Section 380.640  Infection Control and Vaccinations

a)         The facility shall adopt, observe and implement written infection control policies and procedures.  These policies and procedures shall be reviewed at least annually and revised as needed.

b)         All cases of reportable communicable diseases shall be reported to the Department and to the local health department in accordance with the Control of Communicable Diseases Code and the Control of Sexually Transmissible Infections Code.

c)         All employees and consumers shall be screened for tuberculosis in accordance with the Control of Tuberculosis Code.

d)         When consumers having a communicable disease, or presenting signs and symptoms that suggest that diagnosis, are admitted, precautionary measures shall be taken to avoid cross-infection to personnel, other consumers or the public.

e)         Consumers presenting with a communicable disease shall be treated in accordance with the Control of Communicable Diseases Code and Control of Sexually Transmissible Infections Code. When isolation is required, the facility shall implement precautions (i.e., contact isolation) or provide temporary transfer to a licensed entity that is capable of providing enhanced isolation techniques.

f)         The facility shall be responsible for developing, implementing, monitoring and enforcing a hand hygiene program.  For the purposes of this Section, "hand hygiene" is a general term that applies to hand washing with plain soap and water; antiseptic hand wash using soap containing antiseptic agents and water; and antiseptic hand rub using a waterless antiseptic product, most often alcohol based, rubbed on the surface of the hands.

g)         A facility shall annually administer and arrange for administration of a vaccination against influenza to each consumer in a recovery and rehabilitation supports unit who has been admitted for a least a year, in accordance with the Prevention and Control of Influenza with Vaccines: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that are most recent to the time of vaccination, unless the vaccination is medically contraindicated or the consumer refuses the vaccine. (Section 3-211(a) of the Act)

h)         All persons seeking admission to a facility shall be verbally screened for risk factors associated with hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) according to the guidelines established by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment Guidelines.  Persons who are identified as being at high risk for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or HIV shall be offered an opportunity to undergo laboratory testing in order to determine infection status if they will be admitted to the facility for at least 7 days and are not known to be infected with any of the listed viruses.  All HIV testing shall be conducted in compliance with the AIDS Confidentiality Act.  All persons determined to be susceptible to the hepatitis B virus shall be offered immunization within 10 days after admission to any level of service except triage.  A facility shall document in the consumer's medical record that he or she was verbally screened for risk factors associated with hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV, and whether or not the consumer was immunized against hepatitis B.  (Section 3-211(b) of the Act)