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  • Bits & Pieces: create YOUR virtual conference, cancer screening guidance & more

    Bits & Pieces: create YOUR virtual conference, cancer screening guidance & more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • Create YOUR virtual conference-deadline July 15
    • Guidance on resuming cancer screening and other updates
    • COVID-19 tip sheet-management of CT and MRI for recovery planning
    • Survey about COVID-19 physical distancing guidelines
    • Self-help booklet series for people with intellectual disabilities
    • Respiratory Health Forum – call for presentations
    • Upcoming events regarding virtual care and more

     

    Create YOUR virtual conference-deadline July 15

    AFHTO 2020 Conference logo-cropped

    Primary care has risen to the challenge of COVID-19, but the ground is still shifting, and the future is uncertain.

    Interprofessional teams need to cross newly opened chasms to ensure they continue to provide patients and communities the care they require, all while they renew team dynamics to strengthen the foundation on which patient care rests.

    In short, we need to rebuild primary care for this new world.

    Join a working group for our AFHTO 2020 Conference, Tectonic shifts: rebuilding primary care in a new world.

    We’re setting up groups for each of the five concurrent streams and for the Bright Lights Awards program. Sign up by July 15, 2020.

    Guidance on resuming cancer screening and other updates

    Resources and updates released within the last week include:

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

    COVID-19 tip sheet-management of CT and MRI for recovery planning

    Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) has developed a tip sheet to additional guidance specific to diagnostic imaging services for oncology – mainly computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – and provides practical considerations for organizations, radiologists, diagnostic imaging administration and referring physicians during COVID-19 recovery. Please review and share as appropriate with your colleagues who perform or support diagnostic imaging services.

    Self-help booklet series for people with intellectual disabilities

    CAMH has adapted COVID-19 Guided Self-help Booklet Series from The University of Glasgow. The series is for people with intellectual disabilities and can be used with the support of family members, friends, staff, and health care professionals. Find out more here.

    Survey about COVID-19 physical distancing guidelines

    Western University researchers are assessing the impact of the COVID-19 physical distancing guidelines on Ontario adults’ lifestyle-related health behaviours, wellbeing, and chronic disease development. This could provide future health promotion programs with relevant information to guide program planning.

    It takes about 15 minutes to fill out a survey. Participants could win a $100 grocery store gift card.

    Respiratory Health Forum – call for presentations

    The Respiratory Health Forum planning committee is looking for interested people and sites who would like to showcase their programs, innovations and/or outcomes.  
     
    For details on how to and to submit your Expression of Interest application, please visit their site. The deadline for submission is July 16, 2020.

    Choosing Wisely in Virtual Care as we Emerge from the COVID-19 Pandemic, July 8, 2020

    Join the Choosing Wisely Canada community in their virtual gatherings to discuss the shift to virtual care and its future in the healthcare system. Find out more here.

    COVID-19 and IDD: Mental Health Research and Practice, July 14, 2020

    Join the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine and the Surrey Place’s expert panels discuss IDD. Discover resources and listen to research around the effects on adults with intellectual developmental disabilities during the pandemic.
    Find out more here.

    Integrated Mental and Physical Health, June 5- August 28, 2020

    Hosted by CAMH, University of Toronto and Project ECHO. Find out more here.

    HPCO CoPs, Ongoing

    HPCO hosts Community of Practice meetings virtually relating to the following fields:

    • Health Care Consent, Advance Care Planning
    • Rural Hospice Palliative Care
    • Compassionate Communities.

    Find out more here.

  • AFHTO 2020 Conference: create YOUR virtual conference. Sign up by July 15

    AFHTO 2020 Conference: create YOUR virtual conference. Sign up by July 15

    AFHTO 2020 Conference logo

     

    Join a working group

    We asked you what you wanted in a virtual conference and now you can make even more of an impact. Play a vital role by joining a working group today. Come behind the scenes and be the first to learn about new developments in the field, influence conference programming and discover the latest innovators in areas directly relevant to your work. Working group members also receive a discount off their registration fee.  

    Please extend this invitation along to your patients, colleagues and staff. Having diverse voices, especially patients, in the working groups helps us build a varied and relevant program.

    Conference Themes

    We’re setting up working groups for each of the five concurrent streams and for the Bright Lights Awards program. The five concurrent streams will focus on:

    1. Mental health and addiction support in primary care
    2. Integrating digital health and virtual care
    3. Integrated care and community responses
    4. Public health and primary care
    5. Addressing social determinants of health

    (Full descriptions here)

    Working Group Details

    Concurrent program working group members:
    The task requires a total of 4-10 hours of effort between July and August, specifically:

    • July 8 to 29: AFHTO staff will manage the call for proposals process.
    • Week of July 20: working groups will have an initial Zoom meeting to brainstorm ideas on specific topics and speakers to contact/encourage to submit for a presentation.  
    • July 31 to August 12: each working group member individually reviews and scores presentation abstracts for their program.
    • August 13 to 18: working groups will teleconference to review scores and determine the program for this theme.

    Sign up by July 15, 2020 to confirm your participation and select your conference theme.

    2020 Bright Lights winners

    “Bright Light” Awards Review Committee:
    The task requires a total of 6-12 hours in August, specifically to individually review and score nominations followed by a group teleconference to determine the award winners.Sign up by July 15, 2020

    We may also need volunteers “onsite” during the conference itself. There may be other duties as we update our conference program but like other volunteers described above, onsite volunteers will receive discounted conference registration. Sign up today.

    Registration Fees for Conference Working Groups:

    • Conference working group members and presenters receive a discount off their registration fee (to be announced shortly)
    • We understand patients face additional financial and time pressures and do not want the registration fee to limit participation in a working group. Patients participating in full in a conference working group will be eligible for complimentary registration (to be determined once the working group task is complete).  

    AFHTO members still receive a 50% discount on conference registration fees (coming soon).

    Conference key dates:

    • July 8, 2020          Call for concurrent session, poster and Bright Lights opens
    • July 29, 2020        Deadline for concurrent session, poster and Bright Lights submissions
    • August 2020         Conference registration opens
    • October 8-9, 2020      AFHTO 2020 Conference

    For more information, you can contact us by phone (647-234-8605) or e-mail (info@afhto.ca).

  • 2020 Conference Themes

    2020 Conference Themes

    Tectonic shifts: rebuilding primary care in a new world
    (more…)

  • Bits & Pieces: Join AFHTO’s IHP Advisory Council, member renewal & more

    Bits & Pieces: Join AFHTO’s IHP Advisory Council, member renewal & more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • Join AFHTO’s IHP Advisory Council!
    • Reminder – member renewal deadline July 31, 2020
    • Which FHT physician has over 39,000 views on YouTube?
    • More resources for reopening and other updates
    • Nominations to the AFHTO Board of Directors close this Friday
    • Pandemic pay update
    • Thomas Edison and weight loss
    • Upcoming events regarding integrated mental and physical health and more

     

     

    Join AFHTO’s IHP Advisory Council!

    Are you interested in advising AFHTO on the top issues facing IHPs in team-based care? Would you like to be a leader in working with IHPs in primary care to advocate for and to speak to the critical role of teams? Would you like to share and spread knowledge and learnings?

    If yes, AFHTO invites you to apply to join the IHP Advisory Council. Applications are now open, and the deadline to apply is Friday, July 31. More information is here.

    Reminder – member renewal deadline July 31, 2020

    Thank you to all the teams that have renewed their membership to date. This is a reminder the renewal deadline is July 31, 2020. If you have not received a confirmation email titled “Team Name: Membership Renewal Confirmation M-20-invoice number”, we have not received your payment as of June 24. Please send your cheque or pay electronically to avoid losing access to your membership benefits.

    Dr. Sean Blaine of STAR FHT - “Matter of Masks: A family physician speaks out about mask complacency

     

    Which FHT physician has over 39,000 views on YouTube?

    That would be Dr. Sean Blaine of STAR FHT  for “Matter of Masks: A family physician speaks out about mask complacency.” That’s not the only one he’s done either.

    Read about it in this CBC article.

     

     

     

    More resources for reopening and other updates

    Resources and updates released recently include:

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

    Nominations to the AFHTO Board of Directors close this Friday

    Are you interested in serving on the AFHTO Board of Directors? The governance committee of AFHTO’s board invites anyone who works within an AFHTO member organization to apply. Priority for the directors to be elected will be given to candidates who are:

    • Interprofessional health care providers (IHPs), especially those working in mental health and addiction;
    • Board members, especially community members in the position of Chair of the Board; or
    • Experienced in finance, including accreditation as a financial professional (e.g. CA, CPA, CMA).

    Deadline is July 3, 2020. Find out more here.

    Pandemic pay update

    Last week we sent an update to EDs and Administrative Leads regarding the implementation of pandemic pay. While eligibility has not changed from public announcements, we received a Ministry memo afterwards that may provide further clarification. It is available on our site for those with triad-level access.

    Thomas Edison and weight loss

    Enjoy this article in the spring issue of The Diabetes Communicator co-authored by Central Lambton FHT’s RD Emily Opthof and psychiatrist Dr. David J. Robinson.

    Integrated Mental and Physical Health, June 5- August 28, 2020

    Hosted by CAMH, University of Toronto and Project ECHO. Find out more here.

    HPCO CoPs, Ongoing

    HPCO hosts Community of Practice meetings virtually relating to the following fields:

    • Health Care Consent, Advance Care Planning
    • Rural Hospice Palliative Care
    • Compassionate Communities.

    Find out more here.

  • Thomas Edison and Weight Loss

    Article published in the Spring 2020 issue of The Diabetes Communicator

    By David J. Robinson, MD, FRCPC; Emily Opthof, RD, B.Sc.FN

    Canadian Mental Health Association, London; Central Lambton Family Health Team, Petrolia, Ont.

    Thomas Edison, the revered American inventor, defined genius as 98 per cent (%) to 99% perspiration and 1% to
    2% inspiration (1). A tireless investigator, Edison considered sleep to be “a waste of time”. Edison took naps on a cot
    in his laboratory and reportedly didn’t sleep for more than four hours per night. He passed away from complications of
    type 2 diabetes in 1931 at the age of 84, having limited himself at that point in his life to a diet of milk and cigars.

    Whether Edison’s sleep habits were a factor in his diabetes is unknown, but his legacy is an inspiration for many, and his inventions brought sweeping changes to North American society in the 20th century. His development of the incandescent light bulb into a safe and reliable means of household illumination has, however, been blamed for permanently altering our biological clocks and interfering with sleep.

    Sleep deprivation is one of many potential factors leading to weight gain. Edison would have been intrigued that one of his inventions might have had deleterious effects and would have been inspired to find a solution. Can we use similar scientific curiosity to investigate potential ways that he might have found to help manage diabetes with weight loss?

    Read the full article here.

  • Join AFHTO’s IHP Advisory Council – Applications are now open!

    Are you interested in advising AFHTO of the top issues facing IHPs in team-based care? Would you like to be a leader in working with IHPs in primary care to advocate for and to speak to the critical role of teams? Would you like to share and spread knowledge and learnings?

    If yes, AFHTO invites you to apply to join the IHP Advisory Council! The council was established in 2018, and several two-year terms are now open. 

    This council provides input on IHP-related matters, gives advice and input to the AFHTO board and staff on AFHTO and primary care priorities, and fosters leadership across the IHP community within FHTs, NPLCs, and other interprofessional teams.

    The council is a mechanism to advance best-practice knowledge transfer and exchange, to enhance collaboration, and to give IHPs the opportunity to communicate operational, governance, and other team-related items. 

    AFHTO seeks a diversity of professions and regional representation on the council. However, the primary role of every council member is to represent and be a voice and a leader for all IHPs who work in teams. 

    More detail is in the terms of reference, which can be seen on the IHP Advisory Council page on AFHTO’s website.

    To apply, please complete this application: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Y9GNY5F

    The deadline to apply has been extended to Friday, August 7, at 11:59 PM.

    Any IHP who is part of a member team is welcome to apply. All applications will be reviewed by the AFHTO team, and new council members will be notified in the week of August 24. 

    As the summer IHP Advisory Council meeting is scheduled for the following week on Wednesday, September 2, from 12 PM to 1:30 PM, we suggest anyone applying hold that time now.

    If you have any questions, please contact Beth MacKinnon at beth.mackinnon@afhto.ca  
     

  • Reminder- nominations to the AFHTO Board of Directors close July 3, 2020

    Reminder- nominations to the AFHTO Board of Directors close July 3, 2020

    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. We are looking for strategic and emerging leaders to help shape the future of interprofessional team-based care in Ontario!  

    Please share this call for nominations with all who work in your team.

    Six (6) positions are to be elected for a 3-year term on the 14-member board. The AFHTO by-laws call for balanced representation on the board to include the various forms of governance, the regions of the province, and the mix of the professions 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:

    • Interprofessional health care providers (IHPs), especially those working in mental health and addiction;
    • Board members, especially community members in the position of Chair of the Board; or
    • Experienced in finance, including accreditation as a financial professional (e.g. CA, CPA, CMA).

    To apply:

    The governance committee will review all applications to assist the board in determining the slate of candidates to recommend to the AFHTO membership for ratification at the annual general meeting.

    • Nominees will be informed of their status by September 23, 2020.
    • The slate will be presented to the members at the annual general meeting, which is scheduled for:

    Thursday, October 8, 2020
    9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
    (More details to follow)

     

    Sincerely,

    Tom Richard signature

     

     

     

    Dr. Tom Richard
    Chair, AFHTO Board of Directors

  • How STAR FHT doctor’s videos help navigate COVID-19 pandemic

    CBC article published June 24, 2020

    By Desmond Brown

    The COVID-19 pandemic has turned Stratford-based family physician Sean Blaine into an internet sensation of sorts — as a YouTube commentator offering tips to navigate the health emergency.

    Blaine says he has “a couple of ideas on how we can get through this thing together.” He has been sharing his views on why masks are an essential part of public health practice and why everyone should always have one at the ready.

    According to Blaine, the whole thing started because he was disappointed in the response to COVID-19.

    ‘Too late’

    “It began in April or so right in the heat of the pandemic. I was talking with a friend and … I was just frustrated because it felt like we were just kind of always behind it, always too late with everything we were doing,” Blaine told CBC News.

    At that time, he said the only reasonable exit strategy for dealing with the pandemic is to adopt widespread immunity testing to determine who among us possesses the required antibodies to keep the virus at bay.

    “I was feeling helpless and frustrated, and I remember one day I was on the phone chatting with a friend. I heard at the time that there were some Canadian companies that were developing some serological tests or immunity tests and I thought the government should just pour money into this.

    “I was ranting on the phone with my friend and he said … I want to film you doing this,” Blaine added.

    The rest, as they say, is history.

    With the help of documentary producer Craig Thompson, Blaine has been making short videos designed to help people protect themselves and others from COVID-19.

    The latest video, Matter of Masks, was posted on June 19. Within a week it amassed nearly 20,000 views.

    Positive reaction

    Based on the viewer comments, people appreciate what Blaine is doing.  

    “This is a clear message. Thank you Dr Blaine,” Dorothy Byrne-Jones wrote.

    “And yes carry a mask with you … Remember it is not about making a fashion statement. You don’t need to have one to match what you are wearing.”

    Meanwhile, Anne Anderson said the public should know, “my mask protects you, and your mask protects me,” and if everyone has a mask, we are all protected.

    “Thanks for this, but people who won’t wear one believe they don’t need to because they are not sick or they are young … People still have it in their head that a mask doesn’t protect them and that’s all they care about,” Anderson added.

    “We have the ability to know whether people are immune to this disease or not, and that’s our ticket to de-escalating the measures we’re in and getting our economy back on track,” Blaine said.

    “Let’s solve the problem here and then share it with the rest of the world.”

    Read the full article here.

  • Temporary Pandemic Pay Update

    Dear Executive Directors and Admin Leads,

    Please find attached the following update documents on pandemic pay:

    While broad primary care is not included, just a reminder that eligibility of workers does include those primary care team members that are redeployed to the COVID-19 Assessment Centres and other eligible workplaces (i.e. hospitals, long-term care homes, retirement homes).  As noted in the documents:

    • Staff member redeployed from an ineligible employer to an eligible employer (e.g. Family Health Team to hospital) will be paid by the home employer. Funds will be paid to the receiving employer who will provide funds to the home employer, under agreement.

    Eligible workplace employers will not be responsible for paying redeployed workers through their allocations for pandemic pay. Workers’ home employer (the organization from which they were originally deployed, i.e. their FHT or NPLC) will facilitate pandemic pay payments using the records provided by the eligible workplace employer for administration and reconciliation purposes. These records must include the following details for each eligible worker:

    • Number of worker hours eligible for pandemic hourly pay
    • Number of worker hours eligible for lump sum pay
    • Any applicable attestations in support of the above

    Please connect with your eligible workplace employer (hospital, long-term are home, retirement home, or public health unit) for the record template that they are using for reconciliation purposes for any redeployed staff.

    We are seeking clarity on how funds will be deployed to those fully FHT-run Assessment Centres, but you can send an email to MOH.PPInquiries@Ontario.ca for direction in the meantime.  A reminder that temporary pandemic pay is from April 24th to August 13th, 2020.

    If you have specific details or need further clarity you can connect with the Ministry at MOH.PPInquiries@Ontario.ca or contact us at info@afhto.ca. 

  • Bits & Pieces: members win Future Innovator Awards, AFHTO directors needed & more

    Bits & Pieces: members win Future Innovator Awards, AFHTO directors needed & more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • Members win Future Innovator Awards
    • Reminder – nominations to the AFHTO Board of Directors open until July 3, 2020
    • Governance and leadership tools, resources and supports
    • Updated memo from OH, free phone outreach support for older adults and other updates
    • AFHTO’s Submission on Bill 175 – Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act, 2020
    • Discounts for CIHI Education Sessions
    • OCFP seeking Physician Connector
    • Upcoming events regarding shared governance and more

     

     

    Members win Future Innovator Awards

    The Change Foundation’s Future Innovator Awards

    The Change Foundation’s Future Innovator Awards recognizes six people, teams and/or organizations who have a strong vision for positive change for patients and caregivers and have the potential to make notable impact going forward. Members and member-affiliated organizations and individuals were recipients, including:

    Find out more about the awards here.

    Reminder – nominations to the AFHTO Board of Directors open until July 3, 2020

    Are you interested in serving on the AFHTO Board of Directors? The governance committee of AFHTO’s board invites anyone who works within an AFHTO member organization to apply. Priority for the directors to be elected will be given to candidates who are:

    • Interprofessional health care providers (IHPs), especially those working in mental health and addiction;
    • Board members, especially community members in the position of Chair of the Board; or
    • Experienced in finance, including accreditation as a financial professional (e.g. CA, CPA, CMA).

    Deadline is July 3, 2020. Find out more here.

    Governance and leadership tools, resources and supports

    Library

    Recently we reminded you about all the QI resources available on our site. Now we’re doing the same for governance and leadership. We know you’re exposed to so much information every day we thought a refresher would be welcome. Apart from recent examples like the Business Continuity Toolkit, they include tools, resources and training.

    See the list here.

    Updated memo from OH, free phone outreach support for older adults and other updates

    Resources and updates released within the last week include:

    • Update #5_Health System COVID-19 Response-from Matt Anderson, CEO, Ontario Health
    • TALK2NICE- poster and bulletin– free, nationwide over the phone outreach support service connecting older adults and disabled persons with social workers and social work students from the National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly

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

    AFHTO’s Submission on Bill 175 – Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act, 2020

    On June 17 AFHTO presented its submission to the Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly on Bill 175: Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act, 2020. Our key recommendations are:

    1. Delay the passage of Bill 175, Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act, 2020
    2. Embed care coordination in primary care
    3. Supporting the patient’s journey through the health and social system with one patient record

    Read more here.

    Discounts for CIHI education sessions

    AFHTO members may be eligible for Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) Non-Core Plan: Price A education sessions. Potential users can request assessment for eligibility by contacting help@cihi.ca before creating their profile on CIHI’s site.

    OCFP seeking Physician Connector

    In preparation for launching their Mentoring Program for Mental Health, Addictions and Pain, the OCFP is recruiting a Physician Connector. Deadline July 6, 2020.

    Health Care of Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disability during the COVID-19 Pandemic: What Are We Learning and What’s Next? June 23, 2020

    Includes Dr. William F. Sullivan, St. Michael’s Hospital Academic FHT today at noon. Register here.

    Lunch & Learn: Social Prescribing in Research, June 24, 2020

    Hosted by the Alliance for Healthier Communities. Register here.

    Shared Governance: Working together to enable people-centred Integrated Care, June 24, 2020

    Integrated Care Virtual Community session. Find out more here.