National Infection Control Week 2025: Bridging Gaps in Care
National Infection Control Week 2025 shines a spotlight on the dedicated professionals who bridge the gap between policy and practice to keep patients, staff, and visitors safe. Across Manitoba, Winnipeg, and the broader Prairies, infection control practitioners (ICPs) and their teams are turning knowledge into action—continuously refining practices, influencing construction safety, and guiding departments through complex decisions that affect every level of care.
Front-line Leaders: The People Behind the Protocols
In Portage District General Hospital, Infection Control Practitioner Michelle Groulx has held her role for nine years. Her approach centers on capacity building: helping staff understand their own role in infection prevention and control, while remaining available to answer questions. “I know that I am making a difference when staff feel comfortable coming to me with their questions and concerns,” Groulx shares. Her influence extends beyond traditional IPC duties, as she also contributes to construction planning—guiding contractors on hoarding techniques to minimize risk for patients and staff. This is a vivid example of how infection control expertise intersects with safety in the built environment.
Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority: Complex Decisions, Real-World Impacts
Krystal Irvine and her team embody the theme of bridging gaps by addressing how diverse care settings interconnect. Irvine notes that infection prevention and control touches every department and aspect of care, and decisions often carry ripple effects. The team’s work over two years identified gaps in recognizing, diagnosing, and treating urinary tract infections, underscoring the need for stronger antimicrobial stewardship. By developing policies, decision tools, and quick-reference resources, they support staff in choosing the right interventions—ultimately improving resident outcomes and standardizing evidence-based practice across the region.
Prairie Mountain Health: Multisite Reach and Practical Problem-Solving
As an Infection Control Support Associate (ICSA), Funmilayo Oluwafemi serves six long-term care facilities, connecting policy to practice on the floor. Her background as a public health lecturer in Nigeria informs her approach to bridging gaps between knowledge and day-to-day care. “Clear, two-way communication with healthcare staff helps identify practical barriers—workflow challenges or supply issues—and guides improvements in infection control practices,” she explains. Small changes, such as repositioning hand hygiene stations or clarifying signage, can significantly boost compliance and safety when implemented across multiple sites.
Long-Term Care and Community Care: Sustaining Momentum
Lynn Roberts Branconnier has spent a decade supporting infection prevention and control across two facilities and four personal care homes. She emphasizes that ICPs translate surveillance data into action, audit results into education, and policies into everyday care. The goal is to embed infection prevention as a shared responsibility—built on collaboration with multidisciplinary teams and the daily routines of care delivery.
Clinical Leadership in Acute Care: Outbreak Investigations and Prevention
Jen Tomlinson, Clinical Team Leader in Infection Prevention & Control at a major hospital, has dedicated 25 years to the field and 12 years in leadership. She describes outbreak investigations as a blend of microbiology, epidemiology, and human behavior—an investigative “detective work” that reveals connections and informs prevention strategies. Her team’s ongoing monitoring, planning, and prevention work keeps issues from reaching patient care areas, ensuring a safer environment through everyday actions like hand hygiene and environmental cleanliness.
Tuberculosis Infection Control: Education, Surveillance, and Public Health Synergy
Amoy Thompson, RN, MSN, CIC, leads tuberculosis infection control at the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. Her role focuses on developing guidelines used for education and training, hand hygiene auditing, and surveillance. Thompson emphasizes the positive impact of education, clear communication, and interdisciplinary collaboration in reducing infection risk and protecting both patients and staff.
The Core Message of National Infection Control Week 2025
Across the Prairies, IPC professionals are portrayed not just as policy enforcers but as bridge builders who connect science with practice, frontline realities with leadership decisions, and patient safety with community health. The week’s theme—Bridging Gaps, Building Bridges—echoes in every role described: vaccination policy, antimicrobial stewardship, hand hygiene optimization, and safe construction practices within healthcare facilities. The infection prevention and control community remains committed to turning data and expertise into practical actions that save lives and improve care every day.
