NACCHO, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, launched the Building Local Operational Capacity for COVID-19, Healthcare-Associated Infections, and Antimicrobial Resistance (BLOC COVID-19 +). This is a demonstration site project to support local health departments in building their infection prevention and control capacity. For more information, visit NACCHO’s BLOC COVID webpage.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are among the leading causes of preventable deaths in the United States. Antimicrobial resistance (AR) is also a major public health threat which compounds the challenge of HAIs. NACCHO recognizes the growing local health department role in HAI prevention and response and that addressing the burden of HAI and AR will require improvements in infection control expertise, infrastructure, and practice. LHDs protect their communities by collecting and analyzing data to identify outbreaks, investigating reportable diseases, coordinating communication among facilities, and containing the further spread of infections in community and healthcare settings. Leveraging lessons learned to strengthen prevention efforts and improving infection control and response infrastructure and capacity are imperative to help local communities better prevent infections across healthcare and community settings. For more information on NACCHO’s work with HAI/AR, visit NACCHO’s HAI/AR webpage.

LHDs in this project worked with NACCHO and APIC Consulting to refine their IPC skills and enhance IPC capacity. LHDs conducted standardized IPC assessments at long-term care facilities using the CDC Infection Control Assessment and Response tool.

NACCHO is proud to be a partner of CDC’s Project Firstline, a comprehensive infection control program designed to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases in U.S. healthcare settings. Project Firstline is committed to preparing the public health workforce and frontline healthcare workers to protect themselves, their patients, and their communities from infectious disease threats. For more on NACCHO’s work with Project Firstline, visit NACCHO’s Project Firstline webpage.

The Emerging Infectious Diseases program supports two subject matter advisory workgroups: Epidemiology and Infectious Disease Prevention and Control. These workgroups develop and review policy statements, advise on issues important to local health departments, and inform Emerging Infectious Diseases programmatic activities. Click here for more information on NACCHO's Subject Matter Advisory Groups and visit our Policy and Advocacy page to view the policy statements developed by these workgroups.

NACCHO features IPC Champions working at the local level. IPC Champions are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about IPC. They work at local health departments and advance infection prevention and control capacity, activities, guidelines, and engagement. The IPC Champion recognition highlights the IPC achievements of local health departments and honors the staff contributing to the work. Submit an IPC Champion nomination on behalf of yourself or a colleague using this form. Read more about our champions here.

NACCHO supports and facilitates LHD representation in federal advisory committees. Federal advisory committees play an important role in shaping public programs and policies by advising the President of the United States and the Executive Branch on specific issues. NACCHO’s Infectious Disease team has formal local health department representation on the Advisory Council for the Elimination of Tuberculosis (ACET) and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC).

To see a list of current representatives, or learn more about the purpose of these groups, please visit the following websites:

• ACET
• HICPAC