Building an Infection Prevention Program for Behavioral Health

Session Description: Growing behavioral health crises among children and adolescents have led to a national state of emergency in children’s mental health in the United States. Our healthcare system is taking steps to address the child and youth mental health crisis by expanding outpatient and inpatient services including partial hospitalization programs and a new inpatient behavioral health facility to serve the children and adolescents in our community. As healthcare facilities introduce behavioral health programs, it is necessary to consider the unique Infection Prevention concerns around the behavioral characteristics of the population and the milieu setting of shared spaces and activities. Our presentation will outline a comprehensive and collaborative approach to developing an infection prevention program across all behavioral health programs within our healthcare system. The key objectives include presenting the role of a dedicated system-wide behavioral health infection preventionist, developing an infection prevention plan for new inpatient psychiatric facilities, and integrating infection prevention practices into outpatient behavioral health programs. We will emphasize the need to tailor guidance for our patients encompassing screening protocols, isolation procedures, hand hygiene, and communicable disease management to mitigate the spread of infections while ensuring the continued delivery of essential behavioral healthcare.