6/16/2026 | 3:45 PM-4:45 PM
Infection Preventionists: Not a Side Gig
Session Description: The recent pandemic provided deeper context to the ongoing struggles of long-term care settings especially with healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and the propensity for older adults, who are the primary residents of long-term care settings, to be at a higher risk of acquiring or having a HAI caused by a multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO). Peer-reviewed articles and professional experience indicate that long-term care settings, specifically skilled nursing facilities, have variable and inconsistent infection prevention and control (IPC) practices. Studies show that healthcare facilities who employ infection preventionists in a dedicated role tend to have lower incidences of IPC lapses and a more robust IPC program. Although federal regulations require a facility to have a dedicated person in the infection preventionist role, there is no requirement that this needs to be the primary or sole role of one or more persons in the facility. In recent years ongoing staffing challenges, which are well documented in literature, have caused a lapse in the dedication of a sole infection preventionist, and many facilities have needed to combine the role with the director of nursing (DON)/director of nursing services (DNS), assistant director of nursing (ADON), or other management-type roles within the long-term care setting. This presentation will provide insight into existing challenges facing infection preventionists in long-term care settings and discuss potential solutions to improve overall resident care and safety.
Heather Jones
Nurse Consultant, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Dr. Heather Jones is a nurse consultant with the long-term care team within CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion with a strong focus on infection prevention and control. She has a clinical background in long-term care, acute care, and chronic care management including extensive work in containment and reduction of communicable infectious diseases in long-term care facilities. She has worked on numerous projects throughout her career for enhancing and improving infection control measures. She has published and presented on topics of infection control, prevention, containment, and reduction during her time with CDC.
