Your Weekly News & Updates
| In This Issue | |
|
|
Information webinar: COVID-19 vaccination for children 5-11 years old
COVID-19 vaccination for children 5-11 years old is expected to be approved by Health Canada by the end of November. The Alliance for Healthier Communities and the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario is cohosting an information session to help our members prepare, and to answer your most pressing questions.
Dr. Janine McCready, infectious diseases physician at Michael Garron Hospital, will share details of the expected or approved vaccine for children, share insights for how to counsel parents and guardians, and address commonly asked questions and concerns.
Your voice is key – member consultation forum, Nov. 16, 2021
A reminder to please sign up for and spread the word across your teams and regional networks about AFHTO’s Member Consultation – 2022 Election Messaging on November 16 from 12 PM to 1:30 PM! This is member input on our election strategy and local messaging, and it is critical that we have good representation from a diversity of teams and professions.
Your voice is key in our election preparation, and local advocacy is equally as critical as central advocacy – especially in the lead-up to an election where candidates are working to be (re)elected.
We know how busy schedules are for team leaders these days, so if it helps, consider delegating this to one person on your team who can be a touch point for advocacy work over the next seven months as we work towards election day on June 2, 2022.
Please register here! Any questions, please contact beth.mackinnon@afhto.ca.

Celebrating Nurse Practitioner Week
This week it’s time to recognize the important work of NPs in primary care teams. No matter the model, nurse practitioners are truly invaluable in providing comprehensive care to Ontarians. Thank you to our NP team members! And to highlight some of their great work, here is a video of past president and NPAO Patient Choice Award Nominee Beth Cowper-Fung, Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner, Georgina NPLC.

Members’ stories
Burlington FHT– Tough nuts to crack: The Burlington FHT Physiotherapy team during the pandemic
Bruyère Academic FHT– Bruyère Receives Award in Innovation from CAN Health
Georgina NPLC– ‘Decrease wait times’ focus behind Georgina’s nurse practitioner clinic that director promises will be ‘gorgeous’
Lakehead NPLC – Lakehead nurse practitioner-led clinic offers drive-thru flu shots
Reminder- Introduction to ONCA, Nov. 17, 2021
Join Benjamin Miller from Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO) for an education session on what is new in the Ontario’s Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA), and steps nonprofits can take to set themselves up for success in transitioning to the new requirements under the Act. Register here.
Third dose recommendations, dose date calculator and more
Recent updates include:
- COVID-19 Vaccine Third Dose Recommendations- EN and FR – Ministry of Health, Nov. 3, 2021
- Ontario Expanding Booster Eligibility to More Ontarians – Ministry of Health, Nov. 3, 2021
- Dose date calculator – helps patients calculate 2nd and 3rd dose dates- Vaccine Hunters Canada
- COVID-19 CoP – Resource List– OCFP COVID-19 CoP, Nov. 5, 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 tools and supports- substance use, navigation & child & youth depression
Breaking Free Online – Digital Support Tool for Substance Use Disorder: Ontario Health has launched Breaking Free Online, an online therapy tool for Ontarians 16 and up to support recovery from the use of over 70 substances such as tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, including opioids, and help prevent a relapse. To implement, please email Nicholette Smith at nsmith@breakingfreegroup.com to receive your organization’s service code.
Health Care Navigation Service – Coming Soon: The Ontario government is awarding a contract to create a one-stop, digitally enabled navigation tool with fully bilingual services that will increase access to care and improve equity. This new tool expected to be ready in early 2022, where Ontarians will have a ‘Digital Front Door’ to Ontario’s health care system. Find out more here.
Improving care across Ontario一and beyond一for children and youth with depression– The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has launched a new free online tool to help improve the standard of care for youth living with depression. Cundill Centre Online Tool for the Treatment of Youth Depression summarizes best care practices for supporting youth as they manage their depression and is now available for primary care providers and other frontline clinicians everywhere.
TUTOR-PHC call for applications
Transdisciplinary Understanding and Training on Research – Primary Health Care (TUTOR-PHC), is a one-year, pan-Canadian interdisciplinary research capacity building program that has been training primary and integrated health care researchers, clinicians and decision-makers from family medicine, nursing, psychology, epidemiology, social work, occupational therapy, education, policy, and many other disciplines since 2003. The deadline to apply is December 6, 2021.
For more information, please go to the website or email the TUTOR-PHC Project Coordinator at tutor@uwo.ca.
RNAO seeking best practice panelists
The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) is seeking nominations for expert panel members for an upcoming new edition best practice guideline on Person-And Family-Centred Care, Third Edition. They are looking for 1 to 3 family physicians to be a volunteer on this panel which extends over 18 months.
Please see attached letter for more information and if you are interested please let us know at info@afhto.ca by November 16th so we can inform the RNAO.
Improving Access to community MHA services: A QI priority for Ontario Health Teams, Nov. 12, 2021
Hosted by E-QIP. Learn more here.
MyPractice: Primary Care Report: Using Data for Improvement: A focus on the Diabetes Management Indicators, Nov. 22, 2021
First in a QI learning series by Ontario Health. Find out more here.
HSPN OHT Webinar: Stories from the field Part 2, Nov. 23, 2021
The webinar will focus on a few examples of teams that are looking at ways to meaningfully engage patients and families in co-design, to develop and implement integrated strategic plans, and to create robust governance structures. Register here.
Prenatal Genetic Testing Options and Genetic Counselling Services in Northeastern Ontario, Nov. 24, 2021
Prenatal Screening Ontario is pleased to partner with the Genetic Counselling Services of Health Sciences North to provide a free webinar for supporting prenatal care providers in Northeastern Ontario. Register here.
Practical approaches to polypharmacy: the gentle art of deprescribing, Dec. 1, 2021
We will explore approaches to the issues and problems around polypharmacy and deprescribing in primary care patients; discuss approaches to the integration of patients’ goals and priorities with evidence; and demonstrate the TAPER tool. Register here.
Primary Care and COVID-19 Support CoP Connecting Call, Nov. 24, 2021
Hosted by Ontario Health. Find out more here.
Leave a Reply