NACCHO, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, established the Building Up Infection Prevention & Control in Local Departments in Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance (BUILD HAIAR) Project in 2023 to strengthen local health department (LHD) capacity for healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistance (AR) prevention and response using the CDC (Interim) Local Health Department Strategy for HAI/AR.

The project period, which ran from October 2023 through June 2024, required selected LHDs to complete activities in line with the CDC LHD HAI/AR Strategy. The CDC LHD HAI/AR Strategy consists of three goals: 1) Grow Networks and Collaboration, 2) Build Operational Capacity, and 3) Expand Programmatic Activities. Each goal area has designated objectives, and each objective has key activities that span 3 levels based on existing HAI/AR infrastructure. The level of engagement and the selection of the goals, objectives and associated activities can be determined based on the LHD’s current HAI/AR capacity and priorities.

All awarded LHDs:

• Implemented a local strategy for response, control, and prevention of HAIs and AR leveraging the CDC LHD HAI/AR Strategy throughout project implementation;

• Attended peer-to-peer learning/sharing opportunities (e.g., Community of Practice calls); and

• Provided feedback on successes and challenges to NACCHO about project implementation.

One of our BUILD HAIAR sites, Peoria County Health Department, developed a newsletter to share their experience and lessons learned working to strengthen their department’s infection prevention and control knowledge, collaborative communication efforts, and outbreak investigation practices.