Your Weekly News & Updates
| In This Issue | |
|
|
Virtual funding opportunities for primary care, Sep. 16
Co-hosted with Ontario Health, this webinar will provide information and answer questions about FY2021-22 digital and virtual care provincial funding opportunities for Ontario Health Teams (OHTs) and In Development Team, including support for online appointment booking and virtual primary care projects.
Find out more and register here.
Expanding your differential diagnosis, Oct. 14
Co-hosted with ECHO Ontario at UHN, this presentation provides an overarching schema of rheumatic diseases, with a focus on types and patterns of articular involvement, and extraarticular and serologic correlates. By the end of the presentation, participants will be able to apply this schema when approaching common rheumatic disease presentations.
Find out more and register here.
3rd dose referral and guidance
Since Ontario announced third doses of COVID-19 vaccine for some populations, the Ministry has prepared a draft sample letter that physicians and nurse practitioners may wish to use to provide their patients with the necessary referral and attestation in the cases where the patient’s own primary care provider/specialist are not administering the COVID-19 vaccine. Your local public health unit may also have additional forms/information so please also check with them too.
The updated guidance on third does for special populations can be found in this link.
Update on COVaxON Aggregate Primary Care Vaccination Report
Please find attached a memo from Ontario Health highlighting two important changes that have made to the COVaxON Aggregate Primary Care Vaccination Report:
- The full list of rostered patients (everyone born in 2009 and older) will be available to PEM primary care providers not just those who received one or two doses; and
- The refresh cycle is moving from monthly to weekly to provide data in a timelier manner.
Reminder – Pandemic PPE Transitional Supports (PPTS)
Just a reminder about the availability of PPE for Primary Care Providers and Interprofessional Primary Care Teams from the provincial stockpile. As part of the Pandemic PPE Transitional Support (PPTS) for Primary Care Providers, Specialists (Community-based Physician Specialists), Community Health Service Providers, and Indigenous Communities and Health Service Providers, it is imperative to follow the steps in the ‘How-To Complete Remedy Form’ document before submitting a request. For more detailed instructions on how-to complete the Remedy Intake Form, please reference the ‘Detailed How-To’ document. For additional information related to the transitional support, please reference the ‘FAQ’ document.
Please note the below attestation, which is at the bottom of the “General” section of the intake form, does not apply to the Pandemic PPE Transitional Support. Primary care providers, specialists (community-based physician specialists), community health service providers, and Indigenous communities and health service providers are asked to please select this box to continue with the intake process.
☐ By selecting this box, your organization confirms it still has a supply shortage of under 14 days of stock despite following Steps 1-3* and requires PPE from the pandemic stockpile to continue providing services. Additionally, I have verified or will verify and confirm that any Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) I receive from Ontario Health will remain in Ontario, and will be used for direct patient care. Further, the PPE received will not be resold or redistributed without the express written consent of Ontario Health.
The ministry provides guidance on the use of PPE that can be found on the Ministry of Health (MOH) COVID-19 website and in the Guidance for Primary Care Providers in a Community Setting.
Keeping our kids safe at school, new IPAC guidance, and more
Recent updates include:
- Register for Keeping our kids safe at school, new IPAC guidance, and more– OCFP COVID-19 CoP, Friday, September 17, 2021
- Directive 6 must apply to patient-facing team-based primary care providers during COVID-19 – AFHTO, AHC, NPLCA, September 3, 2021
- Modernizing the delivery of home and community care while maintaining stability of services– Connected Care Update- MOH, September 7, 2021
We continue to update several pages on our site with resources and news:
- 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)
- COVID-19 Vaccination Information
- COVID-19 assessment centres in Ontario
- COVID-19 information for Patients, Caregivers and the Public
- Infection control resources and tools for primary care
- Management and operations, human resources and COVID-19
- Mental health and wellness during COVID-19
- Providing Comprehensive Care During COVID-19
- Resources for Re-opening
- Virtual Care, Digital Health and COVID-19
New telementoring program for health-care providers in occupational medicine
Primary health-care providers in Ontario are invited to join ECHO Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ECHO OEM). The new program will increase provider capacity to recognize occupational and environmental exposures, and support patients in recovery and return to work. Over 12 weekly, 1.5-hour sessions, an interprofessional team of specialists will guide and mentor providers as they discuss patient cases and pertinent topics in OEM. Health-care providers will also gain CME credits, confidence in providing comprehensive care for their patients, and a new community of practice.
The ECHO OEM sessions run on Fridays from September 17 to December 3, 2021. Learn more and register here.
PSHSA workplace violence toolkits: work refusal and emergency response to workplace violence (code white)
PSHSA’s Violence, Aggression and Responsive Behaviours (VARB) toolkits were developed in partnership with healthcare and labour stakeholders to support healthcare workplaces in reducing and preventing the risk of workplace violence.
Two new toolkits are now available on Work Refusals and Emergency Response (Code White). These join their five initial toolkits on Workplace Violence Risk Assessment, Individual Client Risk Assessment, Risk Communication/Flagging, Security and Personal Safety Response System.
Opportunity to bring Early Words program to your team – at no cost
Early Words, the Canadian Children’s Literacy Foundation’s literacy program is expanding and accepting expressions of interest from clinics and hospitals.
The program launched in Iqaluit in 2020 and is now operating in 12 clinics in Nunavut, as well as two clinics in Winnipeg. They provide free books, training, and resources to support healthcare professionals integrate early literacy into their practice.
They’re seeking Expressions of Interest from healthcare clinics and hospitals whose patient population includes children aged five and under experiencing barriers to literacy – such as families with low literacy, limited access to programs and resources, and low socioeconomic status. They provide access to books and resources to help professionals counsel families on early literacy.
For more information, you can visit their site or register for the September 14 info session.
The deadline to apply for the Expression of Interest is October 1 at midnight local time. If you have any questions, you can contact Zoe Keefer at zkeefer@childrensliteracy.ca.
COVID-19 malnutrition – how to identify and treat in team-based primary care, Sep. 20, 2021
Gain a greater awareness of prevalence of malnutrition in primary care and the impact of undiagnosed malnutrition on quality of life, health outcomes and health care dollars. Find out more and register here.
NPAO 2021 Virtual Annual Conference, Sep. 23-24, 2021
This years’ Conference theme is Nurse Practitioner: Innovative Influencers of Health and Wellness. Find out more and register here.
OMD Digital Health and Virtual Care Day, Sep. 30, 2021
This virtual day will focus on leveraging digital health and virtual care tools to complement the in-person delivery of patient care. Register here.
Promoting Resiliency in Children, Youth, and Families in Primary Care, Sep. 30, 2021
ECHO Ontario Child and Youth Mental Health Special Interest ECHO Session. Register here.
Tapering and Stopping Opioids, Oct. 19, 2021
Co-hosted with ECHO Ontario Chronic Pain and Opioid Stewardship (UHN). Register here.
AFHTO 2021 Conference, Oct. 27-28, 2021
Post-Pandemic Primary Care: Respond, Recover, Rebuild. Members get a significant discount on the registration fee. Find out more here.
Leave a Reply