PUBLIC SERVICE ADMINISTRATOR OPT 8N/Infection Control Coordinator

Agency Marketing Statement

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is tasked with the oversight of communities within Illinois to achieve and maintain optimal health and safety.  With an annual budget of over $600 million in state and federal funds, 7 regional offices, 3 laboratories and over 1,100 employees, IDPH is equipped to fulfill its mission of protecting the health and wellness of the people of Illinois through the prevention, health promotion, regulation and control of disease and injury.

Job Responsibilities

1.  Develops and provides consultations to assigned local health departments statewide by responding to communicable disease outbreaks.

• Reviews information about new outbreaks, assures that information is given to local health departments to appropriately guide their investigations, provides technical assistance through regional staff to local health department personnel on investigation of outbreaks and applies epidemiologic principles to the design, implementation and evaluation of outbreak investigations.

2.  Serves as expert for institutional communicable disease control statewide, including nosocomial nursing home and other communicable disease issues.

• Provides technical infectious disease consultations to local health departments throughout the state. 
• As a member of the rapid response team, travels and assists with outbreak investigations throughout the state.

3.  Maintain surveillance for assigned diseases and outbreak management and coordination, primarily for events in healthcare settings, including hospitals and long-term care facilities.

• Ensures appropriate control and containment measures are implemented and maintained.

4.  Provides infection prevention/control guidelines, including information on multidrug-resistant organisms and emerging infectious diseases, for healthcare providers and facilities, local health departments, prisons/jails, and the general public.

Job Responsibilities (cont)

5.  Maintain current information on the Web portal and other resource on healthcare associated infectious diseases, including emerging infectious diseases, that occur predominately in hospitals, nursing homes, and other institutions including, but not limited to, emerging antibiotic-resistant organisms such as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Candidiases auris. 

• Provide infection control consultations to health care facility Infection Preventionists throughout the state.

6.  Serves as a primary consultant for Infection Preventionists and other healthcare professionals on issues including, but not limited to, proper isolation precautions, disinfection practices, implementation of infection prevention/control guidelines, management of multidrug-resistant organisms.

7.  Performs other duties as required or assigned, which are reasonable within the scope of duties enumerated above.

Minimum Qualifications

• Requires the equivalent to a Bachelor’s Degree, preferably supplemented by a Master’s Degree or Doctorate Degree in public health, biostatistics, microbiology including at least two courses in epidemiology.
• Requires three years progressively responsible experience in a communicable diseases’ investigation program.
• Requires an Illinois Registered Nurse License.

Preferred Qualifications

1. One year experience developing and providing consultation to health departments or health programs responding to communicable disease outbreaks.
2. Certification in Infection Control (CIC).
3. One year experience serving as an expert for institutional communicable disease control.
4. One year experience as a hospital infection control practitioner.
5. One year work experience in word processing and spreadsheet applications (i.e., Word, Excel, PowerPoint). 
6. One year experience with computer applications, including Epi-Info and Microsoft Access.

Conditions of Employment

• Requires the ability to travel.
• Requires a valid driver’s license.