Aerobiotix Healthcare Air Quality Center of Excellence Designation

In collaboration with the International Respiratory Infections Society (IRIS), Aerobiotix is pleased to offer the Aerobiotix Healthcare Air Quality Center of Excellence Designation. This program recognizes healthcare facilities that maintain superior air quality standards in critical areas such as operating rooms. By partnering with IRIS and Aerobiotix, facilities showcase best practices, drive innovation, and enhance patient safety through effective air quality management.
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Why was the IRIS Healthcare Air Quality Seal of Recognition Program Created?

Addressing the Critical Need for Improved Air Quality in Healthcare Settings

The IRIS Healthcare Air Quality Seal of Recognition program was created to address the critical need for improved air quality in healthcare settings, particularly in operating rooms, where the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs) is high.

The program aims to:

  • Enhance patient outcomes
  • Ensure a safer environment for healthcare professionals
  • Promote best practices in air quality management
  • Provide continuous monitoring and support

This initiative reflects a commitment to continuous air quality improvement and continuity of care. It leverages advanced technologies and expert knowledge to mitigate the risks associated with poor air quality and improve healthcare facilities' standards of care.

Role of Air Quality Management in Reducing SSIs

Effective air quality management involves integrating advanced filtration systems, regular air quality monitoring, and adherence to strict air quality standards and protocols. These measures ensure a sterile environment, reducing the incidence of SSIs and enhancing surgical outcomes

Consequences of Poor Air Quality

Operating rooms (ORs) require the highest standards of sterility and cleanliness to minimize risks during surgical procedures. Poor air quality in operating rooms can result from several factors, including inadequate filtration, improper air handling, and failure to maintain appropriate air pressure gradients. Particulates, microbial contaminants, and chemical vapors can all compromise air quality. These contaminants primarily originate from human skin cells, respiratory droplets, and indoor materials that release volatile organic compounds (VOCs). When air handling systems fail to filter and control the cleanliness of the air effectively, these contaminants can settle on surgical wounds, increasing the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs). These infections increase patient recovery times, healthcare costs, and risks of morbidity and mortality. Addressing air quality is crucial in mitigating these risks.

The IRIS Healthcare Air Quality Program was created out of necessity to protect both healthcare workers and patients alike from the unseen risks of airborne contamination. This program is intentionally designed to prevent harm and improve clinical outcomes across the healthcare continuum.

~Dr. Hudson Garrett

Why should you pursue the IRIS Healthcare Air Quality Seal of Recognition program?

  • Access to best practices, including policies, procedures, statements of authority, work plans, and checklists

  • Continuous improvement of air quality to ensure the safety and health of both patients and healthcare staff

  • Recognition with the official IRIS Healthcare Air Quality Seal of Recognition from the International Respiratory Infections Society upon meeting all program requirements

  • Promotion of your facility’s status on the IRIS website and social media channels, as well as digital content for your facility’s website and social media channels

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Goals & Best Practices
POWERED BY

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.