The meeting was called to order at 12:20 PM with the following members in attendance: Barbara O’Grodnick, Chris Orris, Karlene Brown, Judy Wrenn, Linda Hjort, Raeann Paparello, Ann O’Dea, Sue Dubb and 3 new members: Melody Solano, Beth Samuels and Kim Gray.

Sue opened the meeting with introductions of those at the meeting. She then proceeded to provide the group with an update on infectious disease that she had recently received while attending the June Quarterly CAPHN meeting.

MER CoV Update: 3 cases to date in the US. All were HCWs with a history of working with MER CoV patients in Saudi Arabia. All 3 have recovered without... (Read full report, click/tap on graphic.)

West Nile virus (WNV) was first identified in Connecticut in 1999. The Department of Public Health (DPH) in collaboration with other state agencies and local governments implemented surveillance systems in 2000. These surveillance systems included tracking WNV infections in humans, horses, wild birds, and mosquitoes. It was determined that mosquito surveillance was the best sustainable indicator of potential human infections. The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station maintains 91 mosquito trap sites in 73 towns statewide. The trapping sites were selected based on habitat, proximity to residential areas, and historical findings.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),West Nile virus (WNV) infection can cause serious disease; considered a seasonal epidemic in North America that flares up in the summer and continues into the fall spread by the bite of an infected mosquito.

Florence Nightingale
May 12, 1820 – August 13, 1910


Florence Nightingale, the daughter of the wealthy landowner, William Nightingale of Embly Park, Hampshire, is credited with pioneering modern nursing, was born in Florence, Italy. The family returned to England when Miss Nightingale was one years of age in 1821.


In spite of the advantages for being born into a prominent wealthy family, she did not want to settle for a life of marriage nor content to do good works on the estates with her mother and sister; she pondered on the need for charity and the causes of poverty and unemployment."

Biographer, Colin Matthew, has pointed out: "Florence was a good mimic, attractive to men, and had a number of suitors; many of the men she met through her parents remained lifelong friends....” Florence refused to marry several suitors, and at the age of twenty-five told her parents she wanted to become a nurse. Her parents were totally opposed to the idea as nursing was associated with working class women.

A request has been made to ask Infection Preventionists in the Long-Term Care Facilities of Connecticut to provide information about their statistics regarding the Healthcare Acquired Infection rates if they are using the McGeer’s Criteria, the request is for annual 2013 rates for HAIs. This is one way to benchmark to see how your facility is doing in comparison to others. No facility names will be disclosed. Please email Jane F. from the Jerome Home.  
                                                                                  

97 Percent of Nurses Say it Boosts Confidence

BY SUE MONTGOMERY, RN, BSN
"You know you’re good at what you do, so why invest the time, angst and money involved in pursuing specialty certification? It’s a good question, but if you understand some of the potential benefits of certification, you may find yourself signing up before you know it."

After being introduced by Mistress of Ceremony, Carol Kellog, Fairfield Chapter President, Denise DuBrino welcomed the attendees and likened the ICNC 2014 Annual Spring Seminar as the infection control version of the “Hunger Games.” This was it; the day had come when the Fairfield Chapter saw all their planning and hard work come to fruition. The seminar, held at the beautiful Aqua Turf Club hosted 120 attendees and 28 vendors.

Event: Annual Spring Seminar
Topic: Topics of Interest in Infection Control
Time: 7:45AM - 4:00PM
Date: April 4, 2014
Place: Aqua Turf Club
Address: Mulberry Street, Plantsville, CT  06479

Who Should Attend?

Infection Preventionists, Nurse Educators, Nursing Administrators and Nurses from LTC, acute care, public health, behavioral health  and home care.

This activity has been submitted to the Connecticut Nurses’ Association for approval to award contact hours. The Connecticut Nurses’ Association is accredited as an approver of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

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