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  • AFHTO’s 2023 Pre-Budget Submission

    On February 6, 2023 AFHTO submitted our recommendations to the government for their 2023 budget. Recommendations 1 and 2 of our 2023 pre-budget submission was done in collaboration with partners in the Primary Care Collaborative and recommendation 3 and 4 are two other recommendations AFHTO is advocating for.
    With primary care at the foundation, our submission lays out what is needed to help build a province where people can access better care, more integrated care, and more accessible and continuous care.

    Our recommendations are broken into four sections:

    1. Make team-based primary care available to more Ontarians through an investment of an additional $75 million per year for 10 years. 

    Every Ontarian deserves access to comprehensive and equitable care where and when they need it. It’s time for Ontario to commit to ensuring access to a comprehensive interprofessional primary care team for every person who needs it. This would be achievable with a commitment to invest $75 million per year for the next 10 years in team-based care.

    2. Address the health human resource (HHR) crisis in primary care through the creation of a primary care HHR table. 

    In addition, we need to attract healthcare providers to care for our aging and increasingly complex patients. The retention and attraction of healthcare workers in primary care is a challenge we cannot face alone. We are proposing to create a primary care HHR table for future HHR and capacity planning that includes all PCC partners, the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health.

    3. Provide mental health and addictions services and home and community care in coordination with primary care. 

    We need a health system that is truly integrated. Care coordination and system navigation is a key function of primary care and should be foundational in realizing the vision of OHTs. To be most effective, critical mental health and addictions and home and community care supports must be embedded in primary care—the most effective setting to facilitate seamless transitions in care and offer patients a single point of contact in their health care journey.

    4. Provide resources to support the implementation of primary care networks (PCNs) and recognize PCNs as the organizing model for primary care. 

    PCNs will enable horizontal integration, enhancing the capacity of primary care physicians and nurse practitioners to support each other and their patients while facilitating local care planning with their respective OHTs. PCNs will benefit all primary care physicians and nurse practitioners practising under all funding models by streamlining supports and available resources.

    Our 2023 Pre-Budget submission can be read here.

    The PCC Pre-Budget submission can be read here.

  • Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care

    This email was sent to EDs/Admin leads, board chairs and lead MDs/NPs of AFHTO member teams

    Dear Triad Members,

    Today Health Minister Sylvia Jones launched Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, a plan that sets the vision and direction for Ontario’s health system strategy for the next few years. With a strategy focused on the patient experience by developing system capacity through increasing the health workforce, expanding ways people can access care and investing in health infrastructure, the plan focuses on three pillars:

    1. The right care in the right place – increasing access to care in community-based settings that improve convenience and relieve pressure on hospitals, long term care facilities and other areas of the health care system;
    2. Faster access to care – focused on cutting wait times which has led to delayed care, including backlogs for non-urgent surgeries and diagnostic procedures like MRI and CT scans;
    3. Hiring more health care workers – which includes new commitments to tackle the HHR crisis through further education and training, especially in hospitals, primary care settings, long term care homes and home care.

    In the first pillar, the plan talks about bringing together primary care. Two new commitments were announced that will help support organizing primary care and expanding access to team-based care:

    1. An investment of $30 million to create up to 18 new teams and help bridge the gap in accessing interprofessional primary care for vulnerable, marginalized, and unattached patients to ensure they are able to connect to care where and when they need it. In addition, this expansion will support primary care integration within Ontario Health Teams and sustain direct service delivery in existing interprofessional primary care teams that are experiencing increased operating costs.
    2. Create a connected health care system through Ontario Health Teams by supporting collaboration and engagement with primary care providers across the province through the creation of primary care networks. Every Ontario Health Team will include a group of primary care providers organized in a network to be part of decision-making and to improve access to care for patients.

    AFHTO has been advocating for years around expansion of team-based care and we were pleased to see the first large investment to expand teams in the province in a number of years. The details of what the implementation will look like (new teams or expansion of already existing teams) is still being worked through and we hope to provide you with more information as we continue to dialogue with the Ministry and Ontario Health.

    As part of that first commitment, it is also our assumption that already existing teams will be able to access funding to offset their increased operating costs. Once again, we will provide you with further details as they become available as we know many of you are dealing with increased costs that cannot be managed within your already constrained budgets.

    The formation of primary care networks is something that has happened organically in many OHT regions across the province and having this acknowledged in the plan is the first step toward organizing primary care and giving the important voice that the sector needs into local OHT planning, decision-making and collaboration. AFHTO, along with our partners at the Ontario College of Family Physicians and the OMA Section on General and Family Practice, has been advocating for the creation of these networks of family physicians, nurse practitioners and community specialists (where appropriate) in order to truly ensure primary care is the foundation of the OHTs and the health care system.

    The plan also provided details around increasing the health workforce by increasing the number of training spots for health care professionals every year including:

    • 455 new spots for physicians in training (160 undergraduate and 295 postgraduate)
    • 52 new physician assistant training spots
    • 150 new nurse practitioner spots
    • 1,500 additional nursing spots

    Expanding education and training programs through the Learn and Stay grant was announced as was the “As of Right” to allow health care workers registered in other provinces and territories to immediately start working and caring for people without first having to register with one of Ontario’s health regulatory colleges.

    What is not mentioned in the plan is a compensation strategy to address wage inequity between sectors and the need to increase salaries to keep up with inflation and cost of living. The government confirmed that there is separate work being done around this as they are looking at all sectors to support ongoing retention strategies. A reminder that AFHTO is working with our partners on a Compensation Market Salary Review to provide government with data to highlight the disparity in salary levels in the community/primary care level.

    There is a lot to digest in this plan and over the next few weeks we will provide you with more information as we find out more details. While we had hoped for more investments to ensure more Ontarians have access to team-based care, this is great news for team-based care which we hope will lead to further investments over the next few years.

    As always, please reach out if you have any questions.

    Yours in Good Health,

    The AFHTO Team

    Resources:

  • Bits & Pieces: member stories, welcome to Taryn and more

    Bits & Pieces: member stories, welcome to Taryn and more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • Member stories
    • Welcome to Taryn Jacquard
    • OurCare survey results are here
    • Fee code for Long COVID and more
    • New quality standard – sickle cell disease
    • Reports and relevant news – improving access in rural Canada and boosting balance
    • Population Health: Governance (free course), starts Jan. 31, 2023
    • Upcoming events including COVID vaccinations and digital supports and more

     

    A group of people in business clothes sit around a table in a meeting room with a white board behind them.

     

     

    Member stories

    Hamilton FHT– the Hon. Carolyn Bennett, federal Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health visited Hamilton FHT to discuss their primary care and mental health integrated service model (picture right)

    City of Lakes FHT – OMA research finds virtual care not associated with strain on emergency departments

    Harrow Health Centre and Windsor FHTs – Windsor and Harrow Health Centre FHTs Receive grant for oral health care support

     

     

    Taryn is wearing a white T-shirt and jeans. She's sitting on the floor with her back against a white wall.

    Welcome to Taryn Jacquard

    We’re happy to introduce Taryn Jacquard as our new executive assistant and programs coordinator, ensuring that the CEO, Board, and Director of Governance and Integration are well supported in their roles.  

    She brings with her over ten years of experience working in not for profit, providing support to executives, boards, and national associations.  She has deep family connections to health care and is incredibly passionate about the well-being and availability of care to those in Ontario.

    Prior to joining AFHTO, Taryn ran her own business, offering administrative support to businesses and associations. Welcome to the team!

     

    OurCare survey results are here

    OurCare survey results

    Overall, 77% of people in Canada age 18+ have a family doctor or nurse practitioner (NP) who they see regularly for care. That means:

    More than 6.5 million people in Canada don’t have a regular family doctor or NP – that’s more than 1 in 5 adults. Find out more at data.ourcare.ca. You can also read more about the survey results in a recent Healthy Debate article. 

    Fee code for Long COVID 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 quality standard – sickle cell disease

    Ontario Health has developed a new quality standard that outlines what high-quality care looks like for people with sickle cell disease. The standard can be used to help: 

    • Patients, families, and caregivers know what to ask for in their care  
    • Health care professionals know what care they should be offering  
    • Health care organizations improve the quality of care they provide

    To learn more about how you can use it to improve care for people with sickle cell disease, please register for a webinar on February 22, 12 – 1 p.m. ET. For more information, please contact QualityStandards@OntarioHealth.ca.

    Reports and relevant news – improving access in rural Canada and boosting balance

    Population Health: Governance (free course), starts Jan. 31, 2023
    Offered by Universiteit Leiden via Coursera, this course combines the Population Health perspective with theories of healthcare system governance. Find out more.

    COVID vaccinations and digital supports, Feb. 3, 2023
    56th in the series “Changing the way we work” by UofT and OCFP. Register here.

    Canadian Health and Well-Being In Developmental Disabilities, Feb. 8, 2023
    Digital conference hosted by Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. Find out more here.

    Using Culturally Safe Practices to Build Meaningful Relationships with Indigenous Communities, Feb. 9, 2023
    Hosted by Indigenous Primary Health Care Council. Register here.

    New Horizons Speaker Series webinar, Feb.10, 2023
    What are the roles of virtual only clinics and technology-enabled care in the future of the health care system? How will these shape the future of primary care in Ontario? Join U of T Department of Family and Community Medicine faculty members for this discussion. Register here.

    Cybersecurity and Canadian Health Care: Where do vulnerabilities lie? Feb. 14, 2023
    Hosted by The Globe and Mail. Register here.

    OHT Engagement Learning Series – Session 3 of 7: Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Feb. 21, 2023
    Hosted by Institute for Better Health and Trillium Health Partners. Register here.

  • Updated Guidance for MHA Funding & Reporting Requirements

    Dear EDs and Admin Leads,

    As you are aware, we released guidance on potential options for you to direct your MHA funding.

    There is updated guidance from the Ministry of Health on (1) procurement guidelines and (2) inclusion of capital costs. The IPHCC has also provided details on a draft list of questions that you will be asked to answer in April via survey – there is no action to take at this point.

    1. Procurement Guidelines: If you are planning to partner with MindBeacon, AskForHelp.ca, or other provincial organizations that provide MHA services, you may need to spend over $10,000. Please note that the standard OPS procurement guidance will not apply in this case. The Ministry of Health will issue a formal notice on this exception, which you can share with your auditor (and Board) to assist with planning.

    2. Capital Costs: As you may be aware, initial guidance from the Ministry of Health stated that funding could not be used towards capital costs (e.g., leasehold improvements, equipment). However, to assist teams with maximizing the funds received, that guidance has since changed. You may now be eligible to direct funds toward capital costs, subject to approval from your MOH contact. Please reach out to your MOH contact for the required approvals.

    Please note that with these updates, you are still required to spend your funds on or before March 31st, 2023, or they will be subject to reconciliation and unspent funds will be recovered by the Ministry.

    3. Reporting Requirements: The IPHCC has been asked to lead a report back to the Ministry on how the MHA funds have been spent by all interprofessional team based models. IPHCC is working in collaboration with the Nurse Practitioner-Led Association (NPLCA), the Alliance for Healthier Communities (Alliance) and AFHTO on this report, with the hope that we can use the information to advocate for continued support of MHA in interprofessional primary care.

    You can find the list of draft questions here – much of the information was included on AFHTO’s initial guidance to teams, so you will likely have this information already. We ask that you please complete the survey with as much information as possible once it is officially released by the IPHCC, mostly likely in April. As you know, our goal is to make the case to government for sustainable funding. We appreciate you taking time to gather this information that will support future advocacy work.

    If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at any time. Thank you as always for the services, programming, and support that you provide to your patients and community that are experiencing MHA issues and concerns.

    Yours in good health,

    The AFHTO Team

  • NPLC and FHT Contracts

    This email was sent to EDs/Admin leads, board chairs and lead MDs/NPs of AFHTO member teams

    Dear triad members,

    By now you would have received letters from the Ministry of Health with regards to the NPLC and FHT contracts for the upcoming fiscal year.

    In the letter to the NPLCs, the Ministry noted that it was implementing section 15.10 of the contracts:

    • The Ministry reserves the right to assign or transfer its roles and responsibilities under this Agreement to an agency of the Crown, upon giving the Clinic 60 days written notice of its intention to do so. In the event of any such assignment or transfer shall not require a formal assignment agreement, and upon such assignment or transfer, all references to the Ministry shall automatically apply to the Crown agency.

    As such, the Ministry intends to transfer the contract management and oversight of the NPLCs to Ontario Health, effective April 1, 2023. All provisions in the NPLC Agreement shall remain in full force and effect. The Ministry, along with Ontario Health, will be holding a Q&A about the transition and any questions the NPLCs have on Monday, February 6th from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. If you didn’t get a meeting invite, please contact your Ministry Senior Program Consultant.

    A separate letter went to FHTs that now notes that the FHT contract has been extended for another year. Your contract now expires on March 31, 2024. You MUST sign back your letters before March 15, 2023 to enable ongoing funding to flow to your FHT into the next fiscal year.

    We understand many of you will have questions on the NPLC transition process and what this might mean for the potential of a future transition of the FHT contracts to OH. We’re speaking regularly with MOH and OH and hope to have a Q&A in the spring for FHTs, once we have a better idea of what the next steps will be with the future of the FHT contract.  

    We also recognize the extensive feedback our members provided during consultations over the last year on ways to strengthen the FHT contract, and we provided these recommendations to the Ministry in November 2022. These recommendations will still be kept under consideration and are being discussed internally at the MOH and OH. While we won’t see changes to the FHT contract for another year, amendments to the attestation and Schedule A might happen sooner and this may require action from you prior to March 31, 2023. Alongside government, we will keep you apprised of expectations and timelines.

    AFHTO is here to support you as we continue building relations with OH, ensuring support mechanisms through them are clear, and as we work toward a more streamlined process for contract management.
    We will continue to work with you, with MOH, and with OH on next steps.

    Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

    Sincerely,
    Your AFHTO Team

  • Windsor and Harrow Health Centre FHTs receive grant for oral health care support

    Windsor Star Published an article Jan 24, 2023.

    By Julie Kotsis

    Four local organizations focused on mental health and oral care services have received a funding boost with the announcement of $564,000 in community investment by Green Shield.

    The grants, made in partnership with the WindsorEssex Community Foundation, were announced during a gathering Tuesday morning at Maryvale’s Youth Wellness Hub.

    Recipients include the Canadian Mental Health Association Windsor-Essex County, which received $200,000 to support the Youth Wellness Hub Windsor-Essex.

    Windsor Family Health Team was also awarded $200,000 to support its community oral health care project, while the Harrow Health Centre Family Health Team received $100,000 for its community oral health-care project.

    And $64,000 was awarded to Trans Wellness Ontario to support queer and trans counselling services.

    “Over the past few years, Green Shield has been incredibly proud to partner with the WECF as a leading advocate for community well-being here in Windsor-Essex,” said Mila Lucio, an executive vice-president at Green Shield.

    “With their support, and thanks to the dedication and expertise of these front-line organizations, we have invested over $2 million locally since 2018 in programs that help improve access to mental and oral health care,” Lucio said, “both areas of the health-care system that are often overlooked and under-funded.”

    Lucio said the recipients’ projects will “positively impact over 3,000 lives by offering innovative solutions to help ensure that people in our community can access the resources and care they need.”

    Full article here

  • Request to Participate in the 2023 Compensation Market Salary Review – Heads Up

    Dear Executive Directors and Admin Leads,

    As you may be aware, in 2022, multiple associations/organizations came together as the Community Compensation Working Group to jointly support a market survey to get a better idea of the wage disparity and compensation challenges. To ensure a successful market study with a substantive sample, we require your collaboration and participation to complete the survey that will accompany this review.

    Why it matters:
    This survey is particularly important considering the impacts of the pandemic on healthcare as well as human resources practices within organizations, and legislated compensation restraints that have impacted many organizations in Ontario. We know that recruitment and retention, as well as salary disparity, is one of the biggest challenges in primary care and getting data on what the levels currently are and what they should be is critical in supporting our HHR advocacy asks to government.

    Who and what will be covered:
    The Community Compensation Working Group includes over 1,200 unique organizations including: 302 primary care organizations comprised of Community Health Centres, Family Health Teams, Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics, Indigenous Primary Health Care Organizations; 225 home and community care organizations, 90 publicly funded child and youth mental health agencies, 175 community mental health and addiction organizations, 30 local CMHA branches, 221 long-term care homes, 91 housing members and 95 community service agencies. Invitations are being sent to members served by these associations/organizations as well as several other organizations – Ontario and nationally.

    We have partnered with Eckler Ltd. to conduct this survey. They will provide independent evidence-based approaches to reviewing the compensation and provide insights. Eckler Ltd. will receive the surveys collected by AFHTO and others, streamline information (ensuring maintaining confidentiality and privacy for each individual organization), and provide aggregated information in reports. All survey participants will receive a summary report which we hope will assist you in compensation planning.

    The survey is focused on collecting basic salary and information for a series of benchmark positions with a few other general HR practice questions for review and consideration.

    We know you likely receive a number of requests for survey participation and are facing significant resource constraints; however, we hope our request will support any pre-planning as we prepare for a survey launch in February.

    Timing and contact
    Surveys are targeted to be launched in February 2023. You will receive the survey from AFHTO. If you have questions about this market study please feel free to contact, Abisola Otepola at abisola.otepola@afhto.ca or our Eckler contact, Deirdre Chong Smith at 647-293-0183 or dchongsmith@eckler.ca.

    If you know you would like to participate or have a designated employee that will provide the information, please let us know who to issue the survey to by emailing Abisola Otepola at abisola.otepola@afhto.ca.  

    Thank you for considering this request. This important work will provide us with the data we need to ensure we have equity among all health care providers in the health care system, no matter what sector they work in.

    Yours in Good Health,

    Your AFHTO Team

  • Bits & Pieces: perks to get you through winter and more

    Bits & Pieces: perks to get you through winter and more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • Perkopolis winter discounts
    • Reminder- is there a doctor on board? #AFHTO2023 help needed
    • ICYMI- mental health and addiction funding letters
    • Fellowship in Journalism and Health Impact- deadline Feb. 17
    • Association between virtual primary care and ED use and more
    • Workplace mental health training for health care settings
    • Phase I Guidance for Clinically Appropriate Use of Virtual Care for Primary Care evaluation survey
    • Upcoming events including Collaborative Governance: Towards the Next Level of Integrated Care and more

     

    Text at the top- Get a head start on your March break travel plans. Below, CityPass, Vegas foodie tour and Great Wolf Lodge

     

    Perkopolis winter discounts

    AFHTO members are eligible to sign up for free access to over 5000 perks through Perkopolis, including discounts on winter activities, travel, products, and wellness.

    EDs, if your team doesn’t have access yet, please email info@afhto.ca.

     

     

    Reminder- is there a doctor on board? #AFHTO2023 help needed
    AFHTO offers Mainpro+ accreditation for our annual conference for physicians. To ensure we maintain the standards required, we invite a member physician to take part in ONE meeting in February to provide feedback and input on the themes and format for our 2023 event. We’ll provide the appropriate materials beforehand and will be available to answer any questions you might have. Please email paula.myers@afhto.ca ASAP if you’re interested. Deadline Jan. 25.

    ICYMI- mental health and addiction funding letters

    On Jan. 18 we sent an email titled ‘Regarding mental health and addiction funding letters’ to EDs and Admin leads. This can now be found here at the triad level. If you have any questions, please contact Abisola.otepola@afhto.ca.

    Fellowship in Journalism and Health Impact- deadline Feb. 17
    You can shape the public discussion about health. The University of Toronto has a journalism fellowship designed with family physicians in mind and you can attend from anywhere. Learn more / apply / join an open house here. The next open house is Jan. 26 and they’re accepting applications until Feb. 17.

    Association between virtual primary care and ED use 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.

    Workplace mental health training for health care settings

    The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Ontario has launched Your Health Space. This free workplace mental health program provides the training, resources, and tools needed to support health care organizations in addressing the burnout and moral distress affecting their teams.

    Your Health Space offers self-directed modules and live workshops, the latter of which can be tailored to each organization’s unique needs. This programming is delivered through three distinct spaces designed to address the needs of 1) Leaders, 2) Health Care Workers, and 3) Support Staff working within an organization. A fourth space for Connection, invites all staff members across an entire organization to participate in training together. Your Health Space’s team of trainers are based across Ontario and are available to facilitate workshops virtually or in person.

    If you are interested in bringing this free training program to your workplace, please visit: https://yourhealthspace.ca/programs/ or contact yourhealthspace@ontario.cmha.ca.

    Phase I Guidance for Clinically Appropriate Use of Virtual Care for Primary Care evaluation survey

    Ontario Health is conducting an evaluation of the ‘Phase I Guidance for Clinically Appropriate Use of Virtual Care for Primary Care’ developed in collaboration with an Expert Panel. You’re invited to complete this survey to capture your awareness of, access to and adoption of the Phase I Guidance for Clinically Appropriate Use of Virtual Care for Primary Care.   

    You may access the survey here.  

    The survey should take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete, and your responses will remain anonymous. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the survey, please do not hesitate to contact Mimosa Zhao by email at zhao@theevidencenetwork.com.

    Collaborative Governance: Towards the Next Level of Integrated Care, Jan. 24, 2023
    Hosted by HSPN and IFIC Canada. Register here.

    OCFP 2023 Family Medicine Summit, Jan. 27-28, 2023
    Features two livestream days on Jan 27 & 28, plus additional pre-recorded sessions. Find out more here.

    ECHO Ontario Conference 2023, Jan. 27, 2023
    Virtual event, titled Integrated Health Systems and the ECHO Model: Lessons Learned in Ontario. Register here.

    Early Psychosis Intervention Quarterly Webinar, Feb. 9, 2023
    Ontario Health’s Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence’s first quarterly webinar on the development of a provincial Early Psychosis Intervention Program. Register here.

    Patient Safety Learning Community of Practice, Feb. 7, 2023
    Learn more about the patient safety narrative question for the 2023/24 QIP submission. Register here.

  • Regarding mental health and addiction funding letters

    This email was sent to EDs/Admin leads of AFHTO member teams

    Dear Members,

    Most of you have or will soon receive your funding letters with regards to one-time mental health and addiction funding for FY 2022-2023. Please note that although those funds are finally confirmed, the ministry is imposing an embargo on public communications related to this funding until further notice so this funding should not be announced to your communities or media until you have been provided with the direction to go ahead.

    To support teams with planning, this document provides information and options for teams to consider as you decide where to direct this funding (if you currently do not have a plan). This is for information only to help generate ideas and aren’t guidelines on how funds must be utilized.  Guidance from the Ministry of Health states that funding can be used for a range of options that are not related to capital costs, and expenses can be made retroactive for this fiscal year.

    The Indigenous Primary Health Care Council (IPHCC) may be doing a report back to the Ministry on how the funds have been spent. While they determine the information they wish to collect, please support that work by keeping track of key indicators related to the impact of funding. Examples could include:

    • Number/percentage of patients served (including unattached)
    • Type of service provided
      • Counselling and treatment (internal)
      • Counselling and treatment (hired external)
      • Addiction services
      • Outreach (mobile unit, care in the home)
      • Youth services
      • Support groups
      • Groups/webinars including virtual workshop series
      • Crisis services
      • Purchase of patient resources/tools like workbooks etc.
      • Visual storytelling (patients, families, caregiver, HCPs)
    • Waiting times and waiting list before and after funding was released

    Our goal is to make the case to government for sustainable funding though we know it will be difficult to provide them with meaningful data. However, if you can provide any updates on how the funds made impact with your patients and/or communities it will be shared to help the ministry with their future planning.

    SUPPORTS THAT CAN BE LEVERAGED

    Existing Provincial Services:
    Teams may contract services with provincial organizations (e.g., CMHA, AMHO organizations) that provide a variety of mental health supports through a combination of virtual, in-person, or guided online sessions. These organizations have worked with interprofessional teams in varying capacities and can be leveraged to provide short term supports. This can also be extended to employing short-term contracts with independent practice social workers, psychologists, or other mental health professionals.

    SickKids CCMH Learning Institute

    • The SickKids CCMH Learning Institute offers high-quality and evidence-informed learning opportunities for mental health and medical health professionals, direct service workers, educators, and first responders to advance best practices in mental health care. Program length varies from half-day (3-hour) webinars to multi-day certificate programs. They offer training for professionals who work with patients of every age, across the lifespan.
    • This program is available to AFHTO members at a 15% discount, and it’s a great opportunity to provide educational opportunities for members of your team. Upcoming courses can be found here so please register as soon as you can.
    • To support the Institute with further programming, please also take a few minutes to complete their survey to share insights into training needs for you and your teams.  

    AskForHelptoday.ca

    • The Ontario Psychological Association (OPA) has implemented a stop-gap measure by introducing a navigation and matching service available to all residents of Ontario who require the services of a registered psychologist. Patients are matched to Psychologists or Psychological Associates that are in good standing with the College of Psychologists of Ontario with considerations for their personal preferences (e.g., preferred language, race, location). Services are virtual and match patients with consideration for their personal preference.
    • Primary care teams have the potential to refer patients through Ocean eReferral or on the web portal askforhelptoday.ca. OPA is willing to work with a group of teams to develop services best suited to the needs of individual health teams. An example of the service offering currently operational in Ontario is the Ministry of Health funded COVID-19 Psychological Support Program which supports the psychotherapeutic needs of frontline healthcare workers in partnership with Ontario Health and five hospitals. Click here to learn more about the CPS program.  
    • You can also click here to learn more about the types of patients that are most often referred to psychologists. For more information, please contact Dr. Sylvain Roy, DrRoy@psych.on.ca  

    MindBeacon

    • Offers Canadians a full spectrum of mental health supports for depression, anxiety and other common mental health concerns with face-to-face live therapy, virtual therapy, and a therapist-guided Internet Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TAiCBT) program. Clinicians can determine what therapy is best for their patient or can leave the decision to one of MindBeacon’s licensed professionals to help guide the patient to a therapy that meets their needs and preferences.
    • TAiCBT helps patients with over 12 mental health concerns (e.g., depression, anxiety insomnia, panic, stress, and PTSD). It is offered to patients (16+) for up to 12 weeks of personalized therapy on a platform with their own licensed mental health professional. This therapy is all delivered online, with no phone calls and no appointments and. Guidance from their therapist is done on the platform through messaging.
    • Interprofessional teams have the option of pooling funds and developing a contract with MindBeacon to help meet service demand.
    • MindBeacon can provide different referral options for teams and is currently working on having a site on Ocean eReferral. Training and communication materials for clinicians and patients on MindBeacon’s therapy and referral options is also available to all partners. Click here to learn more about MindBeacon.
    • For more information, please contact Felicia Fallen, Felicia.fallen@mindbeacon.com

    ONE-TIME, SHORT-TERM PURCHASES:

    • Modalities of therapy training (trauma, CBT, DBT, ACT, EFT, IFS) to allow for future programming.
    • Resources (e.g., textbooks, audio books (psychoeducation and worksheets for patients), podcast subscriptions, laptops, and screens for programming and remote work, increasing capacity for virtual care services.
    • Payments to support patients’ daily needs (e.g., clothing, temporary housing, utility costs, grocery gift cards, community kitchens, bus passes etc.).
    • Leverage existing partnerships (e.g., work with existing OHTs, partner with CMHA to staff a drop-in centre for MH&A patients that need a warm shelter during the winter).
    • Increase staffing capacity on a temporary or long-term basis (e.g., hire and sustain a mental health counsellor role within your team, hiring a care coordinator/patient navigator).

    IDEAS FROM INTERPROFESSIONAL HEALTHCARE TEAMS:
    These are initiatives currently underway or planned by primary care teams that may spark ideas for you to consider if you choose to manage services locally.

    • North Shore Family Health Team: NSFHT received a 0.5 percent FTE staffing increase for navigation, and directed a portion of this position for intake, assessment and care coordination services for patients that experience mental health/socio-economic struggles. The program has improved inter-agency flow with patients being continuously supported as they are referred to the services that best address their needs. The care coordinator works with patients to coordinate other beneficial interventions, such as volunteer opportunities, and continues to do wellness checks until another organization can take over. Click here to learn more.
    • Windsor Family Health Team: A stand alone non-profit was created to serve anyone in need, however, the majority of the patients are those with MH&A issues. These services include providing groceries, housecleaning, transportation to out-of-town appointments, medical equipment, hotel stays, help with utility and/or rent payments, etc. A yearly limit is set for each patient. This service works in conjunction with other local agencies to provide the most comprehensive support possible. WFHT offers MH counselling and a RAAM Clinic.

    We’re here to support you. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Abisola Otepola.

    Yours in good health,

    The AFHTO Team

  • Bits & Pieces: #AFHTO2022 materials and more

    Bits & Pieces: #AFHTO2022 materials and more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • #AFHTO2022 materials now available to all members
    • Is there a doctor on board? #AFHTO2023 help needed
    • Reminder: Lean Sigma Pink Belt for QIDSS
    • GoodLife member benefit- 25% off
    • Member stories
    • Long COVID: major findings, mechanisms, and recommendations and more
    • Seeking physicians for the CANHEART Improving Cholesterol Management Study
    • Seeking physician input on relational engagement in primary care
    • Upcoming events including COVID Therapeutics and more

    #AFHTO2022 materials now available to all members

    All members can now access 2022 conference resources! Find out more about what your peers are up to below.

    Resources

    On-Demand Sessions

    Is there a doctor on board? #AFHTO2023 help needed

    The conversations taking place at the 2022 conference as captured by an artist hired by HIROC

     
    AFHTO offers Mainpro+ accreditation for our annual conference for physicians. To ensure we maintain the standards required, we invite a member physician to take part in ONE meeting in February to provide feedback and input on the themes and format for our 2023 event. We’ll provide the appropriate materials beforehand and will be available to answer any questions you might have. Please email paula.myers@afhto.ca ASAP if you’re interested. Deadline Jan. 25.

    Reminder: Lean Sigma Pink Belt for QIDSS
    As you may be aware, SRA Academy is offering the Digital Lean Sigma Pink Belt program, a 30-hour skills development program that provides tools to analyze problems and formulate solutions using Lean Six Sigma methodologies.

    If QIDSS haven’t already registered, please note that the deadline has been extended to Friday, January 20th. Through a generous partnership with the eHealth Centre of Excellence, there is no charge for the program and registration can be completed here: https://forms.office.com/r/sG7zLuBgpp. Please contact us at improve@afhto.ca if you have any questions.

    GoodLife member benefit- 25% off
    We know resolutions aren’t everyone’s thing, but enough people have checked in, so we thought we’d remind you- AFHTO members are eligible for a 25% discount on membership types. To take advantage of discounted rates, you need a membership ID assigned by AFHTO. As of Sep. 1, 2022, member IDs are generated upon request. These are sent to GoodLife monthly near the end of the month. To get your ID or be put on the list for one, please email info@afhto.ca.

    Member stories

    Thames Valley FHT:

    Long COVID: major findings, mechanisms, and recommendations 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.

    Seeking physicians for the CANHEART Improving Cholesterol Management Study

    Researchers at The Knowledge Translation (KT) Program at St. Michael’s Hospital and Women’s College Hospital are collaborating on a study to improve lipid management and cardiovascular health in Ontario.

    The Community Heart Outcomes Improvement and Cholesterol Education Study (CHOICES) is an Ontario research study being conducted in certain health regions in Ontario with higher-than-average rates of cardiovascular disease. The study is being funded as part of Canada’s Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) and by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). CHOICES will involve implementing a ‘toolbox’ for cholesterol management to inform and empower people when it comes to the appropriate management of their cholesterol and cardiovascular health. The tools within this ‘toolbox’ will be widely distributed in the high-risk health regions, to allow people to work with their primary care physician and share in the decision-making process together.

    They’re recruiting physicians to complete a brief 10-minute survey assessing their insights on lipid management practices and the CHOICES materials. Find out more here. If you are interested, please complete the following survey here.

    Seeking physician input on relational engagement in primary care

    “In a 2017 article in the Rambam Maimonides Medical Journal, author Henri Zukier writes, “As the distance between physician and patient has grown, so has the empirical evidence for the inherently relational nature of medicine… The interaction between doctor and patient, like the interaction between body and mind, is increasingly recognized as an inextricable process and as a central component of therapeutic intervention” (p. 2).  

    Despite this, little to no research exists in which the relational engagement of primary care physicians has been explored.  Given this gap in knowledge, as well as the current cultural climate in which physicians are often vilified and a general distrust in the medical profession has arisen, it seems both important and timely to better understand – and be able to communicate with others – how and why physicians approach and participate in relationship with patients as they do.  

    The purpose of this study, then, is to better understand how physicians operating in the context of primary health care engage relationally with their patients, as such knowledge may contribute much to not only the medical profession but also cultural attitudes more broadly.”

    Find out more here. If you have any questions, please contact Aaron Smith at aaronsmith@tyndale.ca or 519-774-4747.

    COVID Therapeutics, Jan. 20, 2023
    55th in OCFP and UofT’s series “Changing the way we work” on Friday, January 20, 2023, at 7:55-9:15 am. Register here.

    Introduction to CARF Network Standards for OHTs, Jan. 24, 2023
    CARF Canada is hosting a complimentary webinar to describe the relevance of their Network standards for organizations working in partnership for service delivery. Register here.

    OCFP 2023 Family Medicine Summit, Jan. 27-28, 2023
    Features two livestream days on Jan 27 & 28, plus additional pre-recorded sessions. Find out more here.

    ECHO Ontario Conference 2023, Jan. 27, 2023
    Virtual event, titled Integrated Health Systems and the ECHO Model: Lessons Learned in Ontario. Register here.