Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) Hubs were launched provincially in the fall of 2020 to provide congregate living settings (i.e. Long term care homes, retirement homes, shelters and other community living settings) access to IPAC expertise and just-in-time advice, guidance, and direct support on IPAC practices in response to the urgent needs posed by the pandemic.
The TBDHU IPAC Hub continues to support and enhance IPAC practices within these organizations/ settings within the City and District of Thunder Bay.
Our Hub continues to be fundamental in connecting those working within congregate living settings (CLS’s) with specialized IPAC guidance and expertise and work to increase their IPAC capacity.
TBDHU IPAC Hub works with CLS’s to ensure they are better prepared for future IPAC events, are able to quickly identify and contain outbreaks within CLS’s and increase their ability to implement IPAC best practices.
Who We Serve
The TBDHU IPAC Hub has been created to support and enhance IPAC practices in community based, congregate living organizations/settings within the City and District of Thunder Bay. These organizations/settings include:
- Long-term care homes funded by the Ministry of Long-Term Care
- Retirement homes
- Residential settings funded by the Ministry of Health ·Residential setting funded by the Ministry of Seniors and Accessibility (MSAA)
- Supportive housing and Shelters funded by Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH)
- Youth residential settings funded by the Ministry of Children, Community & Social Services (MCCSS)
Through these new province-wide networks, you will be able to access IPAC expertise, collaborative assistance and just-in-time advice, guidance, and direct support on IPAC practices.
Services Provided
IPAC Hubs will work in coordination with Hub partners (including local hospitals, public health units, Public Health Ontario and others) to deliver the following services based on local needs and priorities, including but not limited to the following:
- IPAC Education and Training
- Supportive visits and consults to assist settings in outbreak preparedness
- Provide best practice recommendations to strengthen and enhance current IPAC practices and policies and procedures
- Provide implementation support
- Facilitate a Community of Practice (CoP)
The TBDHU IPAC Hub CoP has been developed to provide a platform to connect those working within congregate living settings an opportunity to share IPAC information, generate new IPAC knowledge and network with other professionals in similar congregate living settings. Increasing IPAC knowledge will empower individuals to strengthen and enhance IPAC practices within their own organizations/settings with prevention as the ultimate goal.
Supporting and Enhancing IPAC Practices Within Community-Based Congregate Living Organizations
How IPAC Hubs Support and Sustain Infection, Prevention and Control within Congregate Living Settings During COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond: Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU) IPAC Hub
The TBDHU IPAC Hub was created February 2021 to support and enhance IPAC practices within community based, congregate living organizations/settings within the City and District of Thunder Bay. An evaluation of the IPAC Hub took place from May to August of 2022 to document and communicate what the IPAC Hub accomplished during the first 20 months of implementation. The evaluation assisted our hub assess the extent to which partners engaged with the IPAC Hub, describes the impact of the IPAC Hub had on CLS organizations and identified areas of improvement toward future directions.
We are excited to share with you our findings and will use the areas identified within the report to improve future directions of the IPAC Hub moving forward.
Contact our Team
The TBDHU IPAC Hub consists of a multidisciplinary team dedicated to improving IPAC preparedness within congregate living settings with a prevention goal.
A referral pathway has been established to ensure identified IPAC support needs can be forwarded to our IPAC Hub team.
To submit an IPAC Hub referral to our team or to connect with our team:
- Email our IPAC Hub team at IPACHub@tbdhu.com
- This referral will go to the IPAC Hub Coordinator who will assess the request
- Please ensure the following information is included with every referral:
- Name of organization
- Contact of the requesting organization
- Name and position, phone number and email
- Need identified and support requested
- Urgency of response
- Any other details