Influenza vaccination for hospital Employees: A 3-year success-story of a flu-pod drive-thru at a Veterans affairs medical center.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends all healthcare practitioners and hospital staff receive an annual influenza vaccination. Many challenges were noted in achieving this goal; especially during the last 2 influenza seasons throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past 3 years our institution has implemented a Drive-Thru fixed Point of Distribution (POD) event for this purpose.

Halting a SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in a US Veterans Affairs nursing home.

A Veterans Affairs long term care facility on Long Island New York was confronted with a COVID-19 outbreak in late March to Mid-April 2020. Faced with a dwindling supply of PPE, the Infection Control team distributed supplies saved for a possible Ebola outbreak. A COVID unit was created within the nursing home facilitating the geographic isolation of cases; universal testing of residents and employees allowed for the implementation of proper quarantine measures.

Antimicrobial stewardship program achieved marked decrease in Clostridium difficile infections in a Veterans Hospital.

Clostridium (or Clostridioides) difficile infection (CDI) is a common side effect of antimicrobial therapy and is increasingly linked with health care-associated transmissions. Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) have demonstrated success in decreasing in-hospital CDI cases. We implemented an ASP targeting inappropriate or unnecessary use of all antibiotics especially empiric piperacillin-tazobactam and fluoroquinolone use.

Screening US Vietnam Veterans for Liver Fluke Exposure 5 Decades After the End of the War.

Background: Clonorchiasis caused by and opisthorchiasis caused by are prevalent in the Far East, including Vietnam. The causal relationship between the 2 liver flukes and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) has been well documented. Cholangiocarcinoma, a rare tumor of bile ducts, usually occurs in the sixth-seventh decade of life.