COVID Vaccines: The Impact on Infection
Prevention and Control in Home Care
Thursday, May 27, 2021 at 4:00 PM
A training for private duty, home health, hospice and DME companies.
Registration is free, but required. Register today!
About this Event
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a major shift in the everyday lives of individuals around the world. The pandemic changed how we go to school, where we shop, and how we approach our everyday jobs. For those in the healthcare industry, the COVID pandemic opened our eyes to the importance of infection prevention and control across the healthcare spectrum, including during care provided in the home.
Now, with the availability of COVID vaccines, we must adapt our previously implemented strategies to acknowledge vaccines as a core mitigating factor in the control of COVID-19. For home care providers, understanding what strategies must remain, which will be adapted, and which will be newly implemented will be integral to the continued prevention and control of COVID-19 in home care. During this session, we will explore what COVID prevention strategies home care should continue, which ones to adapt, and where we have the opportunity for further interventions that will continue to prevent and control infections in home care in the post COVID vaccine era.
About the Speaker
Heather Saunders MPH, RN, CIC
Consultant and Director of Infection Control for the Office of Population Health, Johns Hopkins Hospital
Heather Saunders is an experienced and motivated registered nurse with a master’s degree in public health and a certification in infection control. Striving for excellence in the prevention and control of infectious disease, Heather believes in using innovative and strategic leadership methods to achieve program goals.
Heather first discovered her love for population health and infection control during a short-term assignment in Nairobi, Kenya where she worked with a multidisciplinary team to improve the prevention and control of infectious diseases in the Mathare Valley slums. After spending the first six years of her nursing career in busy emergency departments, she transitioned away from the bedside to join the work at the Johns Hopkins Hospital as an Infection Control Epidemiologist. Following the completion of her Master of Public Health degree, Heather became the infection prevention and control consultant for the State of Maryland, guiding the state's infection prevention and control efforts during the COVID pandemic.
Currently, Heather is the owner and primary consultant for Broad Street Prevention where she guides healthcare and business leaders in the prevention and control of infectious diseases. She is also employed at the Johns Hopkins Hospital as the Director of Infection Control for the Office of Population Health where she partners with post-acute care facilities in the improvement of infection prevention and control.
About the Moderator
Charlene Brown MD, MPH, FACPM
CEO, Learn Care Together, LLC
Dr. Charlene Brown is a Board-certified physician and entrepreneur with deep expertise in public health, preventive medicine, and the professional caregiver workforce. As a public health physician leader, she has served as a Deputy Health Commissioner at the Baltimore City Health Department, a Medical Officer at the FDA, and Senior Technical Advisor at USAID. Across these roles, Dr. Brown has responded to multiple viral pandemics and various public health crises, shaping public health interventions that have impacted the lives of millions in the US and around the world.
Now, as a physician entrepreneur, Dr. Brown has chosen to serve nursing assistants and other caregiving professionals working on the front lines in senior care. She founded CNA Simulations VR to unblock the pipeline of CNAs. Prior to CNA Simulations VR, Dr. Brown founded Caregiver Jobs Now, an award-winning employment platform connecting caregiving professionals to meaningful jobs. The company has been featured in Home Healthcare News, Aging 2.0, PHI, Washington Life Magazine, and more. Through this work she immersed herself in the careers and lives of caregiving professionals for many years.
Dr. Brown has co-authored peer-reviewed journal articles and, most recently, been featured on local and national news outlets discussing the COVID-19 pandemic, including Yahoo Finance, the Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, Quartz, Vox, and WXYZ ABC News. Through her consulting company, Learn Care Together LLC, she has focused her efforts on increasing uptake of the COVID vaccine among caregiving professionals.
Dr. Charlene Brown is Board-certified in Preventive Medicine, trained in internal medicine, and licensed to practice medicine in Maryland. She is a graduate of Princeton University, Harvard Medical School, and the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Brown serves on the Community Health Board of Keswick Multi-Care and is a former Board member at the Maryland-National Capital Homecare Association (MNCHA).
