As Governor Gavin Newsom announced on May 4, 2020, California began to ease some of the restrictions in place starting Friday, May 8, 2020, introducing the state to the beginning of Phase 2 of California’s four-stage reopening plan. Reopening without the proper protective bulwarks can have dire ramifications. One crucial…
Articles Posted in Infections
The Importance of Infection Control During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Life Care Center of Kirkland in Washington, the first long-term care facility in the United States with a wide-scale coronavirus outbreak, was recently charged with a $600,000 fine for deficiencies that enabled the virus’ spread. Additionally, due to the slew of deficiencies, they are at risk of losing their Medicare…
The CDPH Mandate Requiring Admission of COVID-19 Positive Patients into Nursing Homes
The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, has left unprecedented marks on society, triggering stay-at-home orders, shelter-in-place orders, ceasing all in-office activities for non-essential businesses, implementing social distancing measures, to mention a few. The airborne respiratory disease is highly contagious and unfortunately, fatal to a percentage of its victims. And as novel as…
Long-Term Care Staff Must Strive to Prevent Pressure Ulcers
The prevalence of chronic wounds located in the lower extremity area is high among older adults. Not only can they be extremely deleterious and pose major health risks, they also increase socioeconomic burden because of the high expenses of wound care, long duration of healing time, increased complication rate and…
The 24-Hour Report as an Effective Infection Prevention Tool in Nursing Homes
A recent study exploring the effectiveness of twenty-four-hour reports in infection prevention and control showed that they are essential components. Infections are known to be highly prevalent among nursing home residents and can lead to morbidity and mortality. This fact is unsurprising, considering that residents are constantly clustered in constrained…
Las Vegas Hospital Sued for Negligence in a Tuberculosis Case
Summerlin Hospital, located in Las Vegas, is currently being sued by former patients, visitors, and employees for negligence. Those bringing suit are claiming that the hospital failed to take precautionary measures, endangering the health and lives of staff, patients, and others by exposing them to a woman and at least…
Using Lysostaphin to Combat Staphylococcal Infections
Lysostaphin is a natural enzyme that functions as an antibacterial against staphylococcal infections including Staphylococcal aureus and Staphylococcal epidermidis. It is effective against combating these infections because it attacks the bacterial cellular wall of staphylococci, and is capable of destroying the bacterium within minutes. Staphylococcal aureus infections, particularly MRSA (methicillin-resistant…
Healthcare-Associated Infections Threaten Elderly Residents in Nursing Homes
All elderly individuals residing in nursing homes are highly susceptible to healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), a significant cause of fatalities and needless suffering. Common healthcare-associated infections include urinary tract infections, skin infections such as pressure ulcers, pneumonia, influenza, scabies, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). These infections are known as healthcare-associated infections…