Ultimate Blogging Championship

Tag: Access to Care

  • All Hands on Deck to Increase Vaccination Rates for Third Doses

    Message for EDs/Admin Leads, Board Chairs and Lead Clinicians

    Dear Members,

    Last night, the Primary Care Collaborative members were invited to a meeting with Dr. Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Catherine Zahn, Deputy Minister of Health, Ministry of Health representatives and Ontario Health representatives.  Dr. Moore provided an update on Omicron and issued a call to action to primary care to play a significant role in vaccinating people 50+ over the next two weeks.

    Omicron update:

    • 1536 positive COVID cases were reported on Sunday (the largest ever on a Sunday) and 50% of those cases were Omicron.
    • Evidence is now showing that 2 doses of mRNA vaccine does not decrease transmission and there is a need for third shots.
    • Omicron cases seem to be doubling every two days and forecasting shows an ongoing uptick in cases.
    • 3 doses will hopefully protect people 50+ from serious illness or morbidity.

    Response:

    • Province’s goal is to vaccinate 3 million people 50+ in the next two weeks.
    • This is the priority for the health system over the next 2 weeks.
    • The goal is to protect people from serious illness and protect hospital capacity.
    • Dr. Moore has met with PHUs and Hospitals and they were asked to step up vaccination efforts, by extending their hours, adding more clinics, work with primary care to increase availability.
    • There is an adequate supply of vaccine to reach all 3 million people.

    Call to Primary Care:

    • Maintain all essential care (especially urgent and emerging issues), but where available redirect routine care over the next two weeks to deploy staff to assist with vaccination efforts.
    • There was indication that if you incur extraordinary costs, due to this extraordinary situation, there will be a process to get reimbursed for those costs (more information to come on this).
    • If your PHU has does not get in touch with you, please reach out to them to help ensure that all hands are on deck.
    • The HHR crisis was identified as an issue, and it was shared that especially in the north and rural areas, medical and nursing students could be engaged to provide vaccines. Ministry is working on a process for their engagement.  

    There will be more information coming from the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health, hopefully later today or tomorrow. However, we wanted to share this information with you this morning in case you begin to get contacted by your health system partners or PHU to start planning. Dr. Moore shared last night that this is absolutely the most important thing primary care can do in response to the pandemic.

    We will continue to share information with you as we receive it.

     
    Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns,

    Yours in good health,
    The AFHTO Team  

  • 2021 Conference videos and slides

    Pre-Conference Day: Tuesday, October 26, 2021

    Program Component Materials

    Fireside Chat with Enterprise Canada – What You Can Expect in the Provincial Election

     

    Video

    Day 1: Wednesday, October 27, 2021

    Opening Session- Welcome,  Minister’s Address and Bright Lights Awards Ceremony

    		 Video
    Facts vs. Myth: The Realities of Equity in Canadian Healthcare Video

    The Power of Social Media during COVID

    Video

     

    Presentation slides

    Day 2: Thursday, October 28, 2021

    The Opioid Epidemic: The Forgotten Public Health Crisis Video
    Artificial Intelligence and Robots in Primary Care. The Future is Now!

    Video

    Presentation slides
    MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER: The Power of Resilience with Dr. Mamta Gautam

    Video

     

    Presentation slides

  • Inequities in Ontario’s online health card renewal system must be addressed so marginalized people are not left behind

    MEDIA STATEMENT 
    December 7, 2021

    The Alliance for Healthier Communities (Alliance), the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario (AFHTO), the Indigenous Primary Health Care Council (IPHCC), and the Nurse Practitioner-led Clinic Association (NPLCA) call on the government to address the inequities in the online health card renewal system.

    “The ability to renew the Ontario health card online is only available to people who hold a driver’s licence. This needs to change to include those with an Ontario photo card,” says Kavita Mehta, CEO of AFHTO. “There are a number of people who do not or cannot drive, including those with medical conditions. Like those with a licence, they need the same ability to renew online.”

    The Ontario driver’s licence and the Ontario photo card are government-issued cards that show proof of identity and proof of residency, and they are both accepted for in-person renewal. The government does not accept the Ontario photo card for online renewal. 

    “This is concerning at any time, and it is particularly concerning during a pandemic,” says Sarah Hobbs, CEO of the Alliance. “One group that could be disproportionately affected by this practice are people with disabilities. People made more vulnerable by the pandemic, and at higher risk, are also faced with inequitable access to this system. These populations should not be treated differently or be limited to only being able to access in-person ServiceOntario renewals. We call on the government to step up and make the online OHIP renewal system equitable and accessible for all people living in Ontario.”

    Katie Hogue, nurse practitioner and chair of the NPLCA, echoes this concern. “There are many medical circumstances that can prevent people from driving, such as mobility challenges, vision impairment, dementia, and epilepsy. There are also conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, which can keep a person from driving while also making them immunocompromised. The system is not considering these people or their needs.” 

    The CEO of the IPHCC, Caroline Lidstone-Jones notes this concern across the healthcare system. “The pandemic has highlighted inequities in our healthcare system. We must prioritize those who are vulnerable and at-risk. This discrimination is one example of an inequitable system but this one has a quick solution: allow people with a photo card to renew their health card online, the same way those with a driver’s licence can.”

    The associations represent family health teams, community health centres, nurse practitioner-led clinics, Indigenous primary healthcare teams, and other interprofessional models of primary care in Ontario.

    For further information: Beth MacKinnon; 647-234-8605 x1201; beth.mackinnon@afhto.ca

  • Delivery of Patient Care in Ontario’s FHTs during the First Wave of COVID-19

    The Delivery of Patient Care in Ontario’s Family Health Teams during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic, HEALTHCARE POLICY, Vol.17 No.2, 2021

    Abstract

    Objective: The objective of this paper was to identify continuations and changes in care delivery methods in primary care teams during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Design: The study used a cross-sectional, web-based survey comprising close-ended and open-ended questions.

    Setting: The setting comprised family health teams (FHTs) across Ontario, Canada.

    Participants: The participants included executive directors of FHTs or designates of their choosing.

    Survey: Descriptive statistics were derived from responses to close-ended questions, and responses to open-ended questions were coded using thematic analysis.

    Results: With 93 participants, the response rate was 48%. Participants reported the continuation of in-person care, the implementation of virtual care across FHTs and collaboration within these teams and their communities.

    Authors– Rachelle Ashcroft, PhD, Catherine Donnelly, PhD, Sandeep Gill, Maya Dancey, Simon Lam, Dr. Allan K. Grill, and Kavita Mehta

    Relevant Links

     

  • LESS THAN A WEEK to submit a poster abstract

    LESS THAN A WEEK to submit a poster abstract

    Post-Pandemic Primary Care: Respond, Recover, Rebuild

    Submit your poster abstract- deadline August 3, 2021

    Scrabble pieces spelling 'equity'

    We want your insight on these topics:

    -Building sustainable programs for improved access

    -Navigating complex systems to lead effectively

    -Picking the right partners and integrating care around the patient

    -Innovations in digital health, especially for rural and remote communities

    -How to address challenges at the policy and system level

    -Digital equity

    -Indigenous health and creating care that is culturally safe

    -Treating the whole person in the context of their lived experience

    Colleagues from other health care sectors, non-profits, and the academic community will join, all eager to hear about these and more in our 5 core themes. The deadline to submit for an #AFHTO2021 presentation is August 3, 2021.

    Helpful links:

    All are welcome. Please pass this along to your peers, colleagues and network including those from other healthcare sectors, non-profits, and the academic and research communities.

    Nominate a partner for a Board award

    For the first time ever, the AFHTO board invites all members to help them select the recipient of a Board award.

    Submit a nomination online for the Board Award category by August 20, 2021.

    Find out more about the criteria here. You can find the nomination template here.

    Other related updates: We’re currently in discussions with potential sponsors for AFHTO’s “Bright Lights” Awards, which recognize AFHTO members’ leadership, outstanding work and the significant progress being made to improve the value interprofessional primary care teams across Ontario deliver. Nominations will open soon, but members can get started by taking these things into consideration.

    For more information, you can contact us by phone (647-234-8605 x1200) or e-mail (info@afhto.ca).

  • Bits & Pieces: member stories, virtual CBT and more

    Bits & Pieces: member stories, virtual CBT and more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • Reminder – virtual CBT for insomnia webinar today
    • Member stories
    • Primary Care Vaccination QI Support CoP
    • Updated screening form, aggregate vaccination reports and more
    • PTSD, Relationships & Accessible Support slides and video
    • 800 O2 sat monitors remaining- deadline for ordering extended
    • Support to implement large scale improvement initiatives- EXTRA call for applications
    • Upcoming events regarding aggregate primary care vaccination report and more

     

    Reminder – virtual CBT for insomnia webinar today

    In this webinar co-hosted with Queen’s FHT, we will review the first line treatment for chronic insomnia and describe its components. They will also explore how to set up and run a virtual group program in and interprofessional team setting. Get more details and register here.

    Elliott Lake FHT clinician in PPE administering their 10000th dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to a masked man sitting down

     

     

    Member stories

    Couchiching FHT– Orillia doc ‘thrilled’ to be named Family Physician of the Year

    Elliott Lake FHT– 10,000 dose milestone

    Thames Valley FHT – Final buzzer sounds on London’s rink-turned-COVID-centre as cases drop

    Upper Grand FHT– wrapping up drive-through vaccination clinics

     

     

     

     

    Primary Care Vaccination QI Support CoP

    There has been a lot of interest in the aggregate primary care vaccination reports, and we know there are a lot of questions. Apart from the information sessions, you can get answers in the Primary Care Vaccination QI Support CoP, an Ontario Health CoP on Quorum.

    Updated screening form, aggregate vaccination reports and more

    Recent updates include:

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

    PTSD webinar title slide with image of a forest surrounding a lake with mountains in the background

     

    PTSD, Relationships & Accessible Support slides and video

    On July 14 we held a webinar co-hosted with Couple HOPES discussing PTSD and relationships with Dr. Candice Monson, Professor of Psychology at Ryerson University, Director of the IMPACT psychology research lab, and Registered Clinical Psychologist. Slides and video are now available here.

    800 O2 sat monitors remaining- deadline for ordering extended

    Only 5% of the original stock of oxygen saturation monitors are left. With some monitors remaining, Ontario Health is extending the deadline for ordering. Primary care providers can benefit from having oxygen saturation monitors in their practice for patients being monitored with COVID-19, or other serious respiratory conditions such as COPD. To place an order for a free monitor complete this form. Orders will be fulfilled while supplies last over the next two weeks. Contact OH_COVIDatHome@ontariohealth.ca for more information. Learn more on how to monitor patients with COVID-19.

    Support to implement large scale improvement initiatives- EXTRA call for applications

    Per Healthcare Excellence Canada:
    EXTRA is a program that supports teams of health leaders to implement large scale improvement initiatives. The teams are networked with others across the country, receive content from Canadian and international experts, and are supported throughout the 16-month program by QI coaches. Several teams from Ontario have participated in the past. In the 2019 cohort, a team from Michael Garron Hospital, VHA Home Health and Woodgreen Community Services led a project to deliver acute care at home to people with COPD for example.

    As we slowly emerge from the pandemic, you may be looking to solidify some of the practices you put in place to deal with the public health emergency or implement some improvement initiatives you weren’t able to get to. You can also partner with other organizations on an improvement project. The EXTRA program will support all these efforts.

    You can find more info on the EXTRA program and the application process in the Call for Applications here or by visiting the Healthcare Excellence Canada’s website.

    While the deadline for applications was July 15th, the EXTRA team is willing to extend it, should anyone express an interest in the coming few weeks. You can also reach out directly to Genevieve Martin at Healthcare Excellence Canada at EXTRA-FORCES@hec-esc.ca.

    Aggregate Primary Care Vaccination Report Info Sessions, July 21-29, 2021
    Hosted by Public Health Ontario. At times, primary care providers have felt detached from COVID-19 vaccine rollouts. To support primary care involvement, this session will summarize key enablers that led the Waterloo Region to achieve the highest total vaccine output through primary care across Ontario. Find out more here.

    Data Package and Data Supports Information Session, July 22, 2021

    Part of the “OHT Virtual Engagement Series”, supported by the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health. Find out more here.

    Applying the Ontario Health Asthma Quality Standards for Children and Adolescents in your practice, August 12, 2021
    Hosted by Ontario Health and the Lung Health Foundation. Find out more here.

    Pandemic Recovery and Chronic Disease Management: Primary Care for Adults with Asthma, August 19, 2021
    Hosted by Ontario Health and the Lung Health Foundation. Find out more here.

  • Aggregate Primary Care Vaccination Reports for Family Physicians

    Dear Triad Members,

    Yesterday Ontario Health (OH) released a memo about accessing the COVaxON Aggregate Primary Care Vaccination Reports for family physicians working in a Patient Enrolment Model (PEM) of your rostered patients who have been vaccinated.

    A reminder that you do need a ONE® ID account to access the report – instructions on how to register for an account can be found in the memo. OH will also be hosting a number of information sessions and physicians, administration and QIDSS are encouraged to attend to learn how you can access the reports and other useful information.

    We know that the report leaves fee-for-service, CHC family physicians and Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics without this important information and solutions are being sought for you to receive similar information. We have also heard that many BSM (blended salary model) physicians in cFHTs are able to access the reports, but please let us know if that is not the case.
     
    With about 20% of eligible Ontarians currently unvaccinated, and a higher percentage in the youth population (ages 12-17), the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health are asking for our help with outreach to unvaccinated patients – and specifically to youth and families to encourage their vaccination before the school year. Primary care has trusted relationships with patients, and we know they can play a key role in supporting their vaccination decisions.
     
    An FAQ has been created in partnership with the Ontario Medical Association, OMA Section on General and Family Practice, OntarioMD, Ontario Health and the Ontario College of Family Physicians, and provides information on:

    • what data you will receive;
    • how to use the report and identify which of your enrolled patients have not yet been vaccinated;
    • billing information; and
    • supports available – including upcoming webinars and template scripts for outreach.

    We know that you are all working very hard in looking after your patients and your community, and we recognize the many demands on primary care, from assessment centres to vaccination to increased demands in caring for even sicker patients.  

    We know how hard primary care worked to get as many #NeedlesInArms over the last few months and the tremendous amount of work that goes into counselling and educating your patients before vaccinating. Thank you for all your incredible work and please let us know if you have any questions.

    Yours in good health,
    The AFHTO Team

  • Bits & Pieces: conference call for volunteers, guidance for vaccinated people and more

    Bits & Pieces: conference call for volunteers, guidance for vaccinated people and more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • AFHTO 2021 Conference: create YOUR virtual conference. Sign up by July 8
    • Guidance for vaccinated people, aggregate primary care vaccination report and more
    • Space available in HPCO Virtual Compassion Care Community Centre programs
    • Evaluation of online tool for occupational hand dermatitis
    • Shaping PSHSA 2021-24 strategic plan
    • OLTCA invitation to submit an abstract
    • Upcoming events regarding PTSD, Relationships & Accessible Support and more

     

    Post-Pandemic Primary Care: Respond, Recover, Rebuild

    AFHTO 2021 Conference: create YOUR virtual conference. Sign up by July 8

    You can make an impact 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. Find out about our themes and sign up by July 8! Call for poster abstracts also coming soon.

    Guidance for vaccinated people, aggregate primary care vaccination report and more

    Recent updates include:

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

    Space available in HPCO Virtual Compassion Care Community Centre programs

    Recognizing the need for virtual support for seniors, caregivers, hospice volunteers and people isolated at home, Hospice Palliative Care Ontario’s Virtual Compassion Care Community Center (VCCCC) delivers free education and support programs and activities through both virtual and telephone options. The goal is to provide a safe, comfortable, and interactive setting to encourage social support and connections.

    They have the capacity to accept new participants and collaborate with other partners to reach a wide array of participants that might require this service. A few programs include the Grief Support Group, Advance Care Planning education, and the Caregiving for Serious Illness and End-of-Life series. Visit the VCCCC for a detailed list of all the programs. If you have any questions, please contact Tomilola John at tomilola.john@hpco.ca or Bolaji Idowu at bolaji.idowu@hpco.ca.

    Evaluation of online tool for occupational hand dermatitis

    Healthcare workers have many potential hazards in your workplace that can affect your skin and cause skin disease. The Centre for Research Expertise in Occupational Disease (CRE-OD) and Public Services Health & Safety Association (PSHSA) are looking for healthcare workers to participate in an online research study evaluating an online learning module for occupational hand dermatitis. For more information visit their site.

    Shaping PSHSA 2021-24 strategic plan

    Public Services Health & Safety Association (PSHSA) is seeking insight as they develop their 2021-24 Strategic Plan. In particular, they have two important questions:

    • What lessons have you learned through COVID-19 about making, and keeping, health and safety a priority?   And reflecting on those lessons:
    • How do you think your approach to injury and illness prevention will change going forward?

    You can access their survey here until July 6, 2021.

    OLTCA invitation to submit an abstract

    Taking place October 26 & 27, the Ontario Long Term Care Association’s (OLTCA) This is Long Term Care 2021 Virtual Conference: Disruptive Impact & Transformative Change seeks to highlight emerging opportunities, research, and innovations that have arisen during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can submit an abstract or learn more here. Deadline July 12.

    PTSD, Relationships & Accessible Support, July 14, 2021

    Co-hosted with Couple HOPES, join this webinar with Dr. Candice Monson, Professor of Psychology at Ryerson University, Director of the IMPACT psychology research lab, and Registered Clinical Psychologist as she discusses PTSD and relationships.
    Register here.

    Primary Care Vaccination QI Support CoP,  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 for Ontario Family Physicians, July 9, 2021
    Hosted by the Family and Community Medicine Department at the University of Toronto and the OCFP. Register here.

    ECHO Ontario Child and Youth Mental Health (CYMH) at CHEO, September 7, 2021 – February 15, 2022
    Learn how ECHO Ontario Child and Youth Mental Health (CYMH) at CHEO can help you better care for children and youth. Limited spots available. Find out more here.

  • Aggregate Primary Care Vaccination Report, Provincial Antigen Screening Program and Last Chance to Order Oxygen Saturation Monitors

    Dear Triad Members,

    Please see below for some important information from Ontario Health.

    Aggregate Primary Care Vaccination Report
    Together with their stakeholders, Ontario Health will be providing family physicians with a new report to help you identify patients in your panel that have received a COVID-19 vaccine. Additional supports will help you to identify who in your practice has not yet been vaccinated.

    This Aggregate Primary Care Vaccination Report will be available for all primary care providers who practice as part of a patient enrollment model (FHO, FHG, FHN, or CCM).  A OneID account is required to access the report. Please see the attached memo from Ontario Health about this important initiative. This report is not yet available to NPLCs and CHCs and we are seeking clarity for the BSM model as well.  

    Just a reminder that Health Report Manager (HRM) has been pushing data prospectively to primary care providers 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.

    COVID vaccination data is 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.

    Provincial Antigen Screening Program
    Led by the Ministry of Health, with support from partner ministries, Public Health Ontario and Ontario Health, the Provincial Antigen Screening Program (PASP) provides free rapid antigen test kits to any organization that is open and requires individuals to be on-site, including primary care practices. The PASP allows employers in priority settings to add an additional safety measure in high-risk and essential workplaces, to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

    Through the program, rapid antigen point-of-care tests (POCTs) can be distributed to primary care settings to enhance existing routine screening measures for asymptomatic employees and other identified groups. Please see attached memo for more information about the PASP and how you can order test kits for your clinics.

    Oxygen saturation of COVID home monitoring
    The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unexpected surges in demand on the provincial healthcare system, and healthcare settings across the province face patient capacity constraints, potentially affecting care for all patients. To help ease these constraints, Ontario Health is providing tools and resources for COVID@Home to help primary care providers who wish to remotely monitor people who have mild to moderate COVID-19 in the community.

    Oxygen saturation monitors are still available to be ordered by primary care clinics and interprofessional primary care team offices through the provincial pandemic stockpile until June 30th. Thank you to all the teams that are also participating in the COVID@Home or other programs that support patients with mild to moderate in their homes – if you are interested in the clinical pathways to help support the development of a program in your team please click here.

    As always please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

    Yours in good health,
    The AFHTO Team

  • 2021 Conference Themes

    2021 Conference Themes

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