COMMUNICATIONS AND COMMITTEES                                                                                                         13-02-009

INFECTION CONTROL COMMITTEE

 

POLICY STATEMENT.

The Division of Veterans Healthcare Services (DVHS) requires each of the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Homes (VMH) to establish manuals of policies and procedures for providing services.  Procedures shall permit the organization of committees, as needed, to ensure compliance with the New Jersey Standards for Licensure of Long Term Care Facilities, and with applicable Federal and New Jersey State Administrative Codes, related laws, regulatory and licensing standards.

PURPOSE.

This policy and procedure shall ensure that each VMH establishes and maintains an Infection Control Committee which shall review and update all infection control policies and procedures, periodically review infection control surveillance data, and formulate recommendations to the CEO regarding infection control activities in the VMH.

PROCEDURE.

  1. New Jersey Veterans Memorial Homes’ Infection Control Committee

    1. The New Jersey Veterans Memorial Homes shall establish, under the direction of an Infection Control Coordinator with education, training, completed course-work, and/or experience in infection control or epidemiology, an Infection Control Committee, given the authority and charged with the responsibility for overseeing the prevention and control of infections within the facility.

      1. Infection Control Committee

        1. Committee membership shall be representative of the following services:

          1. Infection Control Coordinator

          2. Medical Director or designee

          3. Administration (CEO or ACEO)

          4. Director of Nursing or designee

          5. Quality Improvement Coordinator

          6. Employee Health Nurse

          7. Rehabilitation Department Manager or designee

          8. Food Services Director or designee

          9. Dietary Representative or designee

          10. Staff Development Coordinator

          11. Housekeeping Representative

          12. Maintenance Representative

          13. Pharmacy Representative

          14. Business Manager or designee

          15. Support Services Staff Representative(s)

        2. Subcommittees and assigned representative membership shall be determined by the Infection Control Committee for the purpose of addressing specific, related tasks, and shall carry all the authority set forth for the Infection Control Committee.

        3. The Infection Control Committee shall function as an advisory group, which serves as the organizational line of communication between the attending physicians, nursing, and support services entities.  The Committee will be a policy recommending body to the medical and nursing staff and to Administration on all matters related to infectious diseases.

        4. The Committee shall monitor the health and environmental aspects of the facility to include the development, implementation, and at least yearly revision of policies and procedures related to the prevention and control of infections, maintenance of a sanitary environment, techniques and systems for identifying infections within the facility, and with procedures for reporting to appropriate governmental agencies, which are consistent with the most up-to-date Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publications.

        5. The Infection Control Committee shall meet in accordance with applicable Federal and State rules, regulations, and standards set forth for the purpose of monitoring and overseeing the prevention and control of infections within the facility.

 

Revised:   July 2005
Revised:   July 2007
Revised:   July 2009 _

 

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