Your Weekly News & Updates
| In This Issue | |
|
|
Daily PPE surveys
Yesterday the Ministry’s Emergency Operations Centre (MEOC) sent out an email asking healthcare providers to fill out daily PPE surveys online. This falls under the Minister’s Order on Personal Protective Equipment Data Collection. There were some questions if primary care falls under this and today MEOC sent out the following:
- We understand there is some confusion over whether organizations are captured under the term “All centres, programs or services for community health or mental health whose primary purpose is the provision of health care”
- This term should be interpreted broadly, as the intention is to gather information respecting availability of PPE across the province in order to address vulnerabilities in health service provider PPE supply
- To confirm, the scope of this request includes public health units and primary care providers
We sent a follow up email yesterday to EDs, Lead clinicians, and board chairs with the link and relevant password.
The survey will open at 8am each morning, and close at 5pm each day. Webinars about the survey are:
- Wednesday, April 1: 11:30am-12:30pm: Click here to join
- Thursday, April 2: 11:30am-12:30pm: Click here to join
We understand there are several PPE surveys from the MOH, Ontario Health and OMA – we are trying to get some clarity on the intent of these all so we can provide some guidance once we receive it.
Updated COVID-19 case definitions and more
Last week we reorganised the resources and updates on our site into several pages:
- Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates– the original page, with news and Ministry situation reports (please note that the Ministry Situation Reports on COVID-19 are posted daily so review them to better understand the provincial response)
- Infection control resources and tools for primary care
- Virtual Care, Digital Health and COVID-19
- Management and operations, human resources and COVID-19– updated English and French case definitions and a new directive as of Mar. 30
- COVID-19 information for Patients, Caregivers and the Public
We have also added another page – Mental health and wellness during COVID-19
We’ll update these on a regular basis as we receive relevant resources, while trying to reduce duplication with other sources. We will continue to update the news page daily.
- The Ministry of Health has posted a new COVID-19 website that is easier to read and posts the daily epidemiological summary. Provincial and regional data on confirmed cases, including trends of cases since the outbreak began, geography, exposure, and severity can be seen on this site.
HR, privacy and risk management slides and video
On Mar. 27 we held the HR, privacy and risk management during the COVID-19 pandemic webinar, presented by Maria McDonald of McDonald HR Law and Kate Dewhirst of Kate Dewhirst Health Law. Slides, video and tools referenced in the webinar are now posted on the site.
There were a few questions that were also asked – we are currently working through the answers and will share them once finalized.
Please log in and then click on this link to access them (available only at triad level).
Do you know any heroes of COVID-19?
Last week Broadbent Institute launched Heroes of COVID-19 “to highlight the exceptional acts of good happening across the country in the face of this pandemic.” Heroes so far include UFCW Canada, Black Creek Community Farm, Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib volunteers, and ACORN members. If you’d like to highlight an individual or team’s efforts, you can submit your story here.
EMR CoP transition to OntarioMD
As many of you are aware the EMR communities of practice (CoP) will be transitioning from AFHTO to OntarioMD effective March 31, 2020. AFHTO would like to thank all members for their continuous support and participation. We would also like to sincerely thank CoP leads for their dedication to these groups! We look forward to a smooth transition.
OntarioMD is in the process of updating membership lists for existing CoPs. Please take a few minutes to fill in this form through which contact info is being collected. OntarioMD will use this information to send all meeting invitations and updates regarding the CoPs after March 31, 2020. Moving forward, the central contact email will be support@ontariomd.com. Listserv emails and meeting invites will be updated after March 31, 2020.
If you have any comments, questions or concerns about this transition, please take a few minutes to fill out the following surveys:
Thank you for your continued support and participation in these important meetings!
Advance care planning & goals of e-learning modules- deadline today to register for free
Now more than ever, with the anticipated impact of COVID-19 and the rapidly growing cohort of elderly people nearing end of life, the subject of Advance Care Planning is a critical one for our health care system and for quality of life.
Hospice Palliative Care Ontario has re-launched the Health Care Consent Advance Care Planning and Goals of Care E-Learning Modules. The self-directed modules are intended for Clinician Competency Training on Health Care Consent, Advance Care Planning, and Goals of Care conversations where learners will move beyond advancing their knowledge and attitudes to develop clinical skills. Register for free per the instructions listed here before tomorrow, April 1.
Primary care virtual community – April 2- primary care leading through challenging times
While Primary Care is leading through a challenging time, the Primary Care Virtual Community (PCVC) is our space to come together and invest in our relationships. As a community, our aim is to support and connect to each other across Ontario and reflect on what’s needed to lead through challenging times.
We are responding to many of your requests to meet this week!
- This Week’s Topic: Primary Care Leading Through Challenging Times
- Date and Time: Thursday April 2nd, 2020 from 7pm-8pm
We will be joined by Drs Sarah Newbery, Marathon FHT and Rob Annis, North Perth FHT and Penny Paucha, Founder and Principal at Instincts at Work. Penny will share her insights on thinking and working through complexity and chaos.
As always, our conversation will be guided by you, our primary care community in Ontario #ONPrimaryCareLeads.
To register for the Primary Care Virtual Community: Click Here
Message from Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario)
Consistent with the Ministry of Health’s recommendation that all non-essential health care services be delayed in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) is recommending that all routine cancer screening tests be delayed. This includes screening for colorectal cancer with the fecal immunochemical test (FIT).
Please be aware that LifeLabs has temporarily stopped mailing FIT kits to patients as of Monday, March 23, 2020. Therefore, we ask that you do not send requisitions for FIT until further notice. A requisition that was received by LifeLabs before March 23rd but has not yet resulted in a FIT kit being mailed, will remain in a processing queue. These requisitions will not expire, and the FIT kit will be mailed at a later date. While LifeLabs will continue to test all completed FITs that are received during the COVID-19 pandemic, if patients contact your office to request information about screening, we recommend that those who have received a FIT kit recently and have not yet completed it, wait until further notice to complete their FIT.
Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) recommends follow-up procedures continue for people with abnormal cancer screening results that are highly suspicious for cancer, including abnormal FIT results; however, please be aware that the feasibility of follow-up procedures during the pandemic will depend on the resources available at each hospital or facility.
If you have any questions about cancer screening during the pandemic, please contact screening@cancercare.on.ca
CMHA Ontario and Mental Health Works Webinars – In response to COVID-19 pandemic, April 2-17, 2020
For health care professionals and workers: with topics relevant to both hospitals and clinics, as well as telehealth professionals and those who work to support patient outcomes, such as custodial staff, security professionals, and administrators.
- Mental Wellness for Healthcare Professionals – April 2, 6-7 pm
- Stress Management in Healthcare Settings -April 6, 5:30-630 pm
- Mental Health for Telehealth –April 15, 6-7 pm
- Mental Health for Support Staff: Taking Care of Yourself – April 17, 6-7 pm
Understanding Bronchiectasis Webinar, April 21, 2020
Learn more about this neglected pulmonary disease. By the end of this webinar, you will be able to help patients self-manage the disease and avoid the acquisition of nontuberculosis mycobacteria. Find out more here
Leave a Reply