Your Weekly News & Updates
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Joint open letter on pandemic pay, updated primary care guidance and testing memo
Yesterday we submitted an open letter with ten other organizations to Premier Ford and Minister Elliott calling for immediate clarity on the implementation details and timing on pandemic pay for frontline workers. Read the full letter here.
It was highlighted by the Toronto Star and also picked up across their regional network, landing in many local papers from Hamilton to Windsor, Ottawa and across the GTA.
On a related note, on Friday, May 22 the government released updated primary care guidance. On Sunday they also provided a memo describing new testing direction for COVID 19 (English and French). It outlines that testing is available to all people with at least one symptom as well as those who are not experiencing symptoms but are at risk or are concerned about exposure.
AFHTO 2020 Conference: switching things up
In March, as we prepared to announce our 2020 conference themes and program, the COVID-19 pandemic overtook our plans. Thank you for your patience as we monitored the situation and made decisions about how it might affect the 2020 Conference, set to take place this October in Toronto.
Based on information from the World Health Organization (WHO), Public Health Canada, Public Health Ontario, and others, we find we cannot hold the conference in-person as originally planned. Our focus and priority are member and stakeholder safety and well-being.
Last year attendees said they wanted a change so we’re exploring virtual options. Without an in-person component, we can create something new and envision the conference differently. What can it look like without those familiar constraints?
We’re working on this right now and we need your help. What do you want to hear more about and how would you like it? Tell us in this quick survey. Deadline tomorrow, Wed. May 27, 8:00 a.m.
Nominations to the AFHTO Board of Directors open until July 3, 2020
Are you interested in serving on the AFHTO Board of Directors? The governance committee of AFHTO’s board invites anyone who works within an AFHTO member organization to apply. Priority for the directors to be elected will be given to candidates who are:
- Interprofessional health care providers (IHPs), especially those working in mental health and addiction;
- Board members, especially community members in the position of Chair of the Board; or
- Experienced in finance, including accreditation as a financial professional (e.g. CA, CPA, CMA).
Deadline is July 3, 2020. Find out more here.
Updated symptoms document and more
Yesterday the government released an updated symptoms document to include some additional language around how multisystem inflammatory vasculitis may present in children.
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 assessment centres across Ontario (members only per Ministry request)
- COVID-19 information for Patients, Caregivers and the Public
- Infection control resources and tools for primary care
- H+K Memos and Insight Notes on Government Press Releases
- Management and operations, human resources and COVID-19
- Mental health and wellness during COVID-19
- Providing Comprehensive Care During COVID-19
- Virtual Care, Digital Health and 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.
Update on COVID-19 testing- Primary Health Care Branch
Yesterday we received an important email from the Primary Health Care Branch regarding COVID-19 testing. It included a link to the Personal Protective Equipment Intake Form and referred to the list of assessment centres.
This list is updated on our site on a regular basis.
Reminder- Ontario Community Support Association meals/essentials delivery
Weeks ago Ontario Community Support Association established a link on their website to connect individuals/community providers to meals services/essentials delivery.
As the province prepares to reopen for business, there are still millions of seniors and people with disabilities and chronic conditions that will continue to need to self-isolate at home. So, they think their work has only just begun.
If there are cohorts of populations or individuals that members feel need support during COVID-19, please contact OCSA so they can help.
In this portal, you can search Meals providers or Essential Service providers by searching based on address. If service providers exist in the area, a referral can be made directly through the portal to the provider. If nothing can be found there, a link will pop up asking to “Sign Me Up” to receive a phone call from a Canadian Red Cross (CRC) Coordinator to make connection to services.
Choosing Wisely – Canada’s National Meeting, May 26, 2020
The Virtual National Meeting will bring together health professionals, patients, system leaders, and researchers from across the country to discuss and engage in topics related to overuse in health care. Learn more here.
Meeting Social Needs in an Integrated Health System: Social Prescribing During COVID-19 and Beyond, May 27, 2020
The Alliance for Healthier Communities has made their social prescribing meeting virtual. Join the conversation around integrating healthcare and social supports. Learn more here.
Driving and Accelerating a ‘One System’ Response: Why COVID-19 has Shone a Spotlight on Integrated Care, May 27, 2020
This webinar will profile Canadian and international examples that demonstrate what teams have leveraged and accelerated in order to respond to COVID-19 as one connected team and community. Learn more and register here.
Hospice Palliative Care CoPs, Ongoing
HPCO hosts virtual CoPs related to:
- Health Care Consent, Advance Care Planning
- Rural Hospice Palliative Care
- Compassionate Communities
Psychological PPE: Exploring Compassion Fatigue and Learning How to Keep Ourselves Psychologically Well, May 27, 2020
The University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine is holding a webinar on Wednesday evening around the impact of compassion fatigue and burnout on health care professionals. Learn more here.
ECHO Ontario Bariatric Network, June 3- August 26, 2020
Learn how to work with your patients living with obesity who have received specialty care from a Bariatric Centre of Excellence (BCoE). Find out more.
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