Ultimate Blogging Championship

Blog

  • Bits & Pieces: 2022 election priorities, free bot to document vaccines and more

    Bits & Pieces: 2022 election priorities, free bot to document vaccines and more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • 2022 Election Priorities: seeking members’ input
    • AFHTO statement on racism and hate
    • Reminder- Cancer screening during the pandemic and onwards, June 21
    • Nominations to the AFHTO Board of Directors open until July 30
    • Free bot to help document vaccinations and more
    • Update on the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy Program slides and video
    • COVID-19 Education with Daniel Warshafsky webinar materials
    • New regulation to streamline reporting requirements under OHSA
    • Oxygen saturation monitors still available
    • Seeking dietitians’ input -nutrition screening in primary and community care
    • Upcoming events regarding geriatric clinical pharmacology and more

    2022 Election Priorities: seeking members’ input

    The provincial election is fast approaching! Election day will be on or before June 2, 2022 – less than a year away.

    We will continue to be strongly advocating for expansion of team-based primary care, and we want your input to ensure we are effectively advocating for you and with you.

    We ask all members complete this survey to share your priorities. We want to hear from you all: executive directors/admin leads, board members, physicians, nurse practitioners, IHPs, QIDSS, admin staff! This will only take about 5-10 minutes of your time, and the results will be kept confidential.

    Please click here to complete the survey!

    Please complete this by tomorrow, June 16. We will be taking the feedback to our board of directors at their board meeting next week. 

    AFHTO statement on racism and hate
    We want to start by expressing our grief and sorrow about the tragic and horrifying events of the last few weeks, recognizing that racism and hate has been part of Canada since its inception. We are committed to working with our partners and allies to listen, learn, grow, and do better at creating a more equitable and safer country for all. You can read AFHTO’s statement here.

    Reminder – Cancer screening during the pandemic and onwards, June 21

    In collaboration with our primary care partners and Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario), we will be hosting a webinar to further explore guidance for resuming breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening and share stories from teams that have already resumed cancer screening.

    Register here.

    Nominations to the AFHTO Board of Directors open until July 30
    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. Please share this call for nominations with all who work in your team and with members on your Board. Given the composition of the continuing board members, priority for the directors to be elected will be given to candidates who are:

    • Executive Directors, especially those actively involved in their Ontario Health Team (OHT) development and supporting integrated care in their community;
    • Interprofessional Health Care Providers, especially those actively involved in OHT development;
    • Members from Central Ontario Health Region;
    • 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);

    Learn more about how you can take on a leadership role here. Deadline July 30.

    Free bot to help document vaccinations and more

    Recent updates include:

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

    Update on the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy Program title slide

    Update on the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy Program slides and video

    The Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence at Ontario Health invited primary care organizations to a webinar on June 10 to learn more about the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy (OSP) Program’s background, the vision of OSP as a provincial program, and next steps with the expansion. Slides and video now available on our site.

     

    COVID-19 Education with Daniel Warshafsky webinar slide

    COVID-19 Education with Daniel Warshafsky webinar materials
    On June 9th Dr. Daniel Warshafsky, Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health at the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health covered key questions, including variants of concern, AstraZeneca and mixing of vaccines, breakthrough cases and emerging evidence around vaccination for children 12-17 years old. Nicole Blackman, Provincial Director at the Indigenous Primary Health Care Council, discussed why Indigenous people were prioritized to receive vaccines. Resources include:

    New regulation to streamline reporting requirements under OHSA
    A new regulation under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) will come into effect on July 1, 2021: Ontario Regulation 420 / 21 – Notices and Reports under Sections 51 to 53.1 of the Act – Fatalities, Critical Injuries, Occupational Illnesses and Other Incidents– EN and FR.

    The new regulation incorporates the critical injury definition and streamlines reporting requirements into a single regulation that applies to all workplaces covered under the OHSA. The amending regulations include:

    • O. Reg. 427/21: HEALTH CARE AND RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES –EN and FR

    Oxygen saturation monitors still available

    Oxygen saturation monitors are still available free of charge for primary care providers. Please be sure to order yours before the end of June!  Every primary care provider can benefit from having these in their practice and for distribution to patients you may be monitoring with COVID, but also for other conditions (e.g., COPD).  These monitors will then belong to your practice – you do not need to return them to the Ministry of Health. Link to ordering survey HERE. Monitors usually arrive within 2-3 days after requesting. For questions, please contact OH_COVIDatHome@ontariohealth.ca. For a link to the one-pager with all the resource you need for monitoring COVID patients visit HERE.

    Seeking dietitians’ input -nutrition screening in primary and community care
    Professor Heather Keller (University of Waterloo), Marg Alfieri (Primary Care Dietitians Association) and the Primary Care working group of the Canadian Malnutrition Task Force are conducting a survey to determine what models of nutrition screening have been implemented in primary and community care, the reach of these efforts and for those who have yet to start screening, the challenges they are experiencing. This data will be used to launch further research on the outcomes and benefits of different nutrition screening models and further investigate how to support implementation of nutrition screening in the community. Get additional information and complete survey here.

    Geriatric Clinical Pharmacology and GeriMedRisk: drug safety for older adults beyond “Start Low, Go Slow”, June 24

    Co-hosted with GeriMedRisk, in this webinar, Dr. Ho will review the pharmacology of aging and its impact on adverse drug events among seniors. We’ll also explore tools and services for primary care providers to use to optimize drug safety. Register here.

    NACI Recommendations On COVID-19 Vaccine Interchangeability, June 21, 2021 *NEW DATE*
    Join PHAC as they discuss evidence around interchangeability of COVID-19 vaccines, as well as NACI recommendations for interchangeability of COVID-19 vaccines.
    Learn more here.

    Applying an Equity Lens when Caring for your Population, June 17, 2021

    This RISE OHT webinar will be based on a PHM approach, deep diving into co-designing care models for different priority populations.
    Learn more here.

    Primary Care Vaccination QI Support CoP, June 17 & July 8, 2021
    Join PCPs, EDs & clinical managers from AFHTO, AHC & NPLCA to share learnings, tools and strategies to deliver COVID-19 vaccines in Ontario.
    Find out more here.

    COVID-19 CoP, June 18, 2021
    Join the OCFP’s COVID-19 CoP where they will be discussing “Getting to herd immunity: addressing children, confidence, and complacency”.
    Find out more here.

    Evaluating Integrated Care: How should we be evaluating integrated care? June 22, 2021
    Join the HSPN, IFIC Canada and Emerald Publishing as they discuss evaluation of integrated care both at a local and health system level.
    Register here.

  • AFHTO Statement on Racism and Hate

    AFHTO Statement on Racism and Hate

    AFHTO logo- full

     

    We want to start by expressing our grief and sorrow about the tragic and horrifying events of the last few weeks, recognizing that racism and hate has been part of Canada since its inception.

    We mourn the discovery of the mass grave at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. The profound loss of 215 young lives, some as young as three years old, will have long lasting impact on the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc community and all other First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people. It will remain a reminder to all Canadians of our nation’s shameful history of residential schools and colonialism.

    To all who may have been shocked by this discovery, it’s important to remember Indigenous communities have long said there are thousands who never made it home. We must listen to marginalised communities when they speak of their pain rather than instinctively shy away because it’s hard to hear or goes against what we’d like to believe about our country.

    We support the calls to the Government of Canada to implement the 94 Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and to prioritize the search of all residential schools across the country so that all Indigenous children can be brought home. They Came for the Children is a powerful but painful story of Canadian colonialism, but it is important for all of us to read to better understand the legacy of residential schools and to participate in the work needed for reconciliation.

    We are grateful for the wisdom and support of our primary care partner, the Indigenous Primary Health Care Council (IPHCC), who we work with to amplify the need to confront our own biases with respect to anti-Indigenous discrimination.

    AFHTO looks forward to continuing to learn about the Indigenous Cultural Safety Program through the IPHCC, which improves Indigenous healthcare experiences and outcomes by increasing respect and understanding of the unique history and current realities of Indigenous populations. We encourage others to do so as well.

    The racism that is so prevalent in this country continued earlier this week with the deliberate, hate-filled murder of a Muslim family in London, Ontario. We grieve and are saddened by the tragic loss of four lives of people targeted because of their faith. We will forever hold in our hearts the young 9-year-old boy who has lost his family.  

    We stand in solidarity with our Muslim communities. We will work to ensure that our governments and political leaders are held accountable for their words and actions to counter hate and racism. We urge our primary care colleagues to uphold human rights, to acknowledge our collective responsibility as individuals to stand in solidarity with members of our Muslim communities, and to combat all forms of discrimination.

    On May 26, 2021, Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, a Professor of Global Health at the University of Toronto, wrote an op ed piece entitled Why hatred should be considered a contagious disease. He notes that ‘‘Hatred can be conceptualized as an infectious disease, a determinant of health and a public health issue spreading violence, fear and ignorance” and “Hatred is a public health issue because it often engenders widespread physical, psychological or political violence.” In the conclusion, he notes that the global community, including the medical community, needs to recognize that hatred is a public health issue, and it is up to all of us to “address the root causes through promotion, education and awareness.”

    Like many of you, AFHTO is on its own Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (EDI) journey to address the inequities and built-in racism that exists in our health and social systems. Together with our allies, we will continue to listen, learn, grow, and do better. We look forward to this journey with our partners, our members, and our communities.

     

  • Update on COVID Resources and Vaccines

    Dear Members,

    Your Primary Care Collaborative* (PCC) would like to update you on a few resources and supports for members with the ongoing pandemic and vaccine rollout. However, before providing any updates, we want to start by expressing our grief and sorrow about the tragic and horrifying events of the last few weeks, recognizing that racism and hate has been part of Canada since its inception. We are committed to working with our partners and allies to listen, learn, grow, and do better at creating a more equitable and safer country for all. You can read AFHTO’s statement here.

    A Quick Update on Vaccination Efforts
    While COVID cases have decreased over the last few weeks, the briefing by the Ontario Science Table yesterday is clear that the only way to avoid a fourth wave is to ensure first and second doses are prioritized in high-risk communities, vaccine clinics are tailored to community needs, and that there is strong testing and case and contact tracing.

    We were pleased to see yesterday’s announcement that Ontario is accelerating second doses in Delta hot spots (Halton, Peel, Porcupine, Toronto, Waterloo, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph and York public health units) and continue to seek clarity on the role primary care providers are to play with the vaccine efforts in their communities.

    Materials from Webinar with Dr. Daniel Warshafsky, AMOH and Nicole Blackman, IHPCC
    On June 9th Dr. Daniel Warshafsky, Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health within the Office of the Chief Medical Officer, provided updates on vaccine efficacy, breakthrough cases, Variants of Concern, vaccinations for youth, as well as a number of other questions raised by attendees. Nicole Blackman, Provincial Director at the Indigenous Primary Health Care Council also spoke about why it was crucial that Indigenous people are prioritized to receive vaccines. Here are some of the resources you may find helpful that were discussed during the webinar:

    Upcoming Education Sessions and Webinars

    • OCFP Community of Practice
      • Getting to herd immunity: addressing children, confidence and complacency with Dr. Jeff Kwong (Epidemiologist, Family Physician, Toronto Western Family Health Team) and Dr. Nisha Thampi (Pediatric Infectious Disease Physician, IPAC Medical Director, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario). Register here.
    • Public Health Agency of Canada
      • NACI Recommendations on COVID-19 Vaccine Interchangeability – this moderated and live webinar includes a presentation and discussion on the NACI Recommendations on COVID-19 Vaccine Interchangeability with live Q&A to inform health care and vaccine providers. Register here for the June 16th (English) session or here for the June 18th (French) session.
    • COVID-19 Science Advisory Table
      • Medications for Outpatients with COVID-19 on Tuesday, June 15 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Register here.
    • AFHTO, OCFP, Alliance for Healthier Communities, Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics Association
      • Cancer Screening During the Pandemic and Onwards – a collaboration with our primary care partners and Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) on Monday, June 21, 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. Register here.

     
    Oxygen Saturation Monitors continue to be available
    Oxygen saturation monitors are still available free of charge for primary care providers. Please be sure to order yours before the end of June! Every primary care provider can benefit from having these in their practice and for distribution to patients you may be monitoring with COVID, but also for other conditions (e.g., COPD).  These monitors will then belong to your practice – you do not need to return them to the Ministry of Health. Link to ordering survey HERE. Monitors usually arrive within 2-3 days after requesting. For questions, please contact OH_COVIDatHome@ontariohealth.ca. For a link to the one-pager with all the resource you need for monitoring COVID patients visit HERE.
     
    Additional Resources you may find helpful:  

    Updated PHAC and Ministry Guidance Documents:

    We look forward to continually updating you on the provincial vaccination strategy and hopefully a path forward to recovery. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or ideas.

    Yours in good health,
    The AFHTO Team

    *Primary Care Collaborative partners

    • Alliance for Healthier Communities
    • Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario
    • Indigenous Primary Health Care Council
    • Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic Association
    • Ontario College of Family Physicians
    • Ontario Medical Association Section on General and Family Practice

  • Gwekwaadziwin Miikan success leads to new pilot project for adults over 30

    The Star article published June 10, 2021

    By Lori Thompson, The Manitoulin Expositor

    Five people 31 years and older began a life-changing journey on May 26 when Gwekwaadziwin Miikan (Gwek) kicked off a year long pilot project. There are five people in each cohort in addition to the 10 in the original Seven Grandfathers program for 19 to 30 year olds. A total of 15 individuals in three cohorts for adults 30 plus years are expected to complete the pilot program.

    Gwek has 10 spots available for each of its original 19 to 30 year old cohorts. “Sometimes there are 110 people on our application list,” said Sam Gilchrist, executive director. “We work to find the best services for all applicants and from there, we look at people who are a good fit for Gwek’s land-based program.”

    The pilot project is very needs driven and evolved through ongoing conversations, said Mr. Gilchrist. “We’re very active on social media, especially Facebook, and we’ve received numerous requests for service from people 30 plus years old. We also have a very good relationship with our funders and the various treatment centres and healing lodges. We all come together and meet with the ministry. If there’s an issue, we work together to try to solve it.”

    The need for mental health and addiction services has increased dramatically since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The ministry was approaching their fiscal year end and there were extra dollars available,” Mr. Gilchrist said. “They asked if we could do something to fill some of those gaps.”

    They weren’t sure if it would work. The Gwek team had always thought it was important to have smaller cohorts to maintain group dynamics. They asked whether they could make their cohort larger. “On May 26, we welcomed five 30 plus individuals into the existing program,” he said. It seems to be working. “You have 15 people and three or more staff and it feels like a bustling community coming together to experience living with the land and living with wellness.”

    There are some distinct aspects that are specific to their age group, but otherwise, it’s the same as the original. This year’s participants will build another 30-foot canoe through a partnership with Rob Mellan. “We do a lot of canoe tripping and that leads to fishing and gathering plant medicines on the islands,” Mr. Gilchrist said. The fall cohort usually completes a 200 plus km canoe trip the length of the Spanish River to Killarney and back to Manitoulin. This year, they have to see what’s happening with the pandemic before finalizing plans.

    “We’ve always participated in the UCCMM (United Chiefs of Mnidoo Mnising) community moose hunt,” he continued. “Our program participants help with different aspects. They help with set up and clean up and then embark on the canoe trip. It’s an amazing opportunity to serve their community and give back to them.”

    In addition to the hunt, some participants have begun learning to assist on the trap lines. They help with move out and work the trapline with the head trappers. All participants learn many unique life kills, including working with traditional leather crafts or using beaver fur to make mittens. “This all helps to strengthen their connection with the land and to each other,” Mr. Gilchrist explained. “There are a lot of lessons.”

    With the winter cohorts, there is storytelling, snowshoeing and cutting through the ice for fishing. There was an initial hesitancy in applications for the winter months, but now it’s almost equal for the seasons, he said. “They all have something to teach.”

    The program has continued to evolve as new things work well and other things not as well. “That’s some of the beauty of the program, that it’s open and flexible. Our staff bring their own skills and passions and share those with the cohorts and other staff members so they’re always evolving, building skills and developing (into well-rounded people). Things change seasonally.”

    The onset of COVID meant Gwek had to look at alternate ways of doing things. They decided to do a closed cohort; initially, the coverts overlapped. They weren’t sure how it was going to work but the data shows it did. “Prior to COVID we had a 60 to 70 percent success rate but with the closed cohort model the success rate has gone up to 80 percent,” Mr. Gilchrist said. “Our aftercare program has seen a 100 percent success rate (even pre-COVID) in obtaining vocational, educational and also volunteer opportunities, mostly vocational and educational. We’re really pleased and we’ve proven our models.”

    Outside of the staff and participant community building, the program owes its success to collaborations with other organizations and communities. Mr. Gilchrist acknowledged Gwek’s partnerships with each of the six UCCMM communities they serve as well as Kenjgewin Teg, Manitoulin Health Centre, Noojmowin Teg Health Centre, Mnaamodzawin Health Services, Assiginack Family Health Team, Cambrian College, Centennial College and the pandemic paramedic program through the manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board. It does indeed take a village.

    The Seven Grandfathers program is a unique residential land-based treatment program created to meet the needs of Indigenous youth and young adults ages 19 to 30 years. Participants are supported on their recovery journey from stabilization through treatment, aftercare and transitioning back into their communities. The program balances traditional culture with therapeutic best practices.

    Read the full article here

  • QI in Action eBulletin #108: COVID-19 Vaccination Data & GeriMedRisk

    QI in Action eBulletin #108: COVID-19 Vaccination Data & GeriMedRisk

    In this Issue:

    • COVID-19 Vaccination Data Workflow Updates
    • COVID-19 Vaccination Information Available via the Digital Health Drug Repository (DHDR)
    • Digital Health OHT Community of Practice (CoP)
    • GeriMedRisk
    • Upcoming Webinars

    COVID-19 Vaccination Data Workflow Updates
    As of May 18, 2021, and onwards, Health Report Manager (HRM) has been pushing data prospectively to physicians/nurse practitioners when their name has been collected through COVaxON at point of vaccination. Further information around HRM COVaxON Vaccination Reports can be found on the OntarioMD website here.

    COVaxON is now up to date to allow for documentation of mixed vaccines for those who received the AZ vaccine as their first dose. When adding the second dose vaccine a pop up will appear to remind you that this is not the same vaccine as the first dose. To proceed to the next step, you can write “guideline update” within the text box.

    COVID vaccination data is now also available through the provincial clinical viewers, Connecting Ontario and Clinical Connect. Access to the viewers can be requested via Ontario Health’s Digital Health Service’s website. In the upcoming weeks, you will also see curated lists of enrolled patients that have been vaccinated made available on a monthly basis to physicians through the eReport tool which is available to any patient enrollment model (PEM) physicians in Ontario.

    Any PEM physician with an Ontario Health ONE ID account will have access to their reports. Physicians without a One ID account can get one through the CPSO website or by making a request at Ontario Health’s Digital Health Service’s website.

    Please click here for the COVID-19 vaccination toolbar created by Guelph FHT to help support providers in vaccine data documentation. In addition, please click here for a HRM workflow document, thanks to Dr. Scott Laing of Ottawa. As the vaccination reports are sent via HRM, some issues have been flagged and OntarioMD is working to resolve these issues as they become aware of them. Please check out the OntarioMD website for up-to-date notes on any issues identified and fixed. Below is a list of updates as of June 8, 2021:

    Content below developed by Ontario Health
    COVID-19 Vaccination Information Available via the Digital Health Drug Repository (DHDR)

    The DHDR is a provincial repository of publicly funded drugs and pharmacy services, and all monitored drugs (regardless of payor). Ontarians’ COVID-19 vaccination information from COVaxON (the ministry’s provincial solution for COVID-19 vaccination information) is being made available through the DHDR as a quick solution to enable secure and easy access to authorized health care practitioners throughout the province.

    Similar to existing DHDR records, COVID-19 vaccination information available through the DHDR is limited to patients with a valid Ontario Health Number (HN).

    More information can be found within this document here.

    Content below developed by Ontario Health (Population Health and Digital Excellence) and the Ministry of Health

    Digital Health OHT Community of Practice

    Ontario Health (Population Health and Digital Excellence) and the Ministry of Health are proposing that a province-wide Digital Health OHT Community of Practice (COP) be established that would provide a framework for OHTs to collaborate and share at a provincial level related to their digital and virtual needs and programs. This group would be a sub-component of the broader OHT Learning Collaboratives and Communities of Practice and supported by the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health.

     
    The COP will be co-facilitated by OH regional digital leads and OHTs would be invited to showcase their best practices and lessons learned related to digital needs/programs for mutual learning across the province on a given topic. This collaborative should make it easier for OHTs to work on their requirements.

    This group will meet quarterly but the COP would serve as a forum for engagement more broadly in between the meetings. This will include ongoing collaboration, on-line sharing, webinars, and workshops on key subjects. Importantly, the group will have an online collaboration space on the OHT Collaborative platform called the Digital Health OHT Community of Practice that can help support these activities. The COP will be used to facilitate sharing of leading practices, enabling scale of successful initiatives and standardization across OHTs/regions.   

    To learn more, please check out the Digital Health OHT Community of Practice Quorum group.

    Content below developed by GeriMedRisk
    A Geriatric Specialist Resource for Primary Care Providers: GeriMedRisk

    GeriMedRisk is an Ontario Ministry of Health-funded clinical consultation and education service for doctors, nurse practitioners and pharmacists practicing in Ontario.

    GeriMedRisk provides virtual access to an interdisciplinary specialist team from geriatric psychiatry, clinical pharmacology, geriatric pharmacy, and geriatric medicine who collaborate to answer clinical questions regarding your older patients’ medications, physical and mental health conditions.

    Within approximately 5 business days, GeriMedRisk provides a coordinated response and educational materials back to the primary care provider for use with their patient.

     

    How to consult GeriMedRisk
    Ontario Telemedicine Network or Champlain BASE™ eConsult: select “GeriMedRisk”
     
    Fax: (519) 279-2959
     
    Call toll-free 1 (855) 261-0508 (Mon-Fri 9:00 am – 5:00 pm ET)
     
    Specialized Geriatric Services (SGS) Intake Forms
     

    GeriMedRisk Consultation Process:

    Shows lifecycle of gerimedrisk process

    1. Prescriber (doctor, nurse practitioner, specialist) or allied health care professional* identifies medication, mental health or physical concern in their patient.
    2. Clinician sends consult question and patient medical records to GeriMedRisk via eConsult, phone, fax, or central intake referral.
    3. GeriMedRisk team reviews question, medical records, and conducts a best possible medication history with patient/caregiver.
    4. Clinician receives a single, integrated consult note and relevant educational materials typically within 5 business days.

    *Includes pharmacists, nurses, physician assistants or other clinicians in partnership and with the consent of the prescriber.

    Example of Gerimedrisk resource

    Educational Resources for Primary Care Providers

    • Drug information: GeriMedRisk creates geriatric drug information summaries and infographics on safe prescribing for older adults.
      • Browse the library here and request at no cost.
    • GeriMedRisk- Geriatric Clinical Pharmacology rounds:
    • Monthly online accredited rounds on topics in safe prescribing.
    • COVID-19 Drug Information Resources

    Upcoming Event: Geriatric Clinical Pharmacology And GeriMedRisk: Drug Safety For Older Adults Beyond “Start Low, Go Slow”

    On June 24, 2021 at 12 pm, join Dr. Joanne Ho (geriatrician, clinical pharmacologist and co-executive director of GeriMedRisk) to learn more about how GeriMedRisk can support your patients’ care. Click here to register.

    For more information: www.GeriMedRisk.com |1 (855) 261-0508| info@GeriMedRisk.com | @GeriMedRisk

    Upcoming Webinars:

    In Case You Missed It: Check out eBulletin #107 or other back issues here!
    Questions? Comments? Contact us at improve@afhto.ca.

  • Bits & Pieces: cancer screening during the pandemic and more

    Bits & Pieces: cancer screening during the pandemic and more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • Cancer screening during the pandemic and onwards, June 21
    • Reminder- COVID-19 Education with Daniel Warshafsky, June 9
    • Reminder- Update on the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy Program, June 10
    • Member stories
    • AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD second dose Q&A, reports of myocarditis/pericarditis after vaccination and more
    • You could have over 22,619 pairs of eyes on your team’s initiative!
    • COVID@Home update
    • Upcoming events regarding geriatric clinical pharmacology and more

    Cancer screening during the pandemic and onwards, June 21

    In collaboration with our primary care partners and Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario), we will be hosting a webinar to further explore guidance for resuming breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening and share stories from teams that have already resumed cancer screening.

    Objectives:

    • To understand the guidance for resuming breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening resumption midst the many waves of the pandemic.
    • To explore how to use data to understand and address health inequities in screening/tailoring service delivery as well as tools to improve screening rates.
    • To learn from practices the creative approaches such as EMR queries, clinics and much more.

    Register here.

    Reminder- COVID-19 Education with Daniel Warshafsky, Office of CMOH, June 9
    This session with Dr. Daniel Warshafsky, Associate Medical Officer of Health at the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health will cover key questions, including variants of concern, AstraZeneca and mixing of vaccines, breakthrough cases and emerging evidence around vaccination for children 12-17 years old. Nicole Blackman, Provincial Director at the Indigenous Primary Health Care Council will talk about why Indigenous people are prioritized to receive vaccines. Register here.

    Reminder- Update on the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy Program, June 10

    The Ministry of Health has recently approved six health service providers to serve as new lead organizations of regional psychotherapy networks for the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy (OSP) Program, one of which is AFHTO member CarePoint Health.

    The Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence at Ontario Health would like to invite primary care organizations to a webinar on June 10 to learn more about the program’s background, the vision of OSP as a provincial program, and next steps with the expansion.

    Register here.

    Member stories

    Barrie and Community FHT- Barrie & Area launched their COVID@Home monitoring program

    East Wellington FHT– Lions Club donates $4,000 to East Wellington Family Health Team

    North Perth-North Huron FHT– North Perth Family Health Team, It Takes A Village start vaccine awareness partnership

    STAR and Stratford FHTs– Perth County primary care providers partnered together to offer about 500 COVID-19 vaccine doses

    AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD second dose Q&A, reports of myocarditis/pericarditis after vaccination and more

    Recent updates include:

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

    You could have up to 22,619 pairs of eyes on your team’s initiative!

    This week we’re asking for your teams’ stories on:

    AFHTO wants to feature your stories!

    –    COVID Vaccine education (myth-busting, Q&As, etc)
    –    Providing COVID-19 vaccines or supporting vaccine rollout beyond your team
    Be sure to share before Tuesday, June 15th so we can feature it on AFHTO’s social media!

    @AFHTO | info@afhto.ca| Webform submission

    COVID@Home update

    Per Ontario Health:
    “If you monitored COVID+ patients in April and May please consider entering your data on that  specific timeframe in our new easy to use DATA FORM.  For those that have already done so thank you!  For questions on this e -mail OH_COVIDatHome@ontariohealth.ca.  We will use this information to show the value of primary care in such initiatives and for quality improvement purposes. Thank you for your continued participation in this initiative.”

    Geriatric Clinical Pharmacology and GeriMedRisk: drug safety for older adults beyond “Start Low, Go Slow”, June 24

    Co-hosted with GeriMedRisk, in this webinar, Dr. Ho will review the pharmacology of aging and its impact on adverse drug events among seniors. We’ll also explore tools and services for primary care providers to use to optimize drug safety. Register here.

    COVID@Home Community of Practice, June 9 & 23, 2021
    Learn how to monitor your COVID-19 patients in the community through this CoP.
    Learn more here.

    A Morning with the Lung Experts: What’s Trending in Primary Care? June 12, 2021

    Join Dr. Tony D’Urzo and the Lung Health Foundation Experts as they explore emerging respiratory care issues.
    Find out more here.

    Applying an Equity Lens when Caring for your Population, June 17, 2021

    This RISE OHT webinar will be based on a PHM approach, deep diving into co-designing care models for different priority populations.
    Learn more here.

    Primary Care Vaccination QI Support CoP, June 17 & July 8, 2021
    Join PCPs, EDs & clinical managers from AFHTO, AHC & NPLCA to share learnings, tools and strategies to deliver COVID-19 vaccines in Ontario.
    Find out more here.

  • Nominations to the AFHTO Board of Directors are open until July 30, 2021

    Dear AFHTO members:
     
    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. Please share this call for nominations with all who work in your team and with members on your Board.

    Four (4) positions are to be elected for a 3-year term on the 14-member AFHTO board. The AFHTO by-law calls for balanced representation on the board to include the various forms of governance, the regions of the province, and the mix of the professions/individuals working within FHTs, NPLCs and other interprofessional models of primary care.

    Given the composition of the continuing board members, priority for the directors to be elected will be given to candidates who are:

    • Executive Directors, especially those actively involved in their Ontario Health Team (OHT) development and supporting integrated care in their community;
    • Interprofessional Health Care Providers, especially those actively involved in OHT development;
    • Members from Central Ontario Health Region;
    • 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);

    To apply:

    The Governance Committee of the AFHTO board will review all applications to assist the AFHTO board to determine the slate of candidates to recommend to the AFHTO membership for ratification at the AFHTO annual general meeting.

    • Nominees will be informed of their status after September 22, 2021.
    • The slate will be presented to the members at the Annual General Meeting which will be conducted virtually this year:

    Tuesday, October 26th, 2021
    4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
    (More Details to Follow)

    Sincerely,
    Clarys Tirel, Chair, AFHTO Governance Committee

  • AFHTO 2021 Conference: Save the Date Oct. 27-28

    AFHTO 2021 CONFERENCE
    OCTOBER 27-28

     

    We know you’ve been waiting, but the wait is almost over. The AFHTO 2021 conference will be two half-days October 27 & 28 in the morning, with our annual general meeting on the evening of October 26. This month we’ll announce:

    • Conference theme and call for volunteers
    • Call for Bright Lights and submissions
    • Sponsorship prospectus

    With more news to come. We can’t wait to show you what we have planned! In the meantime, Save the Date!

    If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at info@afhto.ca.

    P.S. And yes, it will be virtual.

     

  • Primary Care Collaborative looks forward to working closely with new Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore

    TORONTO, June 2, 2021 /CNW/ – The Primary Care Collaborative (“PCC”) congratulates Dr. Kieran Moore on his official appointment as Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, effective June 26, 2021. We also extend our appreciation to Dr. David Williams for his leadership in this role over the past five years. Thank you, Dr. Williams, for your dedication and important work to keep Ontarians safe, and we wish you all the best in your retirement. 

    Over the past several months, the PCC has worked closely with decision makers on primary care’s involvement in vaccination efforts in the province. Through this work we met regularly with Dr. Moore in his role as Medical Officer of Health for Kingston, Frontenac, and Lennox & Addington Public Health (KFL&A) and as a member of the Ontario COVID-19 Distribution Task Force. It comes as no surprise to the members of the PCC that KFL&A Public Health continues to be publicly recognized for its exemplary response to address the COVID-19 pandemic due to the strong leadership of Dr. Moore. 

    Dr. Moore is a consistent champion for an equitable vaccine rollout and the need for increased involvement of primary care in vaccination efforts in all 34 public health units. We are grateful to Dr. Moore for his advocacy, and his proactive efforts and successes around partnership with primary care in KFL&A.

    The PCC looks forward to continuing to work with Dr. Moore as he assumes his new role as Chief Medical Officer of Health in late June. In addition to ongoing work around the pandemic response and a more consistent role for primary care, our Collaborative stands ready to support provincial efforts to address the parallel public health crisis of toxic drug overdose deaths. Leadership is needed for people who continue to be at risk of overdose, and death from overdose, and we are hopeful that with Dr. Moore we will see some much-needed progress in preventable overdose deaths, and the devastation this creates for families, friends, communities, as well as health care providers.

    The PCC welcomes our continued partnership and collaboration in our work with Dr. Moore towards more equitable responses to Ontario’s most pressing health crises. We look forward to his leadership in facilitating greater connections and collaboration with primary care and public health as we build back towards a new normal beyond the pandemic.

    SOURCE Primary Care Collaborative

    For further information: Media contact for interview requests, comments or inquiries: Paula Myers, Manager, Membership and Communications, Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario, Email: paula.myers@afhto.ca, Phone: (647) 234-8605 extension 1200

  • Information & Toolkit on COVID-19 Vaccines for Ontario Youth

    Shared by the CMHO

    Shared on June 1, 2021

    Vaccines are now available for youth aged 12 and older.  

    On top of school disruptions, kids lost extra-curricular activities and time with their friends – all of these things are critical to their development. It’s had an enormous negative impact on children’s mental health. Vaccines are giving us hope and reason to be optimistic that we are rounding the corner on the pandemic. 

    Now is the time for all of us, including youth, to do our part. Getting the vaccine will help us get back to doing the things we love. 

    To help parents, caregivers and youth make an informed decision about vaccinations for those aged 12-17, the Children’s COVID-19 Vaccine Table has created this website www.kidshealthfirst.ca with trusted resources.  

    Look for information in this website for: 

    All content in this website, including a comprehensive set of Frequently Asked Questions (available for download here), has been verified by leading experts in the Children’s COVID-19 Vaccine Table. This advisory table is providing strategic advice and recommendations to government regarding vaccine strategy in the context of the COVID-19 global pandemic to inform planning, process and readiness with a focus on children.  

    For a toolkit and resources on vaccine information for youth, parents, caregivers, as well as for health and social service providers, 

    This website is supported by the Children’s Health Coalition. 

    Toolkit for individuals & organizations

    CMHO is sharing a toolkit for AFHTO members, professional organizations, colleagues or anyone else interested in promoting the site. The toolkit includes:

    1. Graphics for social media (English here, French here)
    2. Newsletter copy (English here, French here)
    3. Draft social media messages (English here, French here)
    4. FAQ in PDF format (English here, French here)

     

    FOR OTHER COVID Vaccine Information or RESOURCES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, CLICK HERE.