IRIS and Aerobiotix Announce the IRIS Healthcare Air Quality Seal of Recognition Program

Miamisburg, Ohio, June 3, 2024 – Aerobiotix, a leader in healthcare technology focused on improving environmental safety in medical settings, is proud to announce the launch of the “IRIS Healthcare Air Quality Seal of Recognition” program. This initiative is developed in collaboration with the International Respiratory Infections Society, aiming to enhance air quality in healthcare facilities and educate healthcare personnel about its critical impact on health.

Powered by Aerobiotix, the “IRIS Healthcare Air Quality Seal of Recognition”program recognizes healthcare facilities that meet and exceed the established standards for air quality in operating rooms. The program incorporates best practices from reputable organizations, including the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI). Through a comprehensive process involving an online pre-assessment and an on-site audit by credentialed Aerobiotix professionals, healthcare facilities can achieve and demonstrate seven key improvements in air quality, enhance patient and staff safety and acquire recognition for their commitment to excellence and advancement of evidence-based practices for air quality in healthcare environments.

The program’s official launch will take place at the 2024 APIC Annual Conference & Exposition, hosted by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. APIC24, held from June 3-5 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas, is a significant event for healthcare professionals dedicated to infection prevention and control. This conference brings thousands of infection preventionists and healthcare professionals from across the United States together to learn and network with peers from around the world.

Attendees of APIC24 can find Aerobiotix at Booth #901 for more information about the “IRIS Healthcare Air Quality Seal of Recognition” program. This program is provided at no charge as part of Aerobiotix’s commitment to clinical excellence and serving as an industry partner with healthcare facilities.

For more information on the “IRIS Healthcare Air Quality Seal of Recognition” program, please visit https://safehealthcareair.org/

About IRIS

The International Respiratory Infections Society (IRIS) advances global research, education and prevention strategies for respiratory infections. IRIS unites experts and healthcare professionals to combat respiratory diseases through scientific research, clinical practice and public health initiatives. The society fosters innovation in treatments and effective infection control measures, aiming to enhance patient outcomes and influence public health policies worldwide.

About Aerobiotix, LLC

Aerobiotix, LLC, specializes in air decontamination for medical settings. Our evidence-based solutions, such as Illuvia Sense, enhance environmental safety and reduce infection risks, improving healthcare facilities’ outcomes worldwide.

Contact:
Paul Ciovacco
Vice President
Aerobiotix, LLC
888-978-7087
Info@Aerobiotix.com
www.Aerobiotix.com

Dr. Hudson Garrett Jr.

Ph.D., MSN, MPH, MBA, FNP-BC, IP-BC, PLNC, AS-BC, VA-BC, HACP-IC, CMRP, LTC-CIP, CIC, CPPS, CCHR-S, CPHQ, CVAHP, CPXP, CDIPC, CPHRM, CHIPP-B, FACDONA, FAAPM, eFACHDM, FAOM, FRSPH, FNAP, FAHVAP, FACHE, FSHEA, FIDSA

Dr. Hudson Garrett is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. He holds a Graduate Certificate in Infection Prevention and Infection Control from the University of South Florida. He has completed the Johns Hopkins Fellows Program in Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control. He is a Distinguished Fellow and Practitioner in the National Academies of Practices. Dr. Garrett is a graduate of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) 13-month Global Patient Safety Fellowship and is a graduate of the IHI Patient Safety Executive Development Program. Dr. Garrett was awarded the prestigious Fellowship Designation by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America in recognition of his work in infectious diseases and infection prevention and control and the Fellow Designation by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. He holds Fellow’s Status and Board Certification in Healthcare Management from the American College of Healthcare Executives. He is an international Fellow in the Royal Society for Public Health and a Fellow in the Association of Healthcare Value Analysis Professionals. He is a frequent international lecturer in the areas of infectious diseases, healthcare-associated infections, vascular access, outbreak response and prevention, value analysis, and infection prevention and control. He holds Board Certifications in Infection Control, Vascular Access, Patient Safety, Healthcare Quality, Patient Experience, Antibiotic Stewardship, Prehospital Emergency Medicine, as a Designated Infection Control Officer, Healthcare Materials and Resource Management, Infection Control, Long-Term Care Infection Control, Critical Care Fundamentals, Healthcare Risk Management, Patient Safety, Patient Experience, Healthcare Value Analysis, Healthcare Management, and as a Director of Nursing in Post-Acute Care and Infection Prevention and Control.

He is the author of over 75 publications in peer-reviewed journals and has been involved in authoring national guidelines related to the specialty of vascular access and infection control. He is the current Chairperson for the newly formed Infection Prevention Taskforce for the Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN). Most recently, Dr. Garrett was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his Volunteer Service and Leadership from the White House and President Joseph Biden. Dr. Garrett has a passion for “connecting the dots” across healthcare and bringing the various disciplines together to solve healthcare’s most complex challenges.

Ruth Carrico

Ph.D., DNP, FNP-C, CIC, FSHEA, FNAP, FAAN

Carrico & Ramirez, PLLC

Professor (gratis faculty), Division of Infectious Diseases

University of Louisville School of Medicine

Ruth Carrico PhD DNP APRN FNP-C CIC FSHEA FNAP FAAN is a senior consultant with Carrico & Ramirez, PLLC focused on infectious diseases, infection prevention and control, and vaccinology. She is also a Professor and Family Nurse Practitioner, gratis faculty, with the University of Louisville School Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases. Dr. Carrico has received training specific for healthcare epidemiology at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in conjunction with the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA).

Dr. Carrico served as editor for the APIC Text of Infection Control and Epidemiology from 2005-2012. In 2008, Dr. Carrico was appointed to the National Biosurveillance Subcommittee (NBS) Advisory Committee to the Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and in 2010 became a SHEA Fellow. In 2011, Dr. Carrico was appointed by Secretary Sebelius (Health and Human Services), to the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC). In 2012, she was presented with the Carole DeMille Achievement Award by APIC, an honor for an Infection Preventionist. In 2013, Dr. Carrico began serving the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases as the Board’s Nurse Planner and in 2014 became a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellow alumna. Dr. Carrico served as the 2016 president of the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. (CBIC). In 2018, Dr. Carrico assumed the position of president of the Kentucky Nurses Association and in 2020 was recognized as a Distinguished Fellow in the National Academies of Practice. In October 2021, Dr. Carrico was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, the highest honor in the nursing profession. Also in October 2021, Dr. Carrico assumed the role of Executive Director, then Senior Scientific Officer of the Norton Infectious Diseases Institute (NIDI) at Norton Healthcare, in Louisville Kentucky where she supported the scientific and educational activities of the four Centers (Clinical Research, Education & Training, Global Health, Public Health) within the Institute until early 2023. Following successful launch of the NIDI Centers, in 2023 Dr. Carrico moved to work as a consultant with healthcare organizations, public health and providers interested in addressing the challenges of infectious diseases prevention.

Dr. Julio Ramirez

MD, FACP

Chief Scientific Officer, Norton Infectious Diseases Institute,

Norton Healthcare, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.

Emeritus Professor of Medicne, Infectious Diseases,

University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA

Julio Ramirez, MD, FACP is the Chief Scientific Officer at the Norton Infectious Diseases Institute at Norton Healthcare, in Louisville, Kentucky. He is also an Emeritus Professor of Medicine, Divison of Infectious Diseases at the University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Dr. Ramirez received his medical degree and internal medicine training at La Plata National University School of Medical Science in Argentina. He trained in critical care medicine at the National Institute of Respiratory Diseases and Thoracic Surgery at the University of Chile; completed a residency in internal medicine at Lincoln Medical Center, New York Medical College; and a fellowship in infectious diseases at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. He is board-certified in internal medicine and holds subspecialty certification in infectious diseases.

Dr. Ramirez’s areas of clinical and translational research include community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), influenza, and emerging respiratory pathogens. Dr. Ramirez is directing the research activities of the Norton Infectious Diseases Institute. Dr. Ramirez’s research activities have received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Defense (DoD), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Ramirez has more than 300 peer-reviewed publications. He is also a reviewer for several journals including the New England Journal of Medicine and Annals of Internal Medicine. Dr. Ramirez is the Section Editor on pulmonary infections for the evidence-based clinical decision support UpToDate, and is the current president of the International Respiratory Infections Society.

Dr. Ramirez served as a member of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) committee for the development of national guidelines for the management of CAP, and more recently, on the ATS International Task Force guidelines for the management of COVID-19. He also served as a member of the Food and Drug Administration advisory committee for the approval of anti-infective drugs. Dr. Ramirez is the recipient of the 2013 European Respiratory Society Presidential Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to research in the field of respiratory infections. Dr. Ramirez is the co-chair of the current ATS-IDSA national guidelines committee for the management of CAP.