Ultimate Blogging Championship

Tag: COVID-19

  • COVID-19 Outbreak Has Likely Peaked in Ontario

    Ontario News Release

    Modelling shows physical distancing still needed to prevent further spread

    TORONTO — The Ontario government today released updated COVID-19 modelling, which shows that the enhanced public health measures, including staying home and physically distancing from each other, are working to contain the spread of the virus and flatten the curve. However, the Chief Medical Officer of Health says emergency measures must remain in place to continue reducing the number of cases and deaths.

    “The modelling clearly demonstrates that we are making progress in our fight against this deadly virus. That’s due to the actions of all Ontarians, those who are staying home and practising physical distancing, and to the heroic efforts of our frontline health care workers,” said Premier Doug Ford. “But COVID-19 continues to be a clear and present danger, especially to our seniors and most vulnerable citizens. That is why we must continue to follow the advice of our Chief Medical Officer of Health and stay the course in order to keep people safe and healthy.”

    Key highlights from the modelling update include:

    • The wave of new community spread cases of COVID-19 in Ontario appears to have peaked.
    • Outbreaks in long-term care and congregate settings continue to be a major concern. Concerted actions are underway to protect vulnerable people in these settings.
    • Ontario is now trending toward a best case scenario rather than a worst case scenario and has significantly improved its standing as compared to March modelling.
    • The province has avoided a significant surge in cases. Total cumulative cases are forecast to be substantially lower than worst case or even moderate case scenarios projected by previous models.
    • While several hundred new cases are identified daily in Ontario, hospitals across the province have not been overwhelmed by the COVID-19 outbreak as a result of capacity planning and the public health measures currently in place. The rate of growth day-over-day is declining.
    • To further reduce the number of cases and deaths, it remains critical that Ontarians continue to adhere to public health measures, including staying home and practicing physical distancing if they must go out for essential reasons only.

    ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

  • An Open Letter from AFHTO, NPAO and the OCFP on PPE in Primary Care During COVID-19

    An Open Letter from AFHTO, NPAO and the OCFP on PPE in Primary Care During COVID-19

    April 15, 2020

    An open letter regarding PPE in Primary Care during COVID-19 was released today from the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario (AFHTO), Nurse Practitioners’ Association of Ontario (NPAO) and the Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP). On behalf of our members – who are caring for patients in communities across Ontario in the midst of COVID-19 – we are seeking urgent assistance from Ontario’s Ministry of Health in ensuring access to appropriate PPE in order to safeguard patient access to primary care.

    Ontarians should not feel reluctant to visit their clinicians who can take the precautions necessary for that visit, and our members are working tirelessly to keep primary care open and operating – despite PPE shortages.

    However, we are quickly reaching a breaking point in primary care. Without the needed PPE to keep everyone in our medical offices and clinics safe, some will be forced to close their doors to in-person care. This may prompt some patients to go to the ER for in-person care, or worse, not seek care at all.

    We are recommending that the Ontario Ministry of Health immediately streamline the procurement of PPE through one central source for distribution to primary care through Ontario Health/regions and not leave primary care clinics to have to find PPE on their own.

    Read the full letter here.

  • Bits & Pieces: how Lakelands FHT handled COVID-19, Business Continuity Toolkit now available & more

    Bits & Pieces: how Lakelands FHT handled COVID-19, Business Continuity Toolkit now available & more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • How Lakelands FHT handled a positive COVID-19 result at their clinic
    • COVID-19 provincial testing guidance update and more
    • Business continuity toolkit for COVID-19 now available
    • Advance Care Planning Day (April 16): Approach to Goals of Care Conversations
    • Member renewal payments- accepting payments via Interac and EFT
    • Update on the 2020/21 QIP submission deadline
    • Upcoming events including CMHA Ontario and Mental Health Works Webinars – In response to COVID-19 pandemic

    How Lakelands FHT handled a positive COVID-19 result at their clinic
    “In late March, Lakelands FHT discovered that there was a positive case at our Northbrook site. That resulted in the immediate closure of our building.

    We all had to go home and finish 14-day periods of self-isolation. To our surprise, this meant having to distance ourselves from our own families, which was very difficult.”– Dr. Matt Dumas, Lead Physician, Lakelands FHT

    Find out more on our site.

    COVID-19 provincial testing guidance update and more
    The Ministry released a COVID-19 provincial testing guidance update as of Apr. 8. Also last week, we created a page Providing Comprehensive Care During COVID-19 which includes resources related to COVID-19 for providing comprehensive primary care.

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

    We’ll update these on a regular basis as we receive relevant resources, while trying to reduce duplication with other sources. We will continue to update the news page daily.

    Business continuity toolkit for COVID-19

     

    Business continuity toolkit for COVID-19 now available

    On Thursday, April 9 we launched our business continuity toolkit, developed to help our teams plan for and adapt to the disruption of COVID-19. It can potentially be used for future pandemic disruptions as well.

    Within the toolkit you will find tools and resources to help develop a plan for your own organization. A reminder to check the AFHTO website for templates your colleagues have developed if you are looking for tools you can adapt. Please also send us any materials you are developing so we can share with your colleagues as well.

     

     

     

    Advance Care Planning Day (April 16): Approach to Goals of Care Conversations
    Health can change without warning. That is more evident than ever in the COVID-19 reality.
    We all need to help patients, their families and our health care providers have conversations that will lead to the care people need and want, reflecting their values and wishes.

    HPCO, in collaboration with Speak Up Ontario, has been hosting a series of Physician Forums around goals of care and advance care planning for healthy and high-risk patients. Last week they hosted a Physician Forum entitled, “Conversations with your Patients during COVID Pandemic”. You can access all recordings (both past and present) using this link.

    On National Advance Care Planning Day (April 16th) they will be co-hosting a Palliative Care and COVID-19 Forum on Approach to Goals of Care Conversations with the Ontario Medical Association from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Your feedback on the forum and recommendations for future webinar topics that you would like to see covered are welcome here.

    Member renewal payments- accepting payments via Interac and EFT
    As we mentioned several weeks ago, we understand members are focused on COVID-19 right now. Last week Ontario extended the state of emergency until April 23 and our building remains closed. If you plan to pay by cheque, please continue to hold.

    However, we can still accept payments via Interac and EFT. We’ll provide another update as soon as we’re able to do so. Please contact info@afhto.ca for further information.

    Update on the 2020/21 QIP submission deadline
    Ontario Health (Quality) has decided to pause the 2020/21 QIP submission for now to allow organizations to focus their efforts on supporting their staff, their health care providers, and their communities to manage the treatment and containment of COVID-19.

    If your QIP is near completion and you would like to submit, please proceed, as the QIP Navigator will remain open. They will continue to monitor this situation closely and will provide an update by the end of June. Please contact QIP@hqontario.ca if you have any questions or concerns.

    CMHA Ontario and Mental Health Works Webinars – In response to COVID-19 pandemic, April 15-21, 2020
    For health care professionals and workers: with topics relevant to both hospitals and clinics, as well as telehealth professionals and those who work to support patient outcomes, such as custodial staff, security professionals, and administrators.

    1.    Mental Health for Telehealth –April 15, 6-7 pm
    2.    Mental Health for Support Staff: Taking Care of Yourself – April 17, 6-7 pm

    General Workplace Supports:
    3.  Being Mindful at Work (office and from home) –April 17, 10 – 11 AM; (FR) April 22, 1 pm
    4.  Isolation and Loneliness – April 21, 12 – 1 pm

    ECHO Coping with COVID, April 15 & 17, 2020
    These weekly webinars are for healthcare providers responding to the COVID-19 pandemic to share and learn about ways to build resilience and overall wellness. Learn more here.

    Understanding Bronchiectasis Webinar, April 21, 2020
    Learn more about this neglected pulmonary disease. By the end of this webinar, you will be able to help patients self-manage the disease and avoid the acquisition of nontuberculosis mycobacteria. Find out more here

    The COVID-19 Pivots: April 15 & 16, 2020
    Jon the upcoming CFPC COVID-19 Pivot webinars: Le virage COVID-19 : Adapter la pratique de médecine de famille aux soins virtuels on April 15, and Examining public health campaigns in the pandemic battle on April 16. Find the webinar links here.

    Person-Centered Decision-Making Conversations Webinar, April 16, 2020
    Gain awareness for Person-Centred Decision Making (PCDM) components and more with the Palliative Care CoP.  Find out more here

    When Video Isn’t an Option: Counselling via E-mail Chat and Phone, April 20, 2020
    Learn how to maximize your text and phone-based counselling methods in this online training, hosted by the OASW. Learn more here.

  • How Lakelands FHT Handled a Positive COVID-19 Result At Their Clinic

    As told by Dr. Matt Dumas, Lead Physician, Lakelands FHT*

    In late March, Lakelands FHT discovered that there was a positive case at our Northbrook site. That resulted in the immediate closure of our building. We all had to go home and finish 14 day periods of self-isolation. To our surprise, this meant having to distance ourselves from our own families, which was very difficult.

    The day that we realized we would have to close our building, we decided to build a clinic without walls. We accomplished this by creating an email account for patients to contact us and posted this on our website and Facebook pages. Our 3 physicians and 2 NPs were able to remotely access the PSS EMR and fax prescriptions from our own homes. Our super RN/IT expert also had remote access and provided critical support. We were able to create schedules for ourselves and call patients from our homes by turning off the Caller ID’s on our phones. Our Mental Health Social Worker was able to call the patients in her schedule as well.

    The Lead Physician monitored the email daily and transferred the emails to the appropriate provider for action. Once the emails were completed, they were moved to a separate folder and our RN copy/pasted the emails into the patient’s chart before deleting them from the email entirely, limiting the amount of time that personal information was kept in cyberspace. With this system, we were able to respond to over 20 patient emails per day, as well as call the patients that were scheduled previously. This made for busy days, and it was a relief to sign out of the email every day at 4:30!

    We were discouraged that we couldn’t answer the phones at our clinic while we were shutdown, but we were able to respond to patient requests in ways that we had not done before: by answering emails to patients or calling them directly from our homes. This was an evolution from the days of paper charting.

    We also created call lists of all of our patients who are above the age of 70 and had our NPs call them to ask how they were doing, find out if they had any needs, and to remind them of the importance of physical distancing, which the vast majority of our patients were already following.

    With the advice of KFLA Public Health we have reopened the clinic. We have separated our staff at the Denbigh and Northbrook sites so that if there is another shutdown, the phone can be forwarded to the site that is still open, and the providers can work from home as before.

    *In the first version of this post, Janice Powell, Executive Director, was listed as the source. It has now been updated to reflect Dr. Matt Dumas’s contribution.

  • Business Continuity Toolkit, Governance During COVID-19 and more

    This email was sent to EDs/Administrative Leads, Board Chairs and Lead Clinicians of AFHTO member organizations.
     
    Dear triad members,

    Hope you are all staying well and healthy during these very challenging times.

    There have been some new tools/resources and updates we wanted to share with you that you may find helpful:

    • AFHTO’s Business Continuity Toolkit – we have developed this toolkit to help our teams plan for and adapt to the disruption of COVID-19 and it potentially can be used for future pandemic disruptions. Within the document you will find a number of tools and resources to help develop a plan for your own organization. A reminder to check the AFHTO website for templates your colleagues have developed if you are looking for tools you can adapt. Please also send us any materials you are developing so we can share with your colleagues as well.
    • FHT/NPLC Governance During COVID-19 – Frequently Asked Questions developed by Kathy O’Brien of DDO Health Law. We know many of you are starting to think about year end and how to govern during a pandemic emergency, including how to conduct things like virtual annual general meetings. Kathy has provided some answers to the most pressing concerns and we will continue to provide more information as we receive it.
    • Update #1: Health System COVID-19 Pandemic Response – letter from Matt Anderson, CEO of Ontario Health, which will be sent regularly to provide updates on the work of the pandemic response teams across the province. AFHTO now sits at the weekly COVID-19 Stakeholder Table which now provides an opportunity to articulate the ongoing concerns and challenges being faced by primary care to the Ministry and Ontario Health directly.  
    • The release of two Guidance documents from the Ministry’s Emergency Operations Centre including the Provincial Testing Guidance Update which speaks to increased laboratory testing capacity and Cyber Security Advisory for Zoom conferencing software.
    • Just a reminder that we have a COVID-19 section on the website that hosts tools and resources you may need, including policies and procedures from your colleagues that you may find helpful in adapting for your organization, as well as the daily Ministry Situation Reports. We have also included a new tab Providing Comprehensive Care During COVID-19 which includes resources related to COVID-19 for providing comprehensive primary care – this will be updated as resources become available.

     
    Stay well, and please contact us any time. We’re here to support you through this.
     
    Sincerely,
    Your AFHTO Team

  • Bits & Pieces: update re PPE surveys, assessment centres, Zoom bombers & more

    Bits & Pieces: update re PPE surveys, assessment centres, Zoom bombers & more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • Update on daily PPE surveys
    • COVID-19 assessment centres and more
    • COVID-19 in Ontario- what do the models show for our future?
    • Members’ stories
    • How to keep uninvited guests out of Zoom meetings and webinars
    • Updated message from Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario)
    • Complimentary access to online workouts for GoodLife members
    • Upcoming events including CMHA Ontario and Mental Health Works Webinars – In response to COVID-19 pandemic

    Daily PPE surveys

    On Friday, April 3 the Ministry’s Emergency Operations Centre (MEOC) updated their request for daily PPE surveys. Our follow up email sent Mar. 30 remains accurate; however, in addition:

    This survey from the Ministry comes through a Minister’s Order and, as such, is mandatory.

    COVID-19 assessment centres and more
    As of last week, we have created a page with a list of COVID-19 assessment centres across Ontario. This list is sent to us daily by the Ministry and will only be found on the members only section of the website per their request to not make this public.

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

    We’ll update these on a regular basis as we receive relevant resources, while trying to reduce duplication with other sources. We will continue to update the news page daily.

    ON ICU capacity for COVID-19

     

    COVID-19 in Ontario- what do the models show for our future?

    On Friday, April 3 the Ontario government released extensive COVID-19 modelling, revealing several scenarios that project the potential number of cases and deaths. Find out about possible scenarios.

     

     

    Members’ stories
    McMaster FHT – “Dr. Cathy Risdon sent her staff a sombre email: Use this time to get your affairs in order”

    Ottawa Valley FHT– Neilcorp donation buys protective equipment for Ottawa Valley Family Health Team

    Prince Edward FHT– County’s COVID-19 assessment centre by appointment only

    Peterborough FHT – Peterborough Family Health Team still providing needed services

    Rapids FHT – “We’re still trying to keep people out of the emergency rooms unnecessarily.”

    How to keep uninvited guests out of Zoom meetings and webinars
    With the switch to virtual care many AFHTO teams have started to use Zoom for team meetings or patient care and in the past few days, you may have heard of or experienced “Zoom-bombing”. Given these recent concerns we have compiled a few tips and tricks suggested by Zoom on how you can keep uninvited guests out of your Zoom meetings and webinars.

    Updated message from Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario)
    Last week Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) recommended that all routine cancer screening tests be delayed. This includes screening for colorectal cancer with the fecal immunochemical test (FIT).

    Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) recommends follow-up procedures continue for people with abnormal cancer screening results that are highly suspicious for cancer, including abnormal FIT results; however, please be aware that the feasibility of follow-up procedures during the pandemic will depend on the resources available at each hospital or facility.

    If you have any questions about cancer screening during the pandemic, please contact screenforlife@cancercare.on.ca (updated).

    Complimentary access to online workouts for GoodLife members
    GoodLife informed us all memberships have been put on hold and all associated payments were stopped Tuesday, March 17th. Corporate members who have purchased a Paid-in-Full annual membership will receive an extension to their current expiry date reflective of the total time their clubs remain closed.

    In an effort to support their members during this challenging time, they offer complimentary access to online workouts. This includes over 100 at-home workouts that are available for FREE throughout the duration of their closure. All active GoodLife members would be required to log on to the GoodLife member website with their own credentials in order to access the workouts.

    CMHA Ontario and Mental Health Works Webinars – In response to COVID-19 pandemic, April 8-21, 2020
    For health care professionals and workers: with topics relevant to both hospitals and clinics, as well as telehealth professionals and those who work to support patient outcomes, such as custodial staff, security professionals, and administrators.

    1.    Mental Health for Telehealth –April 15, 6-7 pm
    2.    Mental Health for Support Staff: Taking Care of Yourself – April 17, 6-7 pm

    Essential Workplace Staff Webinars:
    3.    Mental health at work for frontline staff (Part 1) April 7, 6 – 7 pm; (Part 2) April 9, 7 – 8 pm

    General Workplace Supports:
    4.    Health and Anxiety –April 9, 12 – 1 pm
    5.    Being Mindful at Work (office and from home) – April 10, 1 – 2 pm; April 17, 10 – 11 AM; (FR) April 22, 1 pm
    6.    Stress and Anxiety –(FR) April 8, 1 PM;  April 14, 3 – 4 pm
    7.    Isolation and Loneliness – April 21, 12 – 1 pm

    The COVID-19 Pivot: The Clinical Presentation of COVID-19 Infections and Course of Illness, April 9, 2020
    Join the CFPC’s webinar featuring Dr. Jared Bullard and Dr. Naheed Dosani. Click here for the YouTube livestream link.

    Fundamental Ethical and Practical Considerations in Video Counselling, April 9, 2020
    Hosted by OASW, members can access each training for $30 and non-members for $50. Register here.

    Understanding Bronchiectasis Webinar, April 21, 2020
    Learn more about this neglected pulmonary disease. By the end of this webinar, you will be able to help patients self-manage the disease and avoid the acquisition of nontuberculosis mycobacteria. Find out more here

  • COVID-19 in Ontario- What Do the Models Show for Our Future?

    Ontario News Release

    Projected number of cases and deaths can be significantly reduced if people stay home

    TORONTO – Today, the Ontario government released extensive COVID-19 modelling, revealing several scenarios that project the potential number of cases and deaths. In doing so, the province is providing the public with full transparency about the consequences should everyone but non-essential workers fail to stay home and practise physical distancing.

    “The models show that the potential to spread COVID-19 is massive and deadly if we don’t act swiftly to stay home and practise physical distancing,” said Premier Ford. “We owe it to our frontline and essential workers, to our family, friends and neighbours to restrict our travel, and act responsibly. This is the only way we are going to minimize the risk to people, stop the spread and reduce the number of fatalities.”

    Key highlights from the modelling include:

    • While COVID-19 impacts Ontarians of all ages, those over the age of 60 face higher risk of severe disease leading to higher mortality rates. The data demonstrates the need to focus public health measures on protecting seniors.
    • Had Ontario taken no action, the impact of COVID-19 would have risen to an estimated 300,000 cases and an estimated death toll of 6,000 people.
    • Due to timely public health measures, Ontario has avoided much more dire impacts, preventing an estimated 220,000 cases and 4,400 deaths to date.
    • Over the course of the pandemic, between 3,000 and 15,000 deaths related to COVID-19 are predicted with current public health measures in place, compared to a total projected 100,000 deaths if no action were taken.
    • By taking further measures, Ontario can further reduce the number of cases and deaths related to COVID-19 down to projections as low as 12,500 additional cases and 200 additional deaths by the end of April.

    QUICK FACTS

    • Ontario has launched a new user-friendly online portal for the public to easily access their COVID-19 lab test results. By offering faster and secure access to test results on their computer or mobile device, this portal will help ease pressures on public health units and frontline workers to provide this information so that they can better focus on containing COVID-19.
    • On March 30, 2020, Dr. Williams issued a statement to strongly encourage Ontarians to stay home, limit the number of essential trips and adhere to physical distancing.
    • If you think you may have COVID-19 symptoms or have been in close contact with someone who has it, first self-isolate and then use Ontario’s Self-Assessment Tool to see if you need to seek further care.
    • Take these everyday steps to reduce exposure to COVID-19 and protect your health: Wash your hands often with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer; Sneeze and cough into your sleeve; Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth; Avoid contact with people who are sick; and stay home if you are sick.

    ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

     

  • Follow-Up from March 27th webinar, Qs and As from the Ministry and Clarity on PPE Questions from MEOC

    This email was sent to EDs/Administrative Leads, Board Chairs and Lead Clinicians of AFHTO member organizations.  

    Dear triad members,

    Thank you to all the executive directors who were able to join our regional calls earlier this week. We were pleased to hear how well many of you are doing, and to hear how we can continue to support you.

    This email is a follow-up to provide the information promised during the calls.

    • It sounds like teams are providing over 90% of care virtually with approximately 80% to 85% of their staff working remotely, so teams are exploring different tools for providing this care. We’ve now posted more information about virtual care that may help. This includes apps and programs that can be used, as well as how to set up call display when calling patients.
    • We’ve also put together information we’ve received from the ministry’s Emergency Operations Centre to help with PPE questions regarding asymptomatic patients and providers, the use of homemade masks, and the PPE survey. You can see it here.
    • We hosted a webinar on March 27 with Maria McDonald (McDonald HR Law) and Kate Dewhirst (Kate Dewhirst Health Law) called “Human resources, privacy, and risk management during the COVID-19 pandemic: What do you need to know?” There were several questions we committed to follow-up on. The answers to those questions and the webinar recording are here.
    • From the March 27 webinar and the ED regional calls this week, there were also questions for the ministry. The answers can be found here. If you have additional questions, please let us know or connect with your ministry consultant.

    Just a reminder that we have a COVID-19 section that hosts tools and resources you may need, including policies and procedures from your colleagues that you may find helpful in adapting for your site. We’ll continue to keep you updated, and we’ll reach out soon to arrange another round of check-in calls to happen in about 2-3 weeks’ time.

    Stay well, and please contact us any time. We’re here to support you through this.

    Sincerely,
    Your AFHTO Team

  • COVID-19 Health System Response Structure

    To:          Health System Partners

    From:    Matthew Anderson, President and CEO

    Re           COVID-19 Health System Response Structure

    Please see attached our Health System Response structure designed to meet the increasing demands of the COVID-19 pandemic. Key elements are being addressed by a province-wide health system oversight table with:

    • Patient and family advisors, led by Mary Beaucage
    • Data and analytics, led by Rachel Solomon of The Hospital for Sick Children
    • Supply chain, led by Mike Nader of Ontario Health
    • Critical care, led by Kevin Smith of the University Health Network (UHN) and Jennifer Gibson of the University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics
    • Communications, led by Gillian Howard of UHN
    • Human resources, led by Michelle DiEmanuele of Trillium Health Partners
    • Diagnostic capacity, led by David Hallett, who has just joined Ontario Health to lend his expertise in this area
    • Emergency care, led by Dr. Howard Ovens of Mount Sinai Hospital
    • System planning and implementations, led by Catherine Brown from Ontario Health

    This structure enables the development of consistent provincial plans and actions that are nimble, relevant, and adaptable for Ontario’s different regions.

    This work is also supported by our five existing COVID-19 Regional Steering Committees and led by our Transitional Regional Leads and a hospital CEO. These committees are advising and adapting plans and putting them into action at the local level with their local partners. They also provide a feedback loop for critical regional system intelligence that informs our health system oversight work and province-wide decision-making.

    Finally, all of this is tightly coordinated through an Ontario Health Secretariat which is providing support for the entire structure, ensuring that decision-making and communications are timely and that priority actions are taken.

    Matt

    Ontario Health

  • Bits & Pieces: daily PPE surveys, updated COVID-19 case definitions & more

    Bits & Pieces: daily PPE surveys, updated COVID-19 case definitions & more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • Daily PPE surveys
    • Updated COVID-19 case definitions and more
    • HR, privacy and risk management slides and video
    • Do you know any heroes of COVID-19?
    • EMR CoP transition to OntarioMD
    • Advance care planning & goals of e-learning modules- deadline today to register for free
    • Primary care virtual community – April 2- primary care leading through challenging times
    • Message from Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario)
    • Upcoming events including CMHA Ontario and Mental Health Works Webinars – In response to COVID-19 pandemic

    Daily PPE surveys
    Yesterday the Ministry’s Emergency Operations Centre (MEOC) sent out an email asking healthcare providers to fill out daily PPE surveys online. This falls under the Minister’s Order on Personal Protective Equipment Data Collection. There were some questions if primary care falls under this and today MEOC sent out the following:

    • We understand there is some confusion over whether organizations are captured under the term “All centres, programs or services for community health or mental health whose primary purpose is the provision of health care”
      • This term should be interpreted broadly, as the intention is to gather information respecting availability of PPE across the province in order to address vulnerabilities in health service provider PPE supply
      • To confirm, the scope of this request includes public health units and primary care providers

    We sent a follow up email yesterday to EDs, Lead clinicians, and board chairs with the link and relevant password.

    The survey will open at 8am each morning, and close at 5pm each day. Webinars about the survey are:

    We understand there are several PPE surveys from the MOH, Ontario Health and OMA – we are trying to get some clarity on the intent of these all so we can provide some guidance once we receive it.

    Updated COVID-19 case definitions and more
    Last week we reorganised the resources and updates on our site into several pages:

    We have also added another page – Mental health and wellness during COVID-19

    We’ll update these on a regular basis as we receive relevant resources, while trying to reduce duplication with other sources. We will continue to update the news page daily.

    • The Ministry of Health has posted a new COVID-19 website that is easier to read and posts the daily epidemiological summary. Provincial and regional data on confirmed cases, including trends of cases since the outbreak began, geography, exposure, and severity can be seen on this site.  

    HR, privacy and risk management during the COVID-19 pandemic webinar

    HR, privacy and risk management slides and video

    On Mar. 27 we held the HR, privacy and risk management during the COVID-19 pandemic webinar, presented by Maria McDonald of McDonald HR Law and Kate Dewhirst of Kate Dewhirst Health Law. Slides, video and tools referenced in the webinar are now posted on the site.

    There were a few questions that were also asked – we are currently working through the answers and will share them once finalized.

    Please log in and then click on this link to access them (available only at triad level).

    Do you know any heroes of COVID-19?
    Last week Broadbent Institute launched Heroes of COVID-19 “to highlight the exceptional acts of good happening across the country in the face of this pandemic.” Heroes so far include UFCW Canada, Black Creek Community Farm, Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib volunteers, and ACORN members. If you’d like to highlight an individual or team’s efforts, you can submit your story here.

    EMR CoP transition to OntarioMD
    As many of you are aware the EMR communities of practice (CoP) will be transitioning from AFHTO to OntarioMD effective March 31, 2020. AFHTO would like to thank all members for their continuous support and participation. We would also like to sincerely thank CoP leads for their dedication to these groups! We look forward to a smooth transition.

    OntarioMD is in the process of updating membership lists for existing CoPs. Please take a few minutes to fill in this form through which contact info is being collected. OntarioMD will use this information to send all meeting invitations and updates regarding the CoPs after March 31, 2020. Moving forward, the central contact email will be support@ontariomd.com. Listserv emails and meeting invites will be updated after March 31, 2020.  

    If you have any comments, questions or concerns about this transition, please take a few minutes to fill out the following surveys:

    Thank you for your continued support and participation in these important meetings!

    Advance care planning & goals of e-learning modules- deadline today to register for free
    Now more than ever, with the anticipated impact of COVID-19 and the rapidly growing cohort of elderly people nearing end of life, the subject of Advance Care Planning is a critical one for our health care system and for quality of life.

    Hospice Palliative Care Ontario has re-launched the Health Care Consent Advance Care Planning and Goals of Care E-Learning Modules. The self-directed modules are intended for Clinician Competency Training on Health Care Consent, Advance Care Planning, and Goals of Care conversations where learners will move beyond advancing their knowledge and attitudes to develop clinical skills. Register for free per the instructions listed here before tomorrow, April 1.

    Primary care virtual community – April 2- primary care leading through challenging times
    While Primary Care is leading through a challenging time, the Primary Care Virtual Community (PCVC) is our space to come together and invest in our relationships. As a community, our aim is to support and connect to each other across Ontario and reflect on what’s needed to lead through challenging times.

    We are responding to many of your requests to meet this week!

    • This Week’s Topic:  Primary Care Leading Through Challenging Times
    • Date and Time: Thursday April 2nd, 2020 from 7pm-8pm

    We will be joined by Drs Sarah Newbery, Marathon FHT and Rob Annis, North Perth FHT and Penny Paucha, Founder and Principal at Instincts at Work. Penny will share her insights on thinking and working through complexity and chaos.

    As always, our conversation will be guided by you, our primary care community in Ontario #ONPrimaryCareLeads.

    To register for the Primary Care Virtual Community: Click Here

    Message from Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario)
    Consistent with the Ministry of Health’s recommendation that all non-essential health care services be delayed in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) is recommending that all routine cancer screening tests be delayed. This includes screening for colorectal cancer with the fecal immunochemical test (FIT).

    Please be aware that LifeLabs has temporarily stopped mailing FIT kits to patients as of Monday, March 23, 2020. Therefore, we ask that you do not send requisitions for FIT until further notice.  A requisition that was received by LifeLabs before March 23rd but has not yet resulted in a FIT kit being mailed, will remain in a processing queue. These requisitions will not expire, and the FIT kit will be mailed at a later date.  While LifeLabs will continue to test all completed FITs that are received during the COVID-19 pandemic, if patients contact your office to request information about screening, we recommend that those who have received a FIT kit recently and have not yet completed it, wait until further notice to complete their FIT.

    Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) recommends follow-up procedures continue for people with abnormal cancer screening results that are highly suspicious for cancer, including abnormal FIT results; however, please be aware that the feasibility of follow-up procedures during the pandemic will depend on the resources available at each hospital or facility.

    If you have any questions about cancer screening during the pandemic, please contact screening@cancercare.on.ca

    CMHA Ontario and Mental Health Works Webinars – In response to COVID-19 pandemic, April 2-17, 2020
    For health care professionals and workers: with topics relevant to both hospitals and clinics, as well as telehealth professionals and those who work to support patient outcomes, such as custodial staff, security professionals, and administrators.

    1. Mental Wellness for Healthcare Professionals – April 2, 6-7 pm
    2. Stress Management in Healthcare Settings -April 6, 5:30-630 pm
    3. Mental Health for Telehealth –April 15, 6-7 pm
    4. Mental Health for Support Staff: Taking Care of Yourself – April 17, 6-7 pm

    Understanding Bronchiectasis Webinar, April 21, 2020
    Learn more about this neglected pulmonary disease. By the end of this webinar, you will be able to help patients self-manage the disease and avoid the acquisition of nontuberculosis mycobacteria. Find out more here