APIC Greater Detroit, Chapter 077, is an official chapter of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. The chapter currently has 120 active members throughout the state of Michigan in addition to members from Ohio, Illinois and across the border in Canada.

We are very excited to reach our members and other interested parties in this format and hope to facilitate chapter communication through this site. Please check back frequently for updates and new content.

NEW Annual Fit-Testing The below link is a news release dated 4/11/08 from MIOSHA, a formal notification of the resumption of enforcement of annual fit testing for occupational exposure to TB. The news release was posted on the state's website www.michigan.gov/som under Michigan Newswire.

The compliance document of 5/22/07 can be accessed at www.apicgd.org/PDF/MIOSHA_CPL_TB_5_22_07.pdf

NEW 2008 Summer Program in Applied Biostatistical and Epidemiological Methods

The College of Public Health at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio is pleased to announce their 2008 Summer Program in Applied Biostatistical and Epidemiological Methods. This year they will be offering 12 individual week-long courses, each taught by renowned faculty from across the United States and Europe. Complete program information can be found at:

http://cph.osu.edu/workforcedevelopment/summerprogram

We hope you will be able to attend!

NEW Message to All APIC-GD members from APIC Government Affairs:

On December 26, 2007 the President signed the FY2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act into law. This completes the annual Appropriations process for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, as well as numerous other federal agencies.

The Labor-HHS-Ed portion of this consolidated funding bill has been the vehicle for Rep. Roger Wicker's amendment to restrict federal funding for enforcement of the General Industry Respiratory Protection Standard (GIRPS) as it relates to annual fit testing of respirators for occupational exposure to tuberculosis. Because the Wicker Amendment failed and was not included in the bill signed into law by the President, annual fit-testing is now enforceable.

ABHR Update - Changes permit gel and foam as of May, 2007

* Installation Criteria for Hand Rub Dispensers from Michigan Bureau of Fire Safety follows CMS regulations
Download Michigan ABHR Policy: www.michigan.gov/documents/cis/BFS_Policy_2-22_-_TIA_209717_7.pdf

* 2006 International Fire Code Allows Alcohol Based Hand Rubs -
GEL and FOAM: www.ashe.org/ashe/codes/handrub/

Please note: Michigan has revised its policy on the distance between dispensers and electrical outlets. The distance is no longer defined but fire marshals will judge safe distances based on evidence of splashing near the outlets. Michigan is aligned with CMS on this issue.

Needlestick Brochure from Premier Inc under the Hot Topics section of APIC - GD is now available to download for free.

Infection Control Related Websites are located in the References section of APIC - GD.

MIOSHA Standard: Enforcement Policy and Procedures for Evaluating Occupational Exposure to Tuberculosis (TB)

Document - Microsoft Word Format

Document - Adobe Acrobat Reader Format

The new 2007 Michigan Minimum Design Standards are now available on the MDCH Web site: http://www.michigan.gov/hfes. Also note several other updates of the website are in the works, mostly to reflect the 2007 MDS. The document can be downloaded and a summary of the changes is included after the Index; download here.

Until the 2007 MDS are approved by the legislature and governor, project sponsors can choose between the 1998 MDS and 2007 MDS on a project by project basis. The choice must be made at the time of initial project submission.

Some documents are in PDF format. In order to read these documents, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader®. You can download a FREE copy by clicking on the "Get Acrobat" icon. See Adobe Acrobat Toolbar Guide.