Ever wonder about the considerations that go into a healthcare facility's much-needed renovation? Or a hospital's expansion project that requires a brand new wing? Join 2021 APIC President-Elect Linda Dickey and Jayson Karas, a union carpenter, for a discussion on the subtle yet vital role that Infection Preventionists (IP) play during a construction/renovation project in a healthcare facility. We also touch on some of the challenges and IP encounters while ensuring infection prevention and control (IPC) best practices during an undertaking of this nature.

Hosted by:

Silvia Quevedo

About our Guests:

Linda Dickey, RN, MPH, CIC, CPHQ, FAPIC

Linda Dickey was Sr. Director, Epidemiology & Infection Prevention at UCI Health and will be the 2022 President-elect for APIC. Linda's background includes serving on the Facilities Guidelines Institute (FGI) committee to develop design criteria for health care facilities. She has also taught for over 15 years for the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) in courses related to healthcare design, construction and water management and has served on the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) 188 committee to establish the standard for Legionella management. Linda's clinical experience is in adult critical care and over 25 years of experience in epidemiology & infection prevention and quality, patient safety. She earned a nursing degree from the University of South Carolina and her Master in Public Health degree from the University of South Florida. Linda is currently an independent consultant.

Jayson Karas

Jayson Karas is a Business Representative and the ICRA Coordinator for the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters. He is a Union Carpenter of 23 years and is a proud member of the UBC: United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. He has spent 15 of his 23 years as a Carpenter working in healthcare construction. He has a strong passion for learning as well as sharing his experiences that he acquired working in the field with others. He has the privilege of working with members of the APIC Community as a representative of the UBC, an APIC Strategic Partner in 2020 and continuing that partnership in 2021. He serves on several UBC ICRA Committees in helping further the UBC's desire to develop and deliver much needed healthcare construction curriculum and training to contractors, tradespeople, and healthcare professionals in the United States and Canada. Jayson is also a proud veteran after serving 8 years in the United States Navy.