American Nurses Association Partners with CDC to Improve Infection Prevention and Control Education for Nurses (2/14/17)

For Immediate Release:
February 13, 2017

Contact: Rachel Farbman | 301-628-5062
rachel.farbman@ana.org

Contact: Veronica Byrd | 301-628-5057
veronica.byrd@ana.org

American Nurses Association Partners with CDC to Improve
Infection Prevention and Control Education for Nurses

SILVER SPRING, MD — The American Nurses Association (ANA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced today that they have created the Nursing Infection Control Education (NICE) Network. This is a collaboration of 20 specialty nursing organizations that hold organizational-level membership in ANA and are committed to empowering nurses to protect themselves and their patients from infection.

NICE Network members will develop infection prevention and control training materials to assist nurses responding to and containing emerging infectious disease threats, including the Ebola and Zika viruses. An emerging infectious disease is one that is either newly recognized in an area or affects a larger population or geographic area.

“Nurses have played a critical role in educating the public and other health care workers about controlling and preventing the spread of the Ebola and Zika viruses,” said ANA President Pamela F. Cipriano, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN. “Like the CDC, we recognize that nurses are on the front lines of delivering care and should be fully equipped to tackle emerging threats to protect themselves and the people they serve.”

In addition to Ebola and Zika, recent examples of emerging infectious diseases include severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), H1N1 influenza and West Nile virus. It’s extremely important to rapidly detect and contain emerging infectious diseases, and contain antibiotic resistance threats before they become global pandemics.

ANA will serve as the primary contractor for the project, which runs through May 31, 2018, and will provide nurses, who have been rated by the public as the most honest and ethical profession for 15 years straight, with real-time, tailored infection control training critical for an effective response to infectious diseases.

Key tasks for the project include:

• Identifying infection control-related training needs
• Developing educational tools and outreach materials for registered nurses and nursing-related professionals, including licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and certified nursing assistants (CNAs)

ANA will also work with NICE Network members to disseminate resources and implement in-person trainings at nursing organization conferences and meetings.

ANA’s partnership with the CDC complements existing work in infection prevention and control. In June, ANA and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) launched the ANA/APIC Resource Center, a website that consolidates resources, allowing health care professionals quick and easy access to infection prevention strategies and evidence-based best practices.

For more information on CDC infection control and prevention procedures, click here

The American Nurses Association (ANA) is the premier organization representing the interests of the nation's 3.6 million registered nurses. ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting a safe and ethical work environment, bolstering the health and wellness of nurses, and advocating on health care issues that affect nurses and the public. ANA is at the forefront of improving the quality of health care for all.