Idaho Hospital Executive Receives APIC's Healthcare Administrator Award

The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) has named Jodi Vanderpool, MBA, LNHA, CPPS, HACP, system vice president of quality operations at St. Luke’s Health System in Boise, Idaho, as recipient of the Healthcare Administrator Award.   The award, which will be presented during APIC’s 44th Annual Conference, June 14-16 in Portland, Oregon, recognizes the pivotal role that healthcare leaders play in establishing an organizational culture that enables and supports infection prevention efforts.   “We are honored to recognize Ms. Vanderpool with this award,” said Linda Greene, RN, MPS, CIC, FAPIC, 2017 APIC president. “Her support has been integral to the success of St. Luke’s efforts. Commitment from organizational leaders is an essential ingredient for effective infection prevention and control programs.”   Under Vanderpool’s leadership, St. Luke’s focus on quality, patient safety, and infection prevention has become a top priority throughout the organization. She makes sure that the hospital’s board and administration are aware of the need for a strong, well-resourced infection prevention and control program. To this end, she has been instrumental in ensuring that the department is adequately staffed and has the resources necessary to improve the team’s competencies.   One of the many places where Vanderpool’s support is evident is hand hygiene, where she assisted in obtaining a new measurement tool and hired two part-time employees to assist with its implementation. Through enhanced efforts, St. Luke’s was able to achieve a 90 percent hand hygiene compliance rate in inpatient units in fiscal year 2016.    Her support has also enabled the healthcare system to reduce rates of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (both in the intensive care units and in other patient care units) and pediatric central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI). As a result, St. Luke’s went for more than 480 days without a single CLABSI on the pediatric unit.   Another focus for St. Luke’s has been the prevention of surgical site infections (SSIs). Vanderpool played a pivotal role in the development of a general surgery care bundle, which required buy-in and support from leadership and the general surgery group. She advocated at the administration level for a multidisciplinary task force called “Project Zero” to reduce ortho-neuro SSIs, which was so successful that it has since been adopted system-wide and has garnered awards from the state’s quality innovation network.   Source: APIC