Infection Prevention In Action

Meet Our New Infection Prevention Manager and Learn How to Stay Healthy This Season

At Sierra View, infection prevention is at the heart of patient safety, and we’re excited to introduce Rosalva as our new Infection Prevention (IP) Manager. Rosalva is no stranger to Sierra View—she has worked at our hospital for nearly a decade as an ICU nurse and later as an ICU charge nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During her time in the ICU, she collaborated closely with the infection prevention team to safeguard critically ill patients from infections. After years in the ICU, Rosalva was ready for a new challenge and an opportunity to push herself in a different direction—leading her to step into the IP Manager role. Now, she works alongside Elvia, Infection Prevention RN, and Teresa, Infection Prevention Analyst, to monitor infection trends, conduct surveillance, and ensure our hospital stays ahead of potential risks.

Each day, the Infection Prevention team is involved in a variety of tasks to help keep patients, visitors, and staff safe. They monitor infection data, check patient charts, and conduct rounds throughout the hospital to ensure proper precautions are in place for patients. They also oversee hand hygiene audits, review environmental risks, and even consult on facility updates when needed.

Infection prevention plays a role in areas of the hospital you might not expect. Take a roof leak, for example—many would assume it’s just a facilities or engineering issue. But it’s much more than that. The Infection Prevention team must assess the risk such as mold growth and airborne contaminants, which could pose a serious health threat to patients, visitors, and staff.

Beyond the hospital walls, infection prevention remains just as important—especially during the winter season, when illnesses spread more easily in the community.

A Look at This Year’s Respiratory Season

This year’s respiratory season has been particularly challenging in California and across the country. According to the California Department of Public Health, currently, flu activity is high and increasing, RSV activity is low and decreasing, and COVID-19 activity remains low. While RSV cases are decreasing, it remains a concern for infants, older adults, and those with weakened immune systems. COVID-19, though at low activity levels, is still present in communities, making vaccination and preventive measures important.

Despite the ongoing spread of these viruses, many people remain unvaccinated. As of February 2025, the CDC reports that only 45.7% of children in the U.S. have received a flu vaccine, a drop from the previous year. Among adults, just 45% have been vaccinated against the flu, and in California, it’s estimated that only 44.3% of adults received a flu vaccine in the past year. Flu vaccines help protect against severe illness, hospitalizations, and complications—especially for young children, older adults, and those with conditions that put them at higher risk.

Even if someone does get the flu after vaccination, the vaccine can lessen the severity of symptoms and shorten recovery time, helping to prevent serious complications. This helps prevent emergency rooms from becoming overwhelmed. Many hospitals in California, including those in the Central Valley, are seeing a surge in respiratory-related hospitalizations. Some hospitals are reporting patient volumes similar to—or even exceeding—those during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking preventive measures like getting vaccinated, practicing good hand hygiene, and staying home when sick can help ease the strain on emergency departments and ensure medical resources remain available for those who need them most.

While flu vaccines are typically recommended in the fall or early winter before the height of respiratory season, it’s never too late to get vaccinated. The flu vaccine is still available and can provide protection for the remainder of the season. The Sierra View Community Health Center in Terra Bella offers flu vaccines, and you can learn more here. Flu vaccines are also available at local pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens.

What Can You Do to Stay Healthy?

Rosalva and our Infection Prevention team emphasize these key steps to protect yourself and your loved ones this respiratory season:

• Get vaccinated – Flu vaccines are still available and offer protection against severe illness.
• Stay home when sick – Reducing exposure to others helps prevent the spread of illnesses.
• Wear a mask in crowded places – Especially if you are at high risk or feeling under the weather.
• Wash your hands frequently – Hand hygiene is one of the most effective ways to prevent illness. The CDC recommends wetting hands with clean, running water, lathering with soap (including between fingers and under nails), scrubbing for at least 20 seconds, rinsing thoroughly, and drying with a clean towel or air-drying. An easy way to time it? Sing "Happy Birthday" twice!
• Avoid touching your face – Viruses can enter through the eyes, nose, and mouth.

As Rosalva settles into her new role, she is committed to continuing infection prevention efforts at Sierra View while also helping our community navigate this challenging respiratory season. By taking simple precautions, we can all do our part to stay healthy and help prevent the spread of infections.