Implementing and Sustaining an EHMR Program Webinar Recording

Earn 1 Contact Hour

Member $99 | Nonmember $125 | Student $25

Reusable elastomeric half mask respirators (EHMRs) can be used during routine and surge situations in health delivery settings. As a result of EHMRs experiencing additional use during the COVID-19 pandemic, this webinar assists employers in adding EHMRs as a part of their respiratory protection program (RPP).

Attendees will learn about relevant advancements in EHMR models for source control considerations and receive resources published or funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) that show the use of different models in healthcare settings. Then, gaps and barriers to developing and implementing an EHMR program are discussed including methods to select jobs appropriate for EHMR use, common scenarios for which an EHMR can be used, access and time for fit testing employees, and possible approaches to distribution.

These topics lead into an interactive discussion of EHMR program maintenance. In addition to NIOSH resources, lessons learned from healthcare and public safety organizations who implemented EHMRs are shared. Topics include decision making around disinfection, cleaning, and storage products; guidance developed and used to disinfect and clean EHMRs; and how the workforce overcame any encountered barriers to using EHMRs (e.g., communication issues). This session ends with lessons learned around improving the sustainability of EHMR use in the workplace, using select case examples and experiences of over 40 organizations. By attending this session, professionals will be able to use concepts discussed to update their own RPP to support sustained use of EHMRs in their workplace.

Learning Objectives

After this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Recognize the potential advantages and challenges to widespread EHMR use in respective healthcare and public safety settings to make appropriate decisions around EHMR selection and use on the job
• Summarize EHMR implementation trends in healthcare and public safety settings
• Examine cultural barriers that may impact employee use of EHMRs
• Outline best practices relevant to your own organization for the successful deployment of EHMRs

Presenters

Emily J. Haas, PhD

Emily J. Haas, PhD is a Research Health Scientist at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Dr. Haas specializes in developing, implementing, and evaluating organizational-level interventions with an emphasis on improving employee engagement in response to new and evolving technologies and personal protective equipment to mitigate health hazards in the workplace. Her research solutions have achieved high impact with industry sectors adopting best practices and risk management initiatives. Dr. Haas has authored over 90 publications and provided over 100 technical presentations, including workshops and keynotes at international health and safety conferences. In addition to being a Samuel Hyman Award Finalist in 2019, Dr. Haas received the Gears of Government Presidential Award for research in organizational safety culture. Dr. Haas received her PhD in Health Communication from Purdue University and her M.A. in Health Communication from the University of Dayton.

Lee A. Greenawald, PhD

Lee A. Greenawald, PhD is a Deputy Branch Chief with the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), an Institute within CDC. Lee received her B.S. in Forensic Chemistry from Ohio University and a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from West Virginia University. Dr. Greenawald has worked with NPPTL since 2009. Lee has conducted various post-market research efforts regarding the performance of personal protective equipment, such as evaluating stockpiled respirators and surgical gowns after long-term storage, respirators when challenged against emerging chemical and radiological threats, and gloves when challenged against illicit drugs. Her role also includes various respirator certification activities as part of NIOSH’s Respirator Approval Program.

Veronica Villalon, CMLSO

Veronica Villalon, CMLSO is Administrative Director of Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) as well as the Medical Laser Safety Officer for Stanford Health Care (SHC) within Stanford Medicine, a globally recognized top academic health system comprised of Stanford University School of Medicine, SHC and Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. As the only Level I trauma center between San Francisco and San Jose in California, SHC delivers clinical innovation across its inpatient services, specialty health centers, physician offices, virtual care offerings and health plan programs.

Before joining SHC, Veronica was an operational leader with UCSF Health. During the COVID-19 pandemic response, she served as the Safety Officer for UCSF Health Mission Bay as part of the Hospital Incident Command Center (HICC). Veronica rapidly implemented a Safe and Physical Distancing Program, established respirator compliance reporting for managers, and ensured round-the-clock respirator fit testing services by EHS. She chaired the multidisciplinary personal protective equipment (PPE) workgroup which led the charge for bolstering PPE supply across the healthcare organization (HCO), established reuse, extended use PPE guidance, and leveraged 3-D printing used in research labs to augment face-shield supply. At Stanford Health Care, she will partner with the Office of Emergency Management (OEM), Clinical Leadership and Education, BioMed, and Infection Prevention to evaluate criteria for potential elastomeric half mask respirator (EHMR) use moving forward.

Veronica graduated from UC Irvine with B.S. Biology and B.S. Chemistry degrees as well as completed all but dissertation requirements as a Ph.D. candidate in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from UC Santa Barbara. She has over 25 years of EHS experience.

David Manley, BHS, EMT-P, MTSP-C, NHDP-BC

David Manley, BHS, EMT-P, MTSP-C, NHDP-BC is the Program Safety Officer within the Safety Operations unit of Airlift Northwest in Washington State. Airlift Northwest is a pre- and inter-hospital air medical program, providing ICU-level care to the WWAMI region (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho), with primary service to Washington and SE Alaska. By training, David is a Washington state paramedic and state EMS evaluator with critical care focus, specializing in flight paramedicine, safety system development, and clinical strategy since 2012. David has been leading the training, education, and integration of elastomeric half mask respirators with their flight nurses and aviation personnel, including pilots with direct patient contact, and aircraft mechanics, for the past year. David earned a Bachelor of Health Sciences with a focus in disaster and Emergency Response from Walden University. He volunteers with the Red Cross and is a NAEMT Regional Faculty member for trauma programs.