Your Weekly News & Updates
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Climate change is a health issue: adopting a green health strategy at your team
Primary care practices can adopt climate change strategies to address the significant health impacts associated with environmental degradation. Climate change contributes to various health challenges, including heat-related illnesses, respiratory problems from air pollution, infectious diseases spread by vectors, and mental health issues stemming from natural disasters and displacement.
By integrating climate change strategies into their practices, primary care providers can enhance patient care, offering preventative measures, early detection of climate-related health risks, and education on adaptation strategies.
On Thursday, June 6 hear from two FHTs that have incorporated Green Health into their strategy. Register here.
AFHTO 2024 Conference: abstract deadline this Friday
Run, don’t walk to submit your abstract. Your peers, colleagues from other health care sectors, non-profits, and the academic community are eager to hear from YOU. Learn more about some topics of interest here.
The deadline to submit for an #AFHTO2024 presentation is this Friday, May 17, 2024.
Member stories
Perth FHT- new team offers updated healthcare delivery in Perth
Rapids FHT – new mobile crisis response team aims to keep people away from ER, jail
Trent Hills FHT – anticipates arrival of nurse practitioner and physician and is currently building patient roster list for Campbellford clinic
OCDPA Queen’s Park Day 2024
On April 24th, AFHTO attended a Queen’s Park Advocacy Day alongside other members of the Ontario Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance (OCDPA). AFHTO met with MPP attendees to convey the need for additional investment in HHR. Overall, 8 OCDPA members attended. We had a total of 40 guests attend – MPPs and/or their staff. There were three meetings held that day with Speaker Ted Arnott, Independent Bobby Ann Brady, and the Liberal Health Critic Adil Shamji. NDP Health Critic France Gelinas visited all members’ booths. After the event, OCDPA emailed all MPPs and included our key messages document in that email.
On May 1, several OCDPA team members met online with PA to the Minister of Health Nolan Quinn to acquaint him with our team and issues, as he replaces former PA Robin Martin. AFHTO will continue to work with OCDPA partners to advocate HHR funding and other investment that improve chronic disease prevention.
News and updates including immunization recommendations for children previously immunized with oral poliovirus vaccine
- Letter to Primary Care from CMOH-Poliovirus Vaccine– CMOH, April 19, 2024
- Nurturing an organizational context that supports team-based primary mental health care: A grounded theory study– PLOS ONE, April 30, 2024
- Ontario midwives can now give vaccines, prescribe more drugs– CBC, May 3, 2024; Ontario news release
- HPV test to be added to cervical screening in Ontario in 2025– City News, May 2, 2024
- New tick-borne disease resources– PHO, May 2024
- Updated changes on lab reports in Ontario to support care for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) – Ontario Health, Dynacare, LifeLabs, May 2024
Reminder- the Ontario Health Cyber Security Centre Health Portal is live
“Your source for health-related cyber security information, training and more is now available. To get started, please follow the steps below:
Step 1: Visit cybersecurityontario.ca and register an account.
Step 2: Once you gain membership to cybersecurityontario.ca, visit our health portal site and register for access.
Looking for the latest cyber threat information affecting the Ontario health care sector? Subscribe to our cyber threat advisory list by clicking on the on the “Register Now” button on the homepage.
Questions? Contact the Ontario Health Cyber Security Centre.”
Ontario Health’s Primary Care Program updates including EMR searches for measles immunizations and hypertension guidance
COVID-19 Spring Campaign– memo EN and FR– May 3, 2024
EMR searches for measles immunizations – developed in partnership with eHealth Centre of Excellence
Ontario Health has developed Guidance for Clinically Appropriate Use of Virtual Care – Hypertension and, as part of the funding commitment for its development, they are required to evaluate its uptake and use to improve the Guidance. They’re asking that you take the time to review the Guidance Clinically Appropriate Use of Virtual Care for Hypertension and to complete a survey. Please find a link to the evaluation survey here. The survey should take approximately 5 minutes of your time to complete.
The evaluation is being conducted by The Evidence Network – a third party vendor contractually obligated to ensure that your responses remain confidential and that evaluation findings are aggregated prior to sharing with Ontario Health. Further, the survey also includes an invitation for interested parties to participate in an interview – this is completely voluntary and if interested, your name and e-mail address will be requested. This information will not be shared with Ontario Health and again, any findings because of your participation will be aggregated before sharing with Ontario Health. Your name and contact information will be kept for only as long as required for the purpose of arranging the interview.
If you have any questions regarding the survey and/or interview, please contact Mimosa Zhao (zhao@theevidencenetwork.com).
Thank you for your assistance!
Clinically Appropriate Use of Virtual Care Guidance Team
Seeking input on barriers to substance use interventions in primary care
“Medications like naltrexone, acamprosate, and buprenorphine are important tools that primary care providers can use to help some individuals who use substances meet their goals. META:PHI, a provincial initiative to support health care providers working with people who use substances, would like to help increase primary care capacity for offering these medications when appropriate.
We are interested in hearing from primary care providers (including both physicians and nurse practitioners) about barriers they may face to prescribing these medications and resources that might be useful in mitigating these barriers. Please consider completing this brief anonymous survey to share your thoughts about prescribing these medications in primary care. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact Sarah Clarke.”
Interested in improving women’s access to medication-based HIV prevention?
York University researchers are asking Canadian healthcare providers to participate in a study investigating facilitators and barriers to HIV counselling and prophylaxis medications like PrEP and PEP among women. The study consists of a 34-question online survey to be completed by Canadian family physicians, nurse practitioners, and obstetrics/gynecology providers who may be prescribing these medications. You can take the survey here.
HEARTS Program – A Primary Care Initiative for Canada, May 22, 2024
Hosted by Hypertension Canada. Find out more.
Epilepsy in Children and Youth: Advanced Program, May 23, 2024
Hosted by Project ECHO. Learn more.
5th Annual McMaster University Review Course in Psychiatry, May 30-31, 2024
Virtual CPD Conference. Learn more here.