Your Weekly News & Updates
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Oxygen saturation of COVID home monitoring
COVID-19 pandemic has led to unexpected surges in demand on the provincial healthcare system, and healthcare settings across the province face patient capacity constraints, potentially affecting care for all patients. To help ease these constraints, Ontario Health is providing tools and resources for COVID@Home to help primary care providers who wish to remotely monitor people who have mild to moderate COVID-19 in the community.
Oxygen saturation monitors are now available to be ordered by primary care physician offices and interprofessional primary care team offices through the provincial pandemic stockpile. Find out more about the initiative and how to order here.
Announcing the Primary Care Collaborative
COVID-19 shows the vital roles primary care providers play every day for community health and wellbeing and health system cooperation in Ontario.
On March 29 we announced the launch of the Primary Care Collaborative with five other partners, including Alliance for Healthier Communities, IPHCC, NPLCA, OCFP and SGFP. Visit our site for the full release.
Working more collaboratively together, we hope a unified primary care sector can help advance the important role that primary care will play towards recovery from this pandemic.
Your role in improving the population health of people at risk or living with diabetic foot complications
Co-hosted with Wounds Canada, this interactive webinar on April 15 will provide an overview of your role to improve the population health of people at risk or living with diabetic foot complications across the full continuum of care settings to improve patient experience, outcomes and costs.
By the end of the webinar participants will:
- Discuss prevention and management approaches based on risk stratification of people at risk or living with diabetic foot complications
- Explore ways to leverage telehealth / virtual care assessments to support patients at risk or living with diabetic foot complications
- Leverage Wounds Canada resources to optimize your practice
Member stories
Bancroft FHT– Bancroft FHT vaccinates over 1000 people from COVID-19
Central Lambton and Rapids FHTs – Family doctors join vaccine rollout in Sarnia-Lambton
Georgian Bay FHT– video tour of the Collingwood and Wasaga drive-thru vaccine clinics
Queen Square FHT– Ontario family physicians seek clarity on when they can administer COVID-19 vaccines in office
Joint letter on vaccine dose intervals for indigenous populations
On March 26 we sent a joint letter to Premier Ford and Minister Elliott on changes to the vaccine dosing schedule for Indigenous populations.
“We are standing in solidarity with the Indigenous Primary Health Care Council and asking that, at bare minimum, those Indigenous people living in urban areas who’ve already received their first doses of vaccines be grandfathered in, and permitted to receive their second doses within 21-28 days. This allows for continuity of care, and confidence in this process and the vaccine itself.”
Read the full letter on our site.
Patient-facing document updates, Gen. Hillier memo and more
Recent updates include:
- Patient facing documents- Ministry of Health, updated Mar. 29, 2021. Key changes include information on the risks of blood clots associated with AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD and overall streamlining of content:
- Vaccine Clinical Advisory Group Recommendation on Extended Doses– Vaccine Clinical Advisory Group, Mar. 26, 2021
- General Hillier Memo March 26 2021– General Hillier, Mar. 26, 2021
- Update COVID-19 #10– COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force, Mar. 26, 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
- 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
- Resources for Re-opening
- Virtual Care, Digital Health and COVID-19

Supporting older persons at home slides and video
On Mar. 25 Provincial Geriatrics Leadership Ontario discussed how to better support older persons in the community using lessons learned during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Slides and video are now available.
Canada’s Volunteer Awards National Advisory Committee
Canada’s Volunteer Awards (CVA) will be accepting applications for the CVA National Advisory Committee (NAC) until April 8. Members of the National Advisory Committee play a leading role in the selection of Canada’s Volunteer Awards recipients by reviewing nominations and making recommendations to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development. They will also support the promotion of the program throughout their term. To apply visit their site.
AMS Healthcare research fellowships: provider mental health and wellbeing
AMS Healthcare is offering one-year fellowships of up to $75,000 to early and mid-career academic researchers and scholars and academically trained regulated health care professionals to study and develop expertise/competence in the impact of digital technology/artificial intelligence on compassionate care. Some projects will have an additional focus on the wellbeing and mental health of healthcare providers, patients and caregivers to address the challenges of living and working through the COVID-19 pandemic. Letter of intent due Apr. 7. Visit their site for details.
Foundations to QI (IDEAS) Program e-Learning Course, Mar. 31 & Apr. 1, 2021
E-QIP is holding this comprehensive introductory QI course designed for the community mental health sector. You’ll be well versed in a common language and approach to QI with the aim of improving client care, experience and outcomes after this course.
Find out more here.
ECHO Managing COVID-19 in Primary Care, Starting Apr. 13, 2021
UHN’s ECHO series is back- now with 12 parts. Join other primary care providers in this interactive online program.
Find out more here.
Building a Resilient Nonprofit Organization through Proactive Risk Management, Apr. 22, 2021
Charity Village webinar with Risk Management Consultants Lilli Chiu and Isaac Monson from HUB International and insights on how to navigate uncertainty and prepare for the unexpected. Register here.
Excellence through Quality Improvement (E-QIP) Conference, Apr. 13, 2021
Hosted by CMHA Ontario, this one-day virtual conference is being offered for FREE.
Visit their site.
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