from the editor
from the editor
Biding Our Time During a Difficult Season in IP & C and Public Health
It’ s an understandably difficult time for the healthcare and public health communities as the current presidential administration is sorting through a complex confluence of competing priorities: getting government bloat under control and ensuring that vital infrastructure is funded appropriately.
In March, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America( SHEA) said that it“ recognizes that the ongoing consolidation and funding reductions across the Department of Health and Human Services( HHS) are intended to reduce wasteful spending and create a more efficient and responsive system. However, broad and sweeping cuts risk compromising the effectiveness and resilience of America’ s public health infrastructure.” SHEA added that,“ While streamlining and prioritizing resources is important, it must be done strategically to avoid seriously weakening the nation’ s ability to protect public health— a goal that should remain apolitical. SHEA strongly believes this reduction in force and funding cuts at HHS will undermine public health and patient safety, and should be approached with caution … While the COVID-19 public health emergency has ended, the need for robust local and state-level response capacity remains critical. Ongoing measles outbreaks and the persistent risk of emerging antibiotic-resistant organisms demonstrate that sustained investment is necessary to keep Americans safe and prevent avoidable harm.”
Calling for the reinstatement of CDC’ s Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee( HICPAC), SHEA, along with the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology( APIC), the Infectious Diseases Society of America( IDSA) and the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society( PIDS), noted that HICPAC“ is a critical asset to the nation’ s public health infrastructure. It provides evidence-based guidance that directly informs federal healthcare standards and protects both patients and healthcare workers across hospitals, outpatient clinics, and extended-care facilities.”
As we know, HICPAC’ s recommendations are the basis for healthcare practices that facilities use daily to keep people safe from complications from healthcare-associated infections
( including disinfection and sterilization practices for patient-care instruments and equipment, isolation precautions for infectious diseases both confirmed and suspected, and disease-specific care and guidance recommendations).
As SHEA and the other groups state further,“ The decision to terminate HICPAC creates a preventable gap in national preparedness and response capacity, leaving healthcare facilities without timely, evidence-based and expert-driven recommendations at a time when threats from emerging pathogens and antimicrobial resistance are on the rise. The committee’ s interdisciplinary composition— drawing on expertise in epidemiology, infectious disease, infection prevention, hospital administration, occupational health, and patient advocacy— ensures that its guidance is scientifically rigorous and operationally practical. Disbanding HICPAC jeopardizes decades of progress in preventing healthcare-associated infections. The depth of HICPAC’ s review of scientific evidence and its members’ hundreds of years of collective experience result in guidelines widely accepted as the standard of care by healthcare accrediting organizations and CMS. The absence of this committee’ s guidance creates a significant void in the field, fosters uncertainty among healthcare facilities, and put patients at risk.”
It’ s certainly our desire that there is a forthcoming reinstatement, and we encourage members of the infection prevention community to not lose hope that what will come out of this economic reconciliation is a leaner yet still a“ resilient, coordinated, and science-driven public health infrastructure” that SHEA, APIC, IDSA, PIDS and others seek. It’ s my belief that our sector will survive and thrive as course-corrections are made and an improved paradigm emerges.
Until next time, bust those bugs!
Kelly M. Pyrek Editor & Publisher Kelly @ healthcarehygienemagazine. com healthcarehygienemagazine
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Kelly M. Pyrek kelly @ healthcarehygienemagazine. com
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4 • www. healthcarehygienemagazine. com • may-june 2025