To provide expertise and leadership in IPAC for congregate living settings to strengthen IPAC programs and improve health outcomes throughout the Peterborough Public Health (PPH) and Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPR District Health Unit) jurisdictions.
About Us
Welcome to the Central East IPAC Hub!
Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) Hubs were launched in the fall of 2020 as part of a provincial plan to prepare and support facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. These IPAC Hubs were created to enhance IPAC practices in community-based, congregate living settings.
Throughout the pandemic, the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPR District Health Unit) and Peterborough Public Health (PPH) were actively involved in the Central East Region’s Infection Protection and Control (IPAC) Hub program, along with regional hospitals, providing support to congregate settings, and seeing the positive impact the program had on strengthening and supporting IPAC in those settings.
Provincially, the IPAC Hub program continues to evolve and in 2024, the Central East IPAC Hub program transitioned to a public health-led program, shared by PPH and HKPR. We have a new team of IPAC Hub Leads who are excited to be offering ongoing support to enhance IPAC expertise and capacity in congregate living settings.
- Retirement homes
- Long-term care homes
- Residential settings funded by the Ministry of Health (MOH)
- Residential settings for adults and children funded by Ministry of Children Community and Social Services (MCCSS)
- Shelters
- Supportive housing
Our goal is to ensure that congregate living settings are prepared for current and future infectious disease risks. We aim to achieve this by:
- Facilitating the transfer of knowledge about infection prevention and control
- Strengthening partnerships within the community
- Supporting the development and implementation of evidence-based IPAC programs
Through these efforts, we intend to help congregate living settings build robust IPAC programs to support their ability to manage outbreaks and other infectious disease risks, thereby enhancing their overall IPAC capacity.
IPAC Hubs across the province are funded by the Ministry of Health. This is separate from other Public Health Unit funding under the Ontario Public Health Standards programs.
Stay informed with our newsletter! Get the latest updates, health tips, and news on programs and services.
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Introduction Newsletter - September 2024 |
Our Services
Our team provides expert guidance and support to congregate living settings, helping to strengthen infection prevention and control (IPAC) practices. Through this initiative, we aim to enhance IPAC capacity, promote best practices, and support healthier, safer environments for residents and staff.
We offer a range of services designed to support IPAC practices in Congregate Living Settings, including:
- Education and training on Infection Prevention and Control
- Strengthening partnerships and connections through Communities of Practice (CoP) and resource development and sharing
- Providing recommendations to strengthen IPAC programs and practices and to support implementation
- Mentoring and coaching IPAC Leads
- Proactive outreach supporting IPAC Leads in assessments and audits and providing feedback of IPAC programs
- Supporting IPAC Leads in developing and implementing outbreak management plans
- Connecting homes with other public health programs and support and attending IPAC Committee and/or PAC meetings to facilitate information sharing from public health and support for IPAC
The following services are out of scope for the IPAC Hub; however, we can help connect you with other public health programs or local services for support.
Clinical support and other services:
- Offering testing or swabbing supports for COVID-19 or other respiratory viruses
- Offering vaccines / vaccine clinics
- Providing medical assessments
- Prescribing antivirals
- Inspections (e.g., as necessary for relicensing requirements)
Outbreak management:
- Defining isolation periods for residents during an outbreak
- Declaring outbreaks / declaring outbreaks over
Degree of Coverage:
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Evening and weekend on-call support
If your facility is looking for IPAC support, has questions and/or would like to request a service, please contact your IPAC Hub Lead directly or email ipachub@peterboroughpublichealth.ca (Note: Homes in both HKPR and PPH district areas can contact us with this email), or you can call 705-743-1000 ext. 230. Please note that there is no live answering, please leave a message and the team will call you back.
For services outside of the IPAC Hub scope, please contact us, we will help connect you with the appropriate public health programs for further support.
Meet the Team
Educational Resources
Downloadable IPAC Signs
| Hand Hygiene | |
| Personal Protective Equipment | |
| Additional Precautions |
Best Practice Guidelines in All Health Care Settings
Best Practices in IPAC | Public Health Ontario
| Hand Hygiene | |
| Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) | |
| Cleaning, Disinfecting, and Sterilization |
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| Additional Precautions | |
| Outbreak Management |
Reporting an Outbreak
To report an outbreak in HKPR District, email outbreaks@hkpr.on.ca OR call 1-866-888-4577 ext. 1232 Monday-Friday 8:30am-4:30pm (excluding holidays). After hours at 1-888-255-7839.
To report and outbreak in Peterborough Region, complete the online reporting form here OR email infectiousdiseases@peterboroughpublichealth.ca OR call 705-743-1000 ext. 511 Monday to Friday 8:30am-4:30pm (excluding holidays). After hours at 705-760-8127.
Upcoming Sessions and Support
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