Critical New Initiative Supported by Rhode Island Department of Health Targets 175 Participants by April 2024.
Providence, RI (February 13, 2024) — Healthcentric Advisors recently launched a new training initiative that will provide free specialized infection prevention education to nursing home and assisted living facility employees across Rhode Island. Funded by a generous grant from the Rhode Island Department of Health, the training aims to enroll 175 participants by the end of April 2024.
This critical training comes at a time when long-term care facilities continue rebuilding from the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2020, Rhode Island has experienced 6 nursing home closures and lost over $50 million in annual funding. Proper infection control procedures have been clearly linked to reduced outbreak occurrences that can further stabilize distressed facilities.
This new infection prevention initiative builds on the success of Healthcentric Advisors’ recent certified nursing assistant (CNA) training program. Also funded by the Rhode Island Department of Health, the “Work As You Learn” program provided support for long-term care facilities to recruit and train over 200 new CNAs—tackling staffing shortages exacerbated by the pandemic.
“Long-term care facilities bore the brunt of the pandemic, with many experiencing significant staff losses,” said John Keimig, Healthcentric Advisors President and Chief Executive Officer. “These much-needed training programs are an important part of our broader initiative to support and stabilize the long-term care workforce in Rhode Island.”
As part of this program, Healthcentric Advisors is providing free access to AHCA/NCAL’s IPCO course which covers COVID-19, common healthcare pathogens, antibiotic stewardship, and more. It is tailored for nursing home administrators, infection preventionists, and staff to help facilities meet Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requirements for having a designated infection preventionist manage a comprehensive infection control program.
Long-term care facilities interested in enrolling staff in this specialized training opportunity can visit https://hcaportal.org/HCA-IPCO/ or contact Gail Patry, Chief Program Officer at [email protected].
