC Team!
This week we celebrate National Infection Control Week and recognize the critical role that our Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) team plays in the care we provide at St. Mary’s. Our IPAC team consists of Dr. Kevin Stinson, Andreea Nicolau and Denise Roque, who work tirelessly to create the safest environment possible for our patients, staff, and community.
“While we are small, the impacts of our team are felt throughout the hospital, in every department,” says Dr. Kevin Stinson, IPAC Manager and Waterloo-Wellington Regional IPAC Hub Lead. “Helping flow patients out of the Emergency Department, working with clinicians to interpret COVID-19 testing results, managing outbreaks, and supporting leaders across the organization in enacting policies to prevent the risk of infection are just some of the things our team is involved in.”
The IPAC team works throughout the hospital and their reach extends to each and every department. They provide knowledge and expertise for the overall care environments, looking at cleaning and disinfection practices, medical device reprocessing, epidemiology, construction and renovation projects, patient flow, and pretty much anything else you can think about happening within the walls of this building.
“IPAC professionals are highly sub-specialized experts in understanding how infectious diseases spread through the healthcare setting, and how to effectively test for these pathogens and break the chain of transmission,” says Kevin. “Although part of our role is to test patients for these types of diseases, and ensure staff are maintaining proper hand hygiene, that is only part of the job.”
As subject matter experts on controlling the spread of diseases throughout the organization, the team provides support for patients, reviewing their risks for infectious diseases, and ensuring they have appropriate management to prevent transmission between patients, staff, and visitors.
“The infection control team is an integral part of the day to day operations of the hospital,” says Krysta Simpson, Director Medicine, Allied Health, IPAC. “They work alongside the patient flow team and individual units to help support patient movement across the hospital and keep patients safe by ensuring appropriate precautions are taken to prevent the spread of infection. This team also provides recommendations and direction on outbreaks within the hospital.”
IPAC teams have been at the forefront of the COVID-19 response. As a result of the pandemic, our IPAC program at St. Mary’s has transformed and evolved from where it was in 2019. The team has not only grown to take on a more hands-on approach with their clinical role, but they have also worked, and continue to work, to expand our epidemiology and research/quality improvement capabilities to drive evidence based decision making here at St. Mary’s.
St. Mary’s also leads the Regional IPAC Hub under Dr. Kevin Stinson’s leadership, which along with partners from Cambridge Memorial Hospital, Grand River Hospital and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health provide capacity building and educational support to over 200 congregate living organizations across Waterloo-Wellington. IPAC hubs across the province were established early in the pandemic to support and enhance IPAC practices in settings outside of the hospital, including long-term care homes, retirement homes, group homes, shelters, hospices, and more.
“They are a mighty team, and I am grateful that we have such a dedicated group of individuals who support our patients and staff,” says Krysta.
Thank you to our IPAC team, for continuing to go above and beyond for our patients and staff and helping us provide exceptional care.