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  • Espanola FHT nurse wins prestigious award

    The Sudbury Star Published an article on December 29, 2022

    By Helen Morley

    On Thursday, Dec. 15, the Espanola Regional Hospital and Health Centre announced that Chelsea Gagnon a registered practical nurse, working in the Family Health Team, is the recipient of the 2022 WeRPN Michael & Werner Geidlinger Award of Excellence in Palliative Care.

    The announcement states, “She was recognized for having helped many patients and families during their palliative care journeys, as well as advocating for them, providing the best quality of care and helping to meet the patients’ needs and goals.”

    According to Gagnon’s bio on the WeRPN (Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario) home page, she began her career as a personal support worker (PSW) at a group home for clients with disabilities. To expand her knowledge, Gagnon decided to pursue a career in nursing at Sault College.

    Upon graduation in 2017, Gagnon returned to her hometown of Espanola. She works in the Family Health Team, with the complex and palliative support team. To train for her role Gagnon took several courses, including Pallium’s Learning Essential Approaches to Palliative Care (LEAP) courses.

    Along with two other nurses, Gagnon and her team, “assess the needs of patients in the community and provide support to individuals with life-limiting illness.” This is a role she has fulfilled for the past year.

    She explains, “We wanted to go into these people’s homes and get to know them so we could provide them with the best quality of life for the time they have.”

    The goal of Gagnon and the complex and palliative support team is to get patients into the program as early as possible so they can, “best support patients’ wishes, follow them along their journeys and assist them in transitioning at the end of life.” They provide, “holistic care that goes beyond a sole focus on patients’ physical ailments, but rather looks at their overall wellbeing, including their mental, spiritual and emotional health.”

    Click here for the full article

  • Year End Message from AFHTO’s President and Board Chair

    Year End Message from AFHTO’s President and Board Chair

    Sara Dalo smiling. Wearing snakeskin blouse.

    Normally I take the month of December for reflection on the past year, but this year was different. Interestingly, I spent the majority of the year overthinking my purpose and goals and brainstorming restorative ways to help my team recover and look ahead.

    Over the year, I have been humbled with personal reflections shared by friends and colleagues; their experiences and reflections helped me get through the challenges that accompanied the recovery phase of the pandemic.

    The AFHTO conference is always a reminder of the exceptional efforts that our members are capable of. All work showcased through concurrent and poster presentations, along with the remarkable initiatives recognized through the Bright Lights, are only a glimpse of the work on the ground, so thank you for all the initiatives you take to help our primary care teams evolve to better serve our communities.

    Examples of the impressive work included, but is not limited to redesigning roles, partnering to offer needed services, and measuring success to demonstrate effectiveness. These examples are strategies that are being leveraged to address identified gaps, while demonstrating value. Congratulations on continuously demonstrating the importance and value of primary care.

    My transition from acute care to a team-based primary care environment 10 years ago was enlightening and it continues to be. Since then, I’ve been promoting team-based care as an effective model for continuous and comprehensive patient-centred care. I need to thank all team members, from administration to front line staff, for helping people see the value in team-based care through their interprofessional collaboration and leadership!

    Let’s continue to demonstrate our value, so that our political decision makers can appreciate the importance of investing in team-based primary care! In addition to presenting at conferences, other opportunities to promote team-based primary care include op-eds, articles, interviews and participating in research studies.

    As we continue to work through the HHR challenges, let’s remain positive through focusing on what is in our immediate control. Identifying strategies through seeking guidance and advice from our team members and OHTs can help us overcome these challenges. We are fortunate to have a strong association that continues to support us through trying times as well as our accomplishments. The advocacy, strong governance and communication shared through AFHTO is invaluable and continues to serve us well as we navigate through life’s unprecedented challenges.

    I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the tremendous amount of work put in by the AFHTO team to support its members throughout the year. The bittersweet news of Kavita’s departure is saddening, but I am sure I speak on behalf of the membership when I commend her for her exceptional leadership and dedication to quality and integrity as she advanced the primary team-based care platform over the last seven years at AFHTO. We wish you all the best in your new venture of this next chapter!

    I would also like to acknowledge the contributions of Beth MacKinnon as she also has decided it is time for her to pursue a new chapter in her life. Beth has spearheaded our advocacy work by helping decision makers appreciate our primary care goals at both the provincial and federal level. Thank you for your dedication over the years, Beth. You will be missed!

    Finally, I’d like to thank Raveen for contributions in the short time she has been with us. Raveen has been accepted into medical school and has decided to pursue that dream. Congratulations Raveen, we hope to see you practice in team-based care in the near future!

    While I appreciate these departures are a lot to digest, we must view these as opportunities to adapt ourselves to the changes that await us. Here’s to our future. Let’s do what we do best- support one another as we navigate the road ahead.

    Thank you again to you all. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and joyous Holiday Season and a most prosperous and healthy New Year! Enjoy this special time with your loved ones.

    Respectfully,

    Sara's signature

     

     

     

     

    Sara Dalo,

    President and Board Chair
    Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario

  • COVID-19 Vaccination Information

    Originally posted January 4, 2021. Last updated December 20, 2022 *NEW*

    Resources related to COVID-19 vaccinations based on most recent information shared with AFHTO.

     

    Government Resources (Provincial and Federal)

    General Resources 
    *NEW*
     
    Guidance documents and clinical resources 
    Planning Immunization for Specific Groups

     

    NGO and Non-Profit Resources 

    Guidance documents and clinical resources
    Supporting Patients: Shareables
    Information

    Human Resources

    Recommendations
    Policies and Papers

    Webinars

    Some resources have restricted access: * Members-only resources, ** Triad-only resources

    Return to: Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates

    Disclaimer: The information in this resource centre represents general guidance developed by AFHTO and their partners, gathered through a rapid, non-systematic scan of relevant and valuable guidelines with an intent to support you in a timely fashion. The information reflects best knowledge at the time of writing and is subject to revision based on rapidly changing circumstances and conditions. As new best practice evidence emerges, recommendations may evolve. The resources above should be considered supplementary guidance and are not meant to replace clinical judgement or organizational directives.

  • Sending warm wishes and cheer| Holiday hours inside

    Sending warm wishes and cheer| Holiday hours inside

    Season’s Greetings

    Snow drifting on a blurred background with sunlight streaming and an evergreen branch in the foreground

    HOLIDAY HOURS

    The AFHTO office will be open Dec. 19- 23, but with significantly reduced staff. The office will close Dec. 26, and reopen on Jan. 3, 2023. We will be monitoring the info@afhto.ca inbox for urgent items only during this time.

    Our very best wishes of the season. Please stay warm and safe.

  • QI in Action eBulletin #124: Celebrating the Resilience of Teams in 2022, QIPs 2023-2024

    In this Issue:

    • Thank You to our Wonderful Teams
    • Celebrating Teams: Collaborating to Improve Palliative Care
    • Celebrating Teams: Filling Gaps in the Community
    • Healthcare Excellence Canada: Partnering on Appropriate Virtual Care
    • Physician Consultations on PHIPA Changes
    • Support Tools for Clinically Appropriate Use of Virtual Care Guidance in Primary Care
    • Quality Improvement Plans (QIPS) 2023/24
    • Farewell and Thank You from Raveen Bahniwal
    • Upcoming Events

     

    Thank You to our Wonderful Teams
    2022 has been a difficult year for primary care and we want to thank our teams for their resilience and capacity to adapt to the constant challenges that came their way. You have all continued to support not only your patients but non-rostered patients in your communities, collaborated with partners to advance your programs and continued to advocate for the ongoing expansion of team-based care. We aren’t able to highlight all the wonderful work for teams in 2022 in this short newsletter, but we encourage you all to read our Annual Report and explore our Bright Lights Nominees and Award Winners.

    Celebrating Teams: Collaborating to Improve Palliative Care

    Care for Palliative End of Life Patients with Bancroft FHT

    Content developed by Bancroft FHT
    In April 2022 the Bancroft Community Family Health Team formed a partnership and collaboration with North Hastings Hospice in Bancroft Ontario to provide an alternative level of care to their palliative end of life patients and residents of the community.

    Through the System Navigation Program, patients can be referred directly from physicians, nurse practitioners, Home and Community Care Services, Hospitals, and other community support agencies. The Palliative System Navigator RN will complete the initial intake process by meeting with the patient to discuss their end-of-life care and wishes. The nurse will then make the appropriate arrangements for the patient, coordinating in home services or admission to Hospice House in collaboration with one of the BCFHT FHO physicians.

    The goal is to provide effective, quality, compassionate, and coordinated care to palliative end of life patients and community residents in an appropriate setting while at the same time reducing hospital admissions. For any questions, please email mkelly@bancroftfht.com.

    Couchiching FHT Streamlines Access to Palliative Care Resources

    Couchiching FHT has provided leadership and resources to the Couchiching Palliative Care Working Group for several years. With the creation of the Couchiching Ontario Health Team (COHT), this working group was able to leverage the strong collaboration within the COHT to make incredible strides towards accomplishing their goals.

    This group of service providers and system users has created a central referral system which went live in February 2022. There is one referral form to access all palliative care services in the sub-region and a list of primary care practitioners who will accept non-rostered palliative patients, so no palliative patient in Couchiching is going without primary care. In addition, they have streamlined and coordinated resources to reduce duplication and make it easier for patients and their caregivers to find the right resources at the right time. For more information, please email a.munday@cfht.ca.

    Celebrating Teams: Filling Gaps in the Community

    Community Newborn Program at the Belleville NPLC

    Content provided by Belleville NPLC
    The purpose of the Community Newborn program is to provide follow up care to newborns who do not have a primary care provider in the community. Infants are seen by the program staff within 72 hours of discharge from the hospital. The Community Newborn Program consists of a Nurse Practitioner-Paediatrics, a Registered Nurse, and an Admin Support who each work 20 hours per week to support patients in this program. The NP and RN provide routine follow up care and non-emergent assessments for the infants up until 6 months of age. They also provide routine vaccinations for siblings of their infant patients who also do not have a primary care provider. For any inquiries about this program, please email admin@bnplc.ca.

    Prenatal and Well Baby Program at Barrie and Community FHT

    The Prenatal and Well Baby (PNWB) Program provides prenatal and well-baby care for women and children (up to the age of 6) without a family physician in the Barrie and surrounding area. The program has nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians and lactation consultants that provide care, education and referrals into community supports. The program also performs tongue tie releases and has a paediatrician available for consultation.

    Throughout the pandemic, the PNWB Program and Breastfeeding Services continued to see patients daily for essential care. During the pandemic, the Barrie area has seen an influx of new residents. Many of these new community members do not have a family doctor close to home, and the PNWB clinic is a place they can receive this essential service in the community they live. For more information, please click here and for any questions, please email jthomas@bcfht.ca.

    Healthcare Excellence Canada Opportunity: Partnering on Appropriate Virtual Care
    The Partnering on Appropriate Virtual Care collaborative will support primary care practices, organizations, and multidisciplinary teams from across Canada to determine when and how virtual care should be used in their respective healthcare settings. Participants will receive up to $20,000 in seed funding to develop a framework that supports shared decision-making with patients, ensuring choices around virtual care are based on patient needs and capabilities, their care requirements and clinician capacity. This program runs between January and November 2023 and involves a range of online learning and design activities. Learn more about the program and how to apply here.

    Physician Consultations on PHIPA Changes
    The Ministry of Health is seeking physicians interested in participating in a focus group to talk about their experiences with the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA). This work is part of the Ministry’s Dialogue on Data engagement strategy. Your knowledge and experience will inform the development of a data strategy report to the Ontario Health Data Council that will be seen by the Minister of Health, the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, and many other important stakeholders. Click here to learn more. Focus groups will take place January 17 to 19, from 12-1 pm and we are looking for 20 physician volunteers spread over the three days. If you are interested in participating, please email info@afhto.ca.

    Support Tools for Clinically Appropriate Use of Virtual Care Guidance in Primary Care
    The two patient-facing support tools for the Clinically Appropriate Use of Virtual Care Guidance in Primary Care are now live on the Ontario Health website. The patient-facing tools, ‘Learning about Virtual Care Options’ and ‘Checklist for Use of Virtual Care’, are currently available in English and French. There is work underway to translate the patient-facing tools into additional languages. This will be made available on the Ontario Health website when ready. For feedback/questions, email PCP.Gudance@ontariohealth.ca.

    Quality Improvement Plans (QIPs) 2023/24
    Ontario Health announced the start of the Quality Improvement (QIP) program cycle for 2023/24. This year’s QIPs will continue to focus on a small number of quality issues that are important to the health care system, such as issues that have been particularly impacted by COVID-19 and need our attention to help support health system recovery.

    Priority indicators have been developed in consultation with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Long-Term Care, and other teams across Ontario Health; however, organizations may also choose to focus on local issues that are important to their communities. Ontario Health encourages organizations to work on improving equity and supporting cultural safety and responsiveness. Organizations can choose to add custom indicators aimed at improving equitable access to care and/or share goals in the Narrative section.

    QIP Navigator, the online QIP development and submission platform, has been updated for this year’s submission and is now open for 2023/24 QIP submissions. Organizations can download pre-populated templates and current performance will be pre-populated with administrative data in January where available. Ontario Health will be hosting drop-in sessions on Zoom which are optional and will provide you with an opportunity to ask questions about the QIP program, QIP Navigator and learn about available quality improvement resources. QIPs must be submitted by March 31, 2023. Please email QIP@ontariohealth.ca if you have any questions or concerns.

    Planning Resources:

    Farewell and Thank You
    To end this ebulletin with some bittersweet news, I will be leaving AFHTO at the end of December to begin medical school in January. Thank you to all our members and partners for sharing your stories and initiatives with me. It was a pleasure for me to bring you these monthly ebulletins and KTE webinars. I will truly miss this community but hope our paths cross again someday. Stay tuned to the next ebulletin in January and have a wonderful holiday season. –Raveen Bahniwal, Quality Improvement and Knowledge Translation Specialist

    Upcoming Events

    HSPN: IFIC Canada and Health System Performance Network Virtual Community

    Tuesday, December 20, 2022, 12-1:30 pm
    Integration is the lever to enable population health and well-being. A key component of integration is the role of partnering with the volunteer sector to improve outcomes for our patients, caregivers, and our population. In this session, we will take a deep dive to learn firsthand about the role of engaging the volunteer sector from the perspectives of policymakers, researchers, and a person with lived experience. This session will discuss the available evidence, the volunteer sector’s role in policy, and share approaches and practical examples of local work that engages with the volunteer sector. Register here.

    ADVANCE Special Topic Series- Balancing Task and Process in Leading Integrated Care Systems
    Monday, January 9, 2023, 12-1 pm
    Developing integrated care systems often requires newly constituted intersectoral teams to form and rapidly engage in mutually reinforcing activities of integration, while attending, in parallel, with the processes by which these new teams engage in collaborative leadership, decision-making and/or system improvement. Professor Robin Miller, based at the University of Birmingham, will discuss the promise and pitfalls of collaborative leadership within integrated care systems and how attending to process can support inter-sectoral teams to achieve the aim of collaborative governance. To register, click here.

     

    In Case You Missed It: Check out eBulletin #123 or other back issues here!
    Questions? Comments? Contact us at improve@afhto.ca.

  • Bits & Pieces: improving IHP networking and more

    Bits & Pieces: improving IHP networking and more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • AFHTO’s IHP Directory: Improving IHP networking and communication
    • Farewell to Raveen Bahniwal
    • Climate Conscious Inhaler Prescribing webinar materials available
    • Consultations with physicians on PHIPA changes
    • Community Services Recovery Fund
    • IMPaCT survey
    • Updated recommendations on the use of Paxlovid and Evusheld
    • Reminder- join AFHTO’s Executive Director Mentorship Program!
    • CareCanvas: Better Care, Made Easier
    • OH updates- early psychosis intervention and Provincial Primary Care Lead, Cancer Screening
    • Upcoming events including Virtual Care and Pandemic Reflections and more

    AFHTO’s IHP Directory: Improving IHP networking and communication

    IHPs in AFHTO member teams are encouraged to sign up to AFHTO’s IHP Directory! This directory will help improve AFHTO’s communication to IHPs, and it will support IHP networking, information sharing, and collaboration.

    After you sign up, you will be emailed a link to a spreadsheet with the names, professions, team names, and work emails of all IHPs who have signed up for open communication. You may sort by profession to see the names of those in the same discipline as you.

    AFHTO will be checking the directory and emailing links to new registrants every 1-2 weeks. We look forward to improved communication from AFHTO to IHPs, and across IHPs in AFHTO-member teams!

    ravninder bahniwal headshot

    Farewell to Raveen Bahniwal

    We must announce that Raveen Bahniwal will be leaving AFHTO for a literal dream come true- we hate to see her go, but we’re happy say it’s for a great opportunity as she has been accepted to medical school.

    Raveen has only been with AFHTO for a short time as our Quality and Knowledge Translation Specialist, but so many of you had the pleasure of working with her, attended the webinars she has organized or the QIDSS session at the conference. She has also helped AFHTO with our growing research portfolio.

    We’re going to miss Raveen but know she will bring so much to her future endeavours, and we look forward to her return to Ontario as Dr. Bahniwal. Please join us in giving her our sincerest best wishes. Her last day with AFHTO will be Friday, December 30 – any questions related to her work can be directed to info@afhto.ca.

     

     

    video screenshot- 100 doses equivalent to a 290 km car journey

    Climate Conscious Inhaler Prescribing webinar materials available

    On Dec. 8. CASCADES and the Primary Care Collaborative hosted a webinar exploring the carbon footprint of healthcare systems and how inhalers contribute to it, and imagining practice change that results in “high value, low carbon care”. Slides and video are now available.

     

     

    Consultations with physicians on PHIPA changes

    The Ministry of Health is seeking physicians interested in participating in a focus group to talk about their experiences with the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA). This work is part of the Ministry’s Dialogue on Data engagement strategy. Your knowledge and experience will inform the development of a data strategy report to the Ontario Health Data Council that will be seen by the Minister of Health, the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, and many other important stakeholders. Learn more here.

    Focus groups will take place January 17 to 19, from 12-1 pm and we are looking for 20 physician volunteers spread over the three days. If you are interested in participating, please email info@afhto.ca. Please share this opportunity with physicians on your team.
     
    NOTE: at the moment they are only interested in talking to physicians affiliated with Family Health Teams

    Community Services Recovery Fund
    Members and/or their partners may be eligible for this fund, which is a $400 million investment from the Government of Canada to support nonprofits and charities as they focus on how to adapt their organizations for pandemic recovery. Find resources here or sign up for January webinar here.

    IMPaCT survey

    IMproving performance in Primary Care Teams (IMPaCT) Survey is a survey of primary care physicians working in Ontario to understand what influences how physicians interact with data about their patients and their practice. You can find the survey and additional details about the study here. If you have any questions, please contact, Braeden Terpeu (braeden.terpou@thp.ca).

    Updated recommendations on the use of Paxlovid and Evusheld

    Recent updates include:

    • Updated recommendation on the use of Evusheld-EN and FR– OH, Dec. 12, 2022
    • Updated recommendation on the use of Paxlovid- EN and FR – OH, Dec. 8, 2022

    We continue to update multiple pages on our site with resources and news:

    Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates– the original page, with news and updates. You can find links to related pages here as well.

    Reminder- join AFHTO’s Executive Director Mentorship Program!

    Are you a leader with 3+ years of experience in team-based primary care? Are you interested in supporting new EDs as they develop in their role? If YES, AFHTO is looking for executive directors to join our ED Mentorship Program, and we want to hear from you!

    Please fill out this brief survey, and we will be in touch.

    More information about the program is here.

    CareCanvas: Better Care, Made Easier

    The University of Toronto Department of Family and Community Medicine and the POPLAR network have launched a new tool to support practice improvement.

    CareCanvas is an interactive online dashboard that that summarizes clinical information from a physician’s practice EMR to make it easier to care for patients. Three types of dashboards are available: one for physicians, one for clinics, and one for Ontario Health Teams.

    CareCanvas summarizes more than 15 quality of care measures including information on diabetes, hypertension, prescribing, and immunizations. You can see trends in your practice over time and can compare your practice to that of your peers. For some measures, you can see differences in care by age, gender, and neighbourhood income.

    CareCanvas is available to existing UTOPIAN contributors, with plans to expand the program to all of POPLAR in early 2023. Register here to access the dashboard. Sign up before December 31, 2022 to receive a dashboard with the next release.

    OH updates- early psychosis intervention and Provincial Primary Care Lead, Cancer Screening

    Virtual Care and Pandemic Reflections, Dec. 16, 2022
    54th in OCFP and UofT’s series “Changing the way we work” on Friday, December 16, 2022, at 7:55-9:15 am. Register here.

    ADVANCE Special Topics series – Balancing Task and Process in Leading Integrated Care Systems, Jan. 9, 2023

    Hosted by RISE. Professor Robin Miller, University of Birmingham in the UK, will discuss the promise and pitfalls of collaborative leadership within integrated care systems and how attending to process can support inter-sectoral teams to achieve the aim of collaborative governance. Register here.

    Healthcare Decision-Making in Ontario, Jan. 10-31, 2023
    Four-part webinar series hosted by Hospice Palliative Care Ontario. Facilitated by Jane Meadus, the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly (ACE), you can join to learn what you need to know about consent, capacity and healthcare decision making in Ontario. Register here.

    Primary Care and COVID-19 Support CoP Monthly Call, Jan. to Jul. 2023
    The Community of Practice hosted by Ontario Health to support Primary Care and Covid-19, holds monthly calls, and the new registration link for the first 7 months in 2023 is available. Register here.

  • Association of Family Health Teams ( AFHTO) Announcement

    Association of Family Health Teams ( AFHTO) Announcement

    Message being sent on behalf of Sara Dalo, Board Chair and President, Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario

    On behalf of the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario (AFHTO), I am writing to let you know that our CEO Kavita Mehta has made the difficult decision to leave AFHTO to spend more time with family and explore future ventures. Kavita first joined AFHTO as a Board member in 2009 and was the first non-physician President and Chair in 2012. She was then subsequently hired as the CEO of AFHTO in December 2016 and has been critical in helping to support the organization in advancing its mission and mandate to advocate for expansion of team-based primary care in Ontario.  

    This news brings mixed emotions for all of us who have had the pleasure of working with Kavita these many years. As many of you may know, Kavita has been working at advancing primary care, specifically team-based care, for over 17 years starting first at the policy-level at the Ministry of Health in the Primary Health Care Branch before moving into a role as an Executive Director in a Family Health Team in East Toronto. During that time, she has been able to leverage her strong partnership skills and deep knowledge in primary care to advocate and advance AFHTO as a strong collaborator and a trusted voice for the sector.

    Having served on The Change Foundation Board of Directors for five years, Kavita has always been a strong supporter of integrated care through ensuring that interprofessional team-based primary care be the foundation of health system reform, with a focus on patient co-design and improving the patient and caregiver experience. In addition, Kavita saw the value in establishing more formal partnerships to further demonstrate and promote the capabilities of team-based care through evidence-based research. Her advocacy meetings with elected officials are always grounded in member stories about the impact of team-based care with patients and the community to ensure that they truly understood why every Ontarian deserved access to an interprofessional primary care team.

    Over the last two years she convened and chaired the Primary Care Collaborative, an alliance of our comprehensive primary care organization partners (AFHTO, Ontario College of Family Physicians, Alliance for Healthier Communities, Indigenous Primary Health Care Council, Nurse Practitioner-led Clinic Association, OMA Section on General and Family Practice) who were joined together by common purpose to build on the collaborative work during the COVID-19 pandemic and onwards with health system transformation and integration. Through her leadership, the PCC was able to provide a collective and cohesive voice to the Ministry, Ontario Health and the government with the purpose of influencing policy by creating a unified voice towards resolving barriers or challenges that prevent comprehensive primary care from being the foundation of the health system.

    Through her collaborative spirit and strategic direction/focus, Kavita leaves AFHTO in a strong position with our primary care partners, the Ministry of Health, Ontario Health and other sector partners. These partnerships are central to AFHTO’s work and will be critical in ensuring her legacy remains as we work towards creating a stronger health care system for all Ontarians.

     On behalf of the Board, we want to thank Kavita for her ongoing commitment to AFHTO, to interprofessional team-based care and to primary care.  We will miss Kavita’s leadership, both at AFHTO and in the primary care sector, but I am sure you join me in wishing her well in her future endeavours. Kavita’s last day with AFHTO will be on March 10th, 2023. The Board will be undertaking a search for the new CEO and further details will be forthcoming.

     

    Sara Dalo signature

     

     

     

     

    Sara Dalo
    Board Chair and President, AFHTO

  • Bits & Pieces: market salary review underway and more

    Bits & Pieces: market salary review underway and more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • Market salary review underway
    • Reminder- Climate Conscious Inhaler Prescribing, Dec. 8
    • Member stories
    • Supporting Caregivers webinar materials available
    • Highlights and implications of the Ontario Science Table’s brief on primary care materials available  
    • The latest on COVID, Influenza and Respiratory Viruses materials and more
    • New guidance for OHTs
    • Upcoming events including Ontario Health’s Mental Health and Addictions Provincial Data and Digital Initiative Webinar and more

     

    Market salary review underway

    The Community Health Compensation Working Group – representing ten provincial associations – has retained Eckler Ltd. consulting services to conduct a community health market salary review for Ontario. The review will include interprofessional primary care, community support services, community mental health, and long-term care.

    The final report will give us greater insight into wage disparities for 78 positions across primary and community care sectors. It is estimated that this work will be completed in spring 2023, and final recommendations will be presented to the government to support discussions on reasonable and fair compensation.

    For additional information, please visit AFHTO’s website. We will keep you updated as the work progresses.

    If you have questions, please reach out to Abisola at: abisola.otepola@afhto.ca.

    Reminder- Climate Conscious Inhaler Prescribing, Dec. 8

    Metered dose inhalers produce significant carbon emissions. Ironically, these contribute to changes to the climate that can exacerbate respiratory conditions. Simple practice changes can help disrupt this cycle and lessen the health sector’s contributions to climate change. Register here.

    Member stories

    Belleville NPLC – Belleville NPLC provides care for unattached newborns
     
    Minto- Mapleton FHT – OPINION: nurse practitioners uniquely positioned to fill gaps in ailing health care system

    Screenshot of learning objectives

    Supporting Caregivers webinar materials available
    On Nov. 24 The Ontario Caregiver Organization and Primary Care Collaborative hosted a webinar ‘Supporting Caregivers Supports Patients- The Critical Role of Primary Care in Preventing Caregiver Burnout’. This included insights from a caregiver with lived experience, as well as examples of primary care initiatives across Ontario that are connecting caregivers to support. Slides and video are now available.

     

    ON science table webinar title slide screenshot

    Highlights and implications of the Ontario Science Table’s brief on primary care materials available 
    On November 30 we held a webinar on the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table’s final brief, a 3-part exploration of how primary care responded to and was affected by the pandemic, and implications for ongoing health system planning and policy. In this webinar, a panel of primary healthcare experts who contributed to that brief shared some of the most significant findings and implications. Slides and video are now available.

     

    The latest on COVID, Influenza and Respiratory Viruses materials and more

    Recent updates include:

    We continue to update multiple pages on our site with resources and news:

    Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates– the original page, with news and updates. You can find links to related pages here as well.

    New guidance for OHTs

    Ontario Health’s Mental Health and Addictions Provincial Data and Digital Initiative Webinar, Dec. 12, 2022
    Part of a quarterly series designed to share regular updates and gather feedback on the initiative. Register here.

    IFIC Canada and Health System Performance Network Virtual Community, Dec. 20, 2022
    A key component of integration is the role of partnering with the volunteer sector to improve outcomes for our patients, caregivers, and our population. Take a deep dive to learn firsthand about the role of engaging the volunteer sector. Register here.

    ADVANCE Special Topics series – Balancing Task and Process in Leading Integrated Care Systems, Jan. 9, 2023

    Hosted by RISE. Professor Robin Miller, University of Birmingham in the UK, will discuss the promise and pitfalls of collaborative leadership within integrated care systems and how attending to process can support inter-sectoral teams to achieve the aim of collaborative governance. Register here.

    Healthcare Decision-Making in Ontario, Jan. 10-31, 2023
    Four-part webinar series hosted by Hospice Palliative Care Ontario. Facilitated by Jane Meadus, the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly (ACE), you can join to learn what you need to know about consent, capacity and healthcare decision making in Ontario. Register here.

    Primary Care and COVID-19 Support CoP Monthly Call, Jan. to Jul. 2023
    The Community of Practice hosted by Ontario Health to support Primary Care and Covid-19, holds monthly calls, and the new registration link for the first 7 months in 2023 is available. Register here.

  • 2023 Compensation Market Refresh – Review Underway

    2023 Compensation Market Refresh – Review Underway

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    Market Salary Review Underway

    The Community Health Compensation Working Group – representing ten provincial associations – has retained Eckler Ltd. consulting services to conduct a community health market salary review for Ontario. The review will include interprofessional primary care, community support services, community mental health, and long-term care.

    The final report will give us greater insight into wage disparities for 78 positions across primary and community care sectors. It is estimated that this work will be completed in spring 2023, and final recommendations will be presented to the government to support discussions on reasonable and fair compensation.

    For additional information, please click here. We will keep you updated as the work progresses.

    If you have questions, please reach out to info@afhto.ca

     

  • Belleville NPLC provides care for unattached newborns

    In a June article ‘QHC honours Belleville nurse practitioner-led clinic, Gateway centre’ we learned Belleville “has also received funding to provide follow up care to QHC newborns during their first two months of life,” Kearns continued. That program has yet to be established fully, but the clinic has so far accepted more than 100 “unattached” babies via QHC. Many of their relatives also have no primary-care provider and have received care through the clinic.

    Now  we have an update.

    Community Newborn program

    The Community Newborn program is a pilot program with staff who started at the end of September.

    The purpose of the Community Newborn program is to provide follow up care to newborns who have no primary care provider in the community. Infants are seen by the program staff within 72 hours of discharge from the hospital. 

    The Community Newborn Program consists of a Nurse Practitioner-Paediatrics, a Registered Nurse, and an Admin Support who each work 20 hours per week. The NP and RN provide routine follow up care and non-emergent assessments for the infants up until 6 months of age. They also provide routine vaccinations for siblings of their infant patients who also do not have a primary care provider.

     
    The benefits of this program include:   

    • Consistent and reliable access to care for infants with no PCP
    • Improve patient experience.
    • Decrease ED visits for non-emergency reasons ensuring the right care is provided at the right time in the right location.
    • Reduce the risks of injury in the infancy period by providing the recommended anticipatory guidance regarding infant safety, vaccine schedule and care more than once.
    • Increased opportunity to identify risks and connect families with appropriate community resources to optimize health outcomes in both the short and long term.

    Funding is secured until the end of March 2023. They hope to get funding to continue the program.