Assessment of HAI/AR Outbreak Detection Data, Tools, and Barriers
This poster of HAI/AR Outbreak Detection Data, Tools, and Barriers was presented at the 2018 International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases. It highlights results from a CORHA-led assessment on the...… Read More »
Candida Auris: Recommendations for Healthcare Outbreak Response
This updated document outlines recommended practices for healthcare outbreak response for Candida auris (C. auris), an emerging multidrug-resistant yeast that can cause invasive infections associated with high mortality. Topics...… Read More »
Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE): Recommendations for Healthcare Outbreak Response
This updated document outlines recommended practices for healthcare outbreak response for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE). Topics include outbreak detection and reporting, investigation and control, and a variety of helpful resources....… Read More »
CORHA Clostridioides difficile Infection (CDI): Recommendations for Healthcare Outbreak Response
This document provides recommendations for healthcare outbreak response for Clostridioides difficile Infection (CDI). Topics include outbreak detection and reporting, investigation and control, and a variety of helpful resources. Resource...… Read More »
CORHA Framework for Healthcare-Associated Infection Outbreak Notification
This document provides guidance for notification in the context of a suspected healthcare-associated infection (HAI) outbreak. It is based on public health best practices and grounded in bioethical principles...… Read More »
CORHA General Guidance for the Outbreak Detection and Reporting of Scabies
Background The scabies mite, Sarcoptes scabiei, is an ectoparasite that burrows into the upper layer of the skin and deposits eggs which form adults in 10-17 days. On a...… Read More »
On June 21, CORHA Governance Committee members Drs. Erin Epson and Dawn Terashita convened 150 people for a virtual roundtable discussion at the annual CSTE Conference where they provided...… Read More »
CORHA HAI-AR Outbreak Investigation and Response Tracking System
What is this? The following materials were developed to help health departments and large healthcare systems manage information related to investigations of possible HAI-AR outbreaks involving healthcare delivery. The...… Read More »
CORHA Potential Medical Product-Related Infection/Outbreak: Assessment Questions
This document is intended to help establish a more systematic and consistent approach to assessing a medical product-related healthcare outbreak and response activities. This document presents information and questions...… Read More »
CORHA Principles and Practices for Healthcare Outbreak Response
The CORHA Principles and Practices for Healthcare Outbreak Response is a comprehensive reference developed with the aim of equipping public health, healthcare, and other stakeholders with information on a...… Read More »
CORHA Thresholds for Reporting and Investigating Cases of Influenza
The thresholds and outbreak definitions presented below are based on available scientific resources and expert opinion and intended only as guidance for potential adaptation to the local epidemiology of...… Read More »
Healthcare-associated Infection (HAI) Outbreak Standardized Variables List
In order to maximize learning from outbreaks, public health and providers should use standardized variables. Which variables should be collected will vary by setting and outbreak. However, regardless of...… Read More »
How CORHA is Developing Standards on Notification and Disclosure of Clusters and Outbreaks – SHEA 2019 Presentation Slides
This presentation given at the 2019 Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America Spring Meeting, highlights the history of HAI outbreak reporting, notification and disclosure, ethical principles related to this...… Read More »
Introducing CORHA’s Principles and Practices for Healthcare Outbreak Response and its Importance
The field of healthcare epidemiology has expanded tremendously and now encompasses an extensive network of stakeholders working collaboratively across healthcare settings, government agencies, and partner organizations to decrease healthcare-associated...… Read More »
Investigation/Reporting Thresholds and Outbreak Definitions for COVID-19 in Healthcare Settings
Jennifer Jones, 2023 McKnight Prize for Healthcare Outbreak Heroes Recipient
Posted: October 16, 2023 Jennifer Jones, Senior Infection Preventionist at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, part of Corewell Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan is the recipient of the 2023...… Read More »
Leadership Spotlight: Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian
Posted: August 29, 2023 Author: Natasha Bagdasarian, MD, MPH For almost 20 years, my career has focused on hospital epidemiology, infection prevention and control (IPC), and antimicrobial stewardship programs...… Read More »
Leadership: Dawn Terashita & Zachary Rubin, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on the Future of HAI/AR Response in the Face of COVID-19
Posted: January 14, 2022 Authors: Dawn Terashita, MD, MPH, FACPM & Zachary Rubin, MD COVID-19 has impacted healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial-resistant (HAI/AR) threats across all healthcare settings. COVID-19 has...… Read More »
Leadership: Kelley Garner, Arkansas Department of Health, on the Value of Mentorship in the HAI/AR Outbreak Response
Posted: September 30, 2021 Author: Kelley Garner, MPH Don’t be afraid of mentorship at every level of your career – constantly surround yourself with experts in the field. Mentorship...… Read More »
Leadership: Leadership Perspectives from Dr. David Gifford
Posted: August 5, 2021 Author: David Gifford, MD, MPH My work over the past 20 years has focused on how to improve the healthcare system to ultimately improve healthcare...… Read More »
Leadership: Linda Greene, Director of Hospital Infection Prevention at the University of Rochester Highland Hospital
Posted: October 19, 2021 Author: Linda Greene, RN, MPS, CIC, FAPIC “…The greatest outbreak and infection prevention and control challenges I have witnessed were related to COVID-19.” As a front-line infection preventionist and Director of Infection...… Read More »
Leadership: New CDC Funding Recognizes Healthcare Outbreak Response Needs
Posted: December 9, 2021 Author: Joseph Perz, DrPH, MA The Biden-Harris Administration and CDC recently announced a $2.1 billion investment as part of the American Rescue Plan (ARP), to...… Read More »
Leadership: Pandemic Response – Public Health Laboratories Rise to the Challenges, with Kelly Wroblewski, Association of Public Health Laboratories
Posted: February 24, 2022 Author: Kelly Wroblewski Public health laboratories are foundational to our nation’s public health infrastructure. While the COVID-19 pandemic response presented many significant challenges for public...… Read More »
Lisa Hannah, 2022 McKnight Prize for Healthcare Outbreak Heroes Recipient
Posted: March 20, 2023 Lisa Hannah, RN, CIC, is the Infection Prevention Team Supervisor at the Washington State Department of Health. Her infection prevention and control work during the...… Read More »
Local: LTCF Vaccine Education Program Vital to Chicago’s COVID-19 Outbreak Response Effort
Posted: July 22, 2021 Authors: Shannon Xydis, Projects Administrator, HAI Coordinator, Chicago Department of Public Health; Liz Shane, MPH, CIC. Infection Prevention Specialist, Chicago Department of Public Health, and Christy...… Read More »
Nontuberculous mycobacteria: Recommended Practices for Healthcare Outbreak Response
CORHA’s recommendations outlines the thresholds and outbreak definition of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM), mycobacteria other than Mycobacterium tuberculosis or M. leprae. Contents include recommended practices for healthcare outbreak response from outbreak...… Read More »
November 2022 Fall Meeting Recap
Posted: December 15, 2022 In early November 2022, after almost three years of virtual meetings, council representatives and workgroup members convened in Atlanta, GA for the hybrid CORHA Fall...… Read More »
November 2023 Fall Meeting Recap
Posted: December 14, 2023 CORHA members and partners convened in Atlanta, GA for the annual hybrid CORHA Fall Meeting. Council members engaged in two days of meeting discussions that...… Read More »
Overview of the Council for Outbreak Response: Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antibiotic Resistance
This overview of the Council for Outbreak Response: Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antibiotic Resistance provides information on the background, structure and activities of CORHA. These slides were presented at the 2018 International...… Read More »
State: How the Texas State Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Program Increased Capacity in Public Health Regions to Support Healthcare Facilities During the COVID-19 Response
Posted: May 19, 2021 Authors: Dr. Enyinnaya Merengwa, Healthcare Safety Investigations Group Manager and State HAI Coordinator at the Texas Department of State Health Services and Thi Dang, HAI Epidemiologist...… Read More »
State: Montana Leverages Partnerships to Manage COVID-19 Outbreaks in Long-Term Care Facilities
Posted: April 29, 2021 Author: Erika Baldry, Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance (HAI/AR) Epidemiologist and Program Coordinator at the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) Montana,...… Read More »
The Importance of Patient Notification and CORHA’s HAI Outbreak Notification Framework (Part 1)
The Importance of Patient Notification and CORHA’s HAI Outbreak Notification Framework (Part 2)
Part Two: CORHA’s New HAI Outbreak Notification Framework Posted: June 16, 2022 Authors: Maureen Tierney, MD, MSc., FIDSA, Moon Kim, MD, MPH, & Dawn Terashita, MD, MPH In...… Read More »
Upcoming Events
Webinar: Multistate Tuberculosis Outbreak Related to Bone Allograft: Potential Exposures and Contact Investigation Updates Join the CDC for updates on the ongoing investigation of tuberculosis (TB) affecting patients who...… Read More »
A Novel Clinical Grading Scale for Scabies to Guide the Management of Crusted Scabies
This is a very useful crusted scabies resource. Note however that the standard of care for topical treatment in the U.S. is permethrin and not benzyl benzoate plus 5%...… Read More »
Infection Prevention in Long-Term Care – Scabies
This resource is targeted to long-term care facilities. It is brief and focused on scabies transmission, incubation period, diagnosis, treatment, environmental measures, and infection prevention and control strategies for...… Read More »
Sample Epidemic Keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) Line List
This sample line list is a ready-to-use template for healthcare and health agencies to document epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) outbreak information. Resource Link: Sample EKC Line List (Excel File) Source:...… Read More »
Sample Epidemic Keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) Outbreak Patient Letter
This sample patient notification letter provides sample language for healthcare facilities communicating with patients on epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) outbreaks. Resource Link: Sample EKC Outbreak Patient Letter (Word File) Source:...… Read More »
Scabies in Healthcare Settings
This resource is notable for its strong control measure and case/contact definition/management content. A subscription might be required to access this article. Note that the reference to shoe covers...… Read More »
Scabies Management PowerPoint Presentation
This acute communicable disease control scabies toolkit was initially developed in 2009 by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and contains resources for managing scabies outbreaks in health...… Read More »
Scabies Protocol
This Federal Bureau of Prisons scabies protocol, developed in January 2017 as part of the Federal Bureau of Prisons Clinical Guidance, provides recommended procedures for detection, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention...… Read More »
SHEA/CDC ORTP Guidance
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) Outbreak Response Training Program (ORTP) “is designed to give US hospital epidemiologists who oversee infection...… Read More »
