Infection Prevention and Control

The Arkansas Children’s Infection Prevention and Control (IP) Program is dedicated to safeguarding the health of every child by preventing infections in the healthcare environment, advancing evidence-based practices, and fostering a culture of safety and collaboration across the health system. Our team – which includes 4 full-time infection preventionists, nurses, physicians (medical director: Dr. Ana del Valle), microbiology partners, data analysts, and frontline clinical staff – works across every inpatient unit and clinic to monitor healthcare-associated infections, train staff on best practices, partner with patients and families, and identify emerging threats early so we can intervene quickly. Unlike traditional models that rely on passive surveillance – where infection prevention is often alerted only after multiple cases occur – we have moved toward a proactive, genomics-driven approach that allows us to detect transmission events as they emerge and respond in real time to protect our patients.

Historically, infection prevention programs relied heavily on passive surveillance – often being alerted to potential clusters only after multiple infections had already occurred – and determining whether those infections were truly related required tools that were imprecise and slow. At IDWeek 2025, we shared the story of how Arkansas Children’s is transforming infection prevention through genomic epidemiology. What began as a vision to modernize how we detect hospital transmission has become one of the most advanced pediatric genomic surveillance programs in the country. By integrating advanced genomic tools into routine practice, we can identify transmission events as they emerge – sometimes as early as the second case – allowing us to intervene swiftly and prevent further spread. Few pediatric centers have embedded this level of precision into day-to-day infection prevention decision-making. The result has been a more effective and more strategic infection prevention program.

Because Arkansas Children’s is the only health system in the state dedicated exclusively to the care of children, our Infection Prevention and Control team works closely with the Arkansas Department of Public Health to strengthen infection prevention efforts across the state. This partnership has been especially critical during recent local outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles and pertussis, where rapid coordination between hospital infection prevention leaders and public health officials helped us to ensure consistent messaging, timely response, and protection of vulnerable children. Together, we collaborate on outbreak preparedness, vaccination education, and coordinated response strategies – sharing real-time clinical data and insights from the hospital while supporting statewide public health initiatives. This alignment between hospital-based infection prevention and public health leadership allows us to extend our impact beyond our walls and contribute meaningfully to the health of children throughout Arkansas.