New Infection Control Centre Established

Patients will benefit from better co-ordinated and consistent ways to limit the spread of infection with the province's first Infection Prevention and Control Centre.

The centre, an initiative of the Department of Health, will set provincewide standards and provide oversight and support to health-care providers that ensure infection prevention and control practices are used.

"This is a valuable service that will deliver best-practice guidelines, enhanced competencies and additional resources," said Health Minister Maureen MacDonald. "Providing a level of care that includes good infection prevention and control has always been critical in health-care settings.

"With the influenza pandemic, it has become more crucial to put all of the appropriate measures possible in place to limit the spread of infection."

Staff of the Infection Prevention and Control Centre can offer clinical expertise to health-care professionals with two full-time consultants certified in infection control and epidemiology. The team supports a network of about 30 infection control practitioners from District Health Authorities and long-term care facilities, as well as many other professionals from health-service provider organizations such as pre-hospital care, group homes, correctional facilities and shelters.

"The opening of this centre reflects the efforts of many dedicated professionals within the infectious disease, public health and infection control sectors, and reflects a responsive government that understands the importance of good infection control practice in the care of the patients and clients we serve," said the centre's director, Erin Anderson.

"The province is moving forward in an important way to improve the safety and quality of care that patients receive by establishing this centre," said Dr. Lynn Johnston, chief of infectious diseases for Capital Health. "Health care associated infections represent the single largest risk faced by patients during the course of their care. The centre should help minimize this risk.

"Already this program has been an invaluable resource for infection control practitioners as they have prepared for the H1N1 pandemic."

Infection prevention and control programs have been widely recognized to be clinically and cost effective to prevent and control the spread of infections in health-care settings.