infection control

Canada acknowledges National Infection Control Week (NICW) as a time to remind the country about the importance of infection prevention and control and to celebrate those who carry the biggest responsibilities in doing so in our society. From Oct. 14-18, organizations like hospitals, long-term care facilities, and industry leaders like CloroxPro Canada take time to regroup and assess infection prevention and control throughout the year, and in advance of the colder seasons where we see a rise in illnesses in public spaces.

Infection Prevention and Control Canada (IPAC) has themed this NICW Prevent with Intent, the intention to implement measurable infection prevention and control interventions strategically so that we're better equipped as a country for future epidemics, outbreaks and illnesses.

"Throughout the year, it's IPAC's mandate to develop cleaning and disinfecting protocols, disseminate educational materials and courses and to bring the freshest thinking in the space to Canadians. National Infection Control Week is the time to acknowledge the work being done and to identify areas that can be strengthened, and to thank those who work tirelessly in this space," says Bilal Demachkie, business director, CloroxPro Canada. "CloroxPro is a big proponent of IPAC's work, and we've developed programs that we can bring back to our partners to help get these learnings out to teams responsible for some of our most vulnerable populations."

One such program is CloroxPro's lunch and learn initiative. After gleaning the top recommended protocols and learnings from IPAC's Annual National Conference, which took place in St. John's, Newfoundland this past spring, CloroxPro developed a lunch and learn program to bring those key learnings to organizations such as hospitals and long-term care facilities to share with those who were unable to attend and gather the information firsthand.

This October, CloroxPro presented at the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre in Barrie, Ontario to a group of over 40 infection prevention and control workers.

"Attending events like IPAC week is difficult for our staff, who are needed at the hospital to keep our patients, staff and visitors safe and healthy, so it's incredibly helpful to have industry partners like CloroxPro that will attend all the sessions and work with IPAC leads to synthesize the most important learnings for our team," said Lisa Dufour, Manager Professional Practice, Infection Prevention & Control, and North Central Regional IPAC Hub at RVH. "These sessions are great, because they not only provide us an opportunity to ensure we are up to date on evidence-informed practices, but also brings together a variety of organizations to facilitate collaboration. This type of approach allows us to learn from the experiences of others and integrate systems in a strategic manner in line with industry standards."