On January 4, two Ho-Chunk Nation Health Department Employees,
Ronelle McKernan, and Alissa Ginkowski were accepted into the Local and Tribal Health
Department (LTHD) Infection Prevention Pilot Program.
This competitive pilot program allows LTHDs to apply for one staff
member to work more closely with their Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI)
Prevention Program Regional Infection Preventionist and participate in
infection prevention and control (IPC) and HAI trainings, collaborate on
outbreak response and on-site visits, and engage in other focused educational
opportunities.
The purpose of the pilot is to provide LTHD staff with IPC
education and experiences that strengthen local capacity to respond to HAI,
multidrug-resistant organism and infection prevention questions and concerns
from health care facilities in their communities.
The infection prevention pilot program is a six-month
program and participants must be able to dedicate four to five hours a week to
participating in program activities.