APIC SFBA Chapter 024 is the local APIC chapter serving infection preventionists in the San Francisco Bay Area in California.

Members of our chapter serve both small and large healthcare organizations, including ambulatory surgery centers, assisted living facilities, clinics, corporate entities, home health, hospice, acute care hospitals, pediatrics, long-term care, mental health, public health departments, and veterans medical centers.

APIC SFBA Chapter meets every other month on the second Wednesday of March, May, July, September, and November.
The Annual Product Faire is held every December.

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IP of the Bay

Juan Alfaro Garcia, 
MBA, BSN, CIC, CCRN

This month, we are proud to recognize Juan Alfaro Garcia, MBA, BSN, CIC, CCRN, Infection Prevention and Control Nurse Manager at O’Connor Hospital in San Jose, California — a dedicated leader whose collaborative and prevention-focused approach continues to strengthen patient safety across the healthcare continuum.

Juan partners closely with nursing leadership, frontline staff, EVS, facilities, perioperative teams, and multidisciplinary stakeholders to protect patients, staff, and visitors through strong infection prevention practices. In his current role, he helps lead and support high-priority HAI and safety initiatives, including CLABSI, CAUTI, SSI, C. difficile prevention, and hand hygiene improvement — all while reinforcing the daily fundamentals that make safe care easier to deliver.

With a strong ICU background, Juan brings valuable frontline clinical insight to infection prevention, ensuring strategies remain practical, realistic, and aligned with the fast-paced demands of patient care. Known for being detail-oriented and data-driven, he excels at translating complex guidelines into clear workflows — supporting teams through strengthened hand hygiene and PPE practices, timely isolation processes, device-associated infection prevention, and environmental reliability through rounding and feedback.

Juan’s creativity and passion for education have also made a lasting impact. He helped lead two flash mob education videos that earned the Grand Prize Film Award at the 2022 and 2024 APIC Annual Conferences, demonstrating how innovation and engagement can drive meaningful behavior change.

Currently pursuing his Doctorate of Health Administration (DHA) at Oklahoma State University, Juan continues to bring a systems-thinking and leadership perspective to infection prevention and quality improvement efforts.

Thank you, Juan, for your dedication to advancing infection prevention and supporting safer care for our communities. 💙

#IPoftheBay #InfectionPrevention #PatientSafety #APIC #HealthcareLeadership #HAIPrevention #QualityImprovement

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AWARDS:

 SFBA APIC at APIC Conference 2024 Newsletter