Ultimate Blogging Championship

Tag: Management/Operations

  • First boosters open for children 5- to 11-years-old, updated public health guidance going into the fall

    September 1, 2022

    Dear members,

    Yesterday, the government announced that first boosters for children 5- to 11-years-old would be available as of today through the provincial COVID-19 vaccination portal or by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900.

    Primary care plays a huge role in the delivery of paediatric vaccines, including with counselling and educating parents and family members. If you haven’t yet done so or haven’t heard about the distribution of the paediatric vaccines, please contact your public health unit or the COVID-19 delegated vaccine lead.

    COVID-19 Paediatric Vaccination in Primary Care
    The ministry has shared the primary care update for vaccine implementation for the week of August 29.

    Vaccination uptake for children 0-4 years old is very low with first dose sitting at only 4.4% in Ontario. As of today, children 5- to 11-years-old qualify for their first booster, with a recommended interval of 6 months since the second dose (minimal of 3 months). Though the discretionary NACI recommendation is that this should be available to any child aged 5 to 11, the priority population is those with an underlying medical condition that places them at high risk of severe illness due to COVID-19.

    A reminder that the following resources are available:

    Updated Public Health Guidance
    In yesterday’s announcement, CMOH Dr. Moore presented updated public health guidance to manage COVID-19 during the respiratory illness season this fall. Some of the key highlights include:

    • If you are in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, continue to self- monitor for symptoms. There is no longer a need to isolate but you should wear a mask for 10 days when in public.
    • If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 such as fever, cough, or runny nose, stay home from school, work, and social events until your fever is gone and symptoms are improving, get a rapid antigen test or, if eligible, a PCR test. Wear a mask for 10 days after and avoid non-essential visits to high-risk individuals and settings.

    A reminder that you can still access PPE and RATs through the provincial stockpile, along with oxygen saturation monitors that are available to order for the COVID@Home program.

    Additional resources

    • Memo – Paxlovid prescribing in primary care – Testing and tools – EN and FR– OH, Aug. 30, 2022
    • Addendum: Guidelines for Pandemic Stockpile Use- EN and FR – MOH, Aug. 24, 2022
    • COVID-19 Vaccine Administration (version 7.0) –  EN – MOH, Aug. 31, 2022
    • COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Recommendations (version 9.0) – EN – MOH, Aug. 31, 2022
    • Management of Cases and Contacts of COVID-19 in Ontario –  EN and FR – MOH, Aug. 31, 2022

    We know this fall will be challenging with the backlog you are trying to manage and bracing for the release of the influenza and the highly anticipated bivalent vaccines. As always, we’ll provide you with information as it becomes available, but please always feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

    In the meantime, we hope you enjoy the last few days of summer and continue to stay healthy and safe.

    Yours in good health,

    Your AFHTO Team

  • Bits & Pieces: social worker focus groups and more

    Bits & Pieces: social worker focus groups and more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • Social worker focus groups at #AFHTO2022
    • Resources needed for library refresh
    • Hamilton FHT Green Initiative
    • Member stories
    • Want to come to #AFHTO2022 for free?
    • COVID-19 vaccination for kids under 5 materials and more
    • Free online module- Management of Transient lschemic Attack (TIA) and Minor Stroke
    • ECHO Ontario Mental Health Fall 2022
    • Call for abstracts- Trillium Primary Health Care Research Day
    • Upcoming events including Wellness Check: Dealing with Transitions and Managing Stress and more

    Social worker focus groups at #AFHTO2022

    Content below provided by University of Toronto

    We want to hear your thoughts on how social work practice is organized and supported in primary care! Take part in a 60-minute focus groups with other social workers to discuss how social work practice has shifted during the pandemic. We’ll be hosting focus groups in-person at the AFHTO 2022 Conference and invite you to join the discussion. Please note the in-person focus groups are for conference attendees but we’ll also host online focus groups for social workers who are not attending the conference.

    To participate, please email Simon at sck.lam@utoronto.ca by Friday, September 9 and let us know if you will be attending the conference.

    This study from the University of Toronto is led by Dr. Rachelle Ashcroft, Associate Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and supported by the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario and the Ontario Association of Social Workers.

    Resources needed for library refresh

    We’re hoping you can help us update our members’ resource library! As you know, AFHTO maintains an extensive web-based library of resources for our members. This includes sample policies, agreements, and resources that have been contributed by members for members and/or developed by third-party affiliates. We’re reviewing and refining the resources to ensure the website layout is simple, intuitive, and helpful, as well as current and accurate.

    We’re asking you assist in the collection of sample documents that would be shared on our website such as:

    • Finance Policy Manuals
    • Operations Policy Manuals
    • HR Policy Manuals
    • Strategic Plans

    Please forward any sample resources to Alexander Christy at alexander.christy@afhto.ca. Members with any questions are welcome to contact Bryn Hamilton.

    Hamilton FHT Green Initiative

    Screenshot of video- Hamilton FHT logo with 'Green Initiative' underneath

    The HFHT Green Initiative is an interprofessional team developing practical solutions to improve patient health care outcomes while simultaneously reducing climate change.

    The initiative provides a free and evidence-based program which includes an action-based checklist, poster orders (1148 so far delivered), a monthly newsletter (17 sent so far), a CFPC Mainpro+ accredited webinar series (212 attendees thus far), an infographic series (31 different topics), 2 waiting room videos, 2 EMR-embedded prescription templates, patient facing group education, resource kits, and project support. For more information, please contact the HFHT Green Team at green.team@hamiltonfht.ca.

    Member stories

    Essex County NPLC – calls to open more nurse practitioner-led clinics in Windsor-Essex

    Georgina NPLC – PORTRAITS OF GIVING: Beth Cowper-Fung

    Hamilton FHT – new family doctors are opening a Hamilton Mountain clinic

    Want to come for free?
    We have several openings for program hosts. These volunteers help keep our sessions on track and get complimentary registration in return. See the role description here and email paula.myers@afhto.ca if you’re interested. Deadline Aug. 31, 2022.

    COVID-19 vaccination for kids under 5 materials and more

    Recent updates include:

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

    Free online module- Management of Transient lschemic Attack (TIA) and Minor Stroke

    The West GTA Stroke Network team has developed a Free Online E-Learning Module on the Management of Transient lschemic Attack (TIA) and Minor Stroke: The Latest Best Practice! The target audience is primary care physicians. Learn more here.

    ECHO Ontario Mental Health Fall 2022
    Registration for Fall 2022 programming for ECHO Ontario Mental Health at CAMH and U of T is now open. Find out more and register here.

    Call for abstracts- Trillium Primary Health Care Research Day
    You can submit your research for presentation at the 2022 Trillium Primary Health Care Research Day, Oct. 14. Deadline Sep. 30, 2022. Find out more here.

    Wellness Check: Dealing with Transitions and Managing Stress Sep. 15

    Hosted in partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association Ontario, participants will have the opportunity to gain insight into change processes and their impact on workplace mental health. Learn more and register here.

    Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health: A Three-Part Series, starting Sep. 15, 2022
    Hosted by ECHO Ontario Child and Youth Mental Health. Register here.

    Immunizations Across the Lifespan, Sep. 17, 2022

    Hosted by Canadian Collaborative Research Network for family physicians and pharmacists. Register here.

    OMGMA Conference 2022: Together Again, Sep. 21- 23, 2022
    In-person event in Mississauga. Register here.

    OMD Digital Health and Virtual Care Conference, Sep. 29-30, 2022
    Virtual conference hosted by OntarioMD. Find out more here.

    AFHTO 2022 Conference, Oct. 12, 2022

    Join your peers from across Ontario and beyond as we reconnect and reimagine, moving forward together.

    Members get more than 50% off registration. Register with your verification code here.

  • Government’s 5-point Plan to Stay Open: Health System Stability and Recovery

    To EDs/admin leads, board chairs and lead clinicians of AFHTO member teams

    Dear members,

    This morning the government released its 5-point Plan to Stay Open: Health System Stability and Recovery.

    With a plan to focus on protecting hospital capacity and supporting long-term care, we are disappointed that there was no tangible supports for primary care as a key component in health system stability and recovery. Other than noting one way to ease emergency pressures on emergency departments- “increased access to the family health organization model of primary care will improve access to primary care and reduce demand for emergency department care”– the plan does not address the considerable backlog of mental health and addiction, chronic disease, cancer screening, and vaccination that is coming through your doors. And while primary care is only notionally addressed, mental health and addiction is not addressed at all.

    AFHTO will continue to advocate with our partners to push the government and Ontario Health to add needed supports in primary care. They have acknowledged primary care is an important part of the healthcare system and know the challenges it faces, so the question remains: why is it forgotten?

    Here are the highlights:

    Preserving our Hospital Capacity

    • Continue to provide access to testing for COVID-19, Paxlovid and Evusheld therapies for treatment for those who are eligible, with plans on expanding eligibility for Evusheld for high-risk populations in the coming weeks.
    • COVID-19 shots and flu shots will continue to be provided to Ontarians.
    • Free rapid antigen tests will continue to be available at participating grocery and pharmacy retailers as well as for workplaces, schools, and congregate settings.
    • Extend temporary COVID-19 physician funding.

    Providing the Right Care in the Right Place

    • Expanding the 9-1-1 models of care to include additional ailments and giving paramedics the flexibility to provide better, more appropriate care to divert patients from ERs.
    • There will be several initiatives to help avoid unnecessary hospitalizations, improve the process for ambulance offloading, and reintroduce respite services in long-term care.
    • Ontario is introducing legislation that, if passed, will support patients whose doctors have said they no longer need hospital treatment and should instead be placed in a long-term care home, while they wait for their preferred home.
    • Continue and expand funding of community paramedicine.

    Further Reducing Surgical Waitlists

    • Invest over $300 million in 2022–23 as part of the province’s surgical recovery strategy.
    • Work with hospitals to identify innovative solutions to reduce wait times for surgeries and procedures, including considering options for further increasing surgical capacity by increasing the number of OHIP-covered surgical procedures performed at independent health facilities.
    • Increase surgeries in paediatric hospitals and existing private clinics covered by OHIP, as well as fund more than 150,000 additional operating hours for hospital-based MRI and CT machines.

    Easing Pressure on our Emergency Departments

    • Increase access to the FHO model of primary care to reduce demand for ERs.
    • Launch a new provincial emergency department peer-to-peer program to provide additional on-demand, real-time support and coaching from experienced emergency physicians to aid in the management of patients presenting to rural emergency departments.
    • Adding 400 physician residents to support the workforce in northern and rural Ontario.
    • Working with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario to expedite the registration of doctors, including those from out-of-province and who may want to work in rural and northern emergency departments, so they can start working and caring for patients sooner.

    Further Expanding Ontario’s Health Workforce

    • Expand funding for the supervised practice experience partnership program which has already supported over 600 international nurses in getting licensed since January. The province anticipates that by the end of the fiscal year another 400 international nurses will gain the practice and language requirements necessary to work in Ontario.
    • Working with the College of Nurses of Ontario to reduce the financial barriers that may be stopping some retired or internationally trained nurses from receiving accreditation to resume or begin practicing by temporarily covering the cost of examination, application, and registration fees, saving them up to $1,500.
    • The province is aware that agency rates have increased significantly, creating instability for hospitals, long-term care homes and emergency departments. In response, Ontario will engage with frontline partners to better understand how to bring stability to hospitals and emergency departments, while protecting quality of care.

    The government notes these actions will “see faster access to health care, including lower wait times in emergency departments, lower wait times for surgical procedures and more care options right in their communities” and that “this will add up to 6,000 more health care workers. Combined with the initiatives included in the first phase of the plan that are adding 13,000 more staff, the two plans together are adding 19,000 more health care workers.” However, the actual number of health care workers that have left the system remains unknown.

    AFHTO will continue to work with the government and encourages local advocacy with MPPs. Many teams have new MPPs, so now is also a good time to reach out for introductions and to provide general info about the care you provide to some of their constituents. Those MPPs can then help inform government about the critical work you do in their communities, and how important it is for a stable, effective healthcare system that provides the best care and reduces demand on hospitals.

    The advocacy material from the campaign is still relevant – the advocacy is simply now to your MPP instead of multiple candidates –  and members can expect more material this fall after the Community Health Compensation Working Group has completed its Ontario Community Health Market Salary Review with our compensation consultant.

    Thank you for the work you all do every day. If you have any questions, please reach out to us any time.

    Yours in good health,
    The AFHTO Team

  • Bits & Pieces: Wellness Check – Dealing with Transitions and Managing Stress, and more

    Bits & Pieces: Wellness Check – Dealing with Transitions and Managing Stress, and more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • Wellness Check: Dealing with Transitions and Managing Stress Sep. 15
    • Farewell to Sombo Saviye
    • Ontario Health seeking Regional Clinical Leads
    • EMR queries for under 5 vaccines and more
    • Deadline to nominate a partner or healthcare inspiration for an AFHTO Board award this Friday
    • Upcoming events including COVID-19 vaccination for kids under 5 and more

     

    Wellness Check: Dealing with Transitions and Managing Stress Sep. 15

    Uncertainty and unpredictability have been constants throughout the duration of the pandemic as has the need to navigate transitions. In a webinar hosted in partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association Ontario, participants will have the opportunity to gain insight into change processes and their impact on workplace mental health from Nancy Hood, the head trainer of the Your Health Space program.

    Strategies for managing hybrid working models and combating stress will also be explored. Learn more and register here.

    Sombo Saviye at #AFHTO2017

    Farewell to Sombo Saviye

    It is with deep emotion we announce that Sombo Saviye will be leaving AFHTO for a new role supporting an MPP.

    Sombo has been with AFHTO for over 9 years, most recently as Manager, Finance and Corporate Affairs. Her colleagues have been known to not so jokingly refer to her as the heart of the team, keeping everything running so smoothly.

    We’re going to miss Sombo but know she will bring so much to her new role. And it’s great to know that a person with great integrity is moving to support an elected candidate! Please join us in giving her our sincerest best wishes. Her last day with AFHTO will be Friday, August 26th – any questions related to her work can be directed to info@afhto.ca.

    If anyone is interested in joining our team in a similar role, you can find details here. Deadline August 19, 2022.

     

    Ontario Health seeking Regional Clinical Leads

    Ontario Health is seeking expressions of interest from experienced clinicians to provide clinical leadership and collaborate with regional partners to evolve the health system in Ontario. A few postings are especially relevant for the primary care community:

    • Regional Clinical Lead, MHA (RHP, excl. physician)
    • Regional Lead, Primary Care
    • Regional Lead, Palliative Care (physician)
    • Regional Lead, Palliative Care (RHP, excl. physician)
    • Regional Lead, Mental Health and Addictions (physician)

    You can find more details here.

    EMR queries for under 5 vaccines and more

    Recent updates include:

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

    Deadline to nominate a partner or healthcare inspiration for an AFHTO Board award this Friday

    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 19, 2022.

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

    COVID-19 vaccination for kids under 5, Aug. 19, 2022
    Next in the series ‘Changing the way we work’ from the COVID-19 CoP by OCFP and UofT DFCM. Register here.

    ECHO Ontario Bariatric Network, starting Aug. 19, 2022
    New sessions in this learning series hosted Ontario’s Bariatric Centres of Excellence starting August 19th and various dates in September. Find out more here.

    NPAO 2022 Annual Conference, Sep. 22-23, 2022

    This years’ Conference theme is The NP Experience: Pushing Boundaries Towards Common Goals. Find out more here.

    Data To Action: Making Your Data Visible and Useful, Sep. 28, 2022
    Hosted by TechSoup Connect’s Ontario chapter. Register here.

    OMD Digital Health and Virtual Care Conference, Sep. 29-30, 2022
    Virtual conference hosted by OntarioMD. Find out more here.

    AFHTO 2022 Conference, Oct. 12, 2022

    Join your peers from across Ontario and beyond as we reconnect and reimagine, moving forward together.

    Members get more than 50% off registration. Register with your verification code here.

  • Bits & Pieces: where will children under 5 get vaccines and more

    Bits & Pieces: where will children under 5 get vaccines and more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • COVID-19 vaccinations for kids under 5
    • Open letter to keep expanded access to care for uninsured people
    • Minto Mapleton FHT meets with MPP
    • Member stories
    • New toolkit to help health care providers deliver virtual care to Canadians
    • Paid COVID sick days back until March 31, 2023, and more
    • Reminder- nominations to the AFHTO Board of Directors open until July 29, 2022
    • Reminder- AFHTO 2022 Conference networking leads wanted
    • Reminder – apply to join AFHTO’s IHP Advisory Council
    • Upcoming events including integrating hepatitis C care with safer supply practice and more

    COVID-19 vaccinations for kids under 5

    To help the ministry with their planning on where children under 5 are or will be receiving vaccines, please take a moment and complete this short survey that should take less than 2 minutes. We thank you very much in advance as your answers will be helpful in determining how widespread the vaccines will be given. Deadline Monday, August 1.

    Open letter to keep expanded access to care for uninsured people

    In March 2020, in response to community advocacy, the Ford government temporarily expanded access to care for uninsured people, by: (1) removing the three-month waiting period for OHIP which affects new immigrants, new permanent residents, and returning Canadian citizens; and, (2) creating a new funding stream for physicians and hospitals for providing medically necessary services to uninsured people (see details here).

    Healthcare for All Coalition has learned the government may be looking to imminently roll these changes back. They ask you to sign this open letter to urge the Ontario government to implement a permanent program to ensure universal access to healthcare services, independent of insurance status. Deadline Friday, July 29.

    If you have any questions, please contact healthcare4allcoalition@gmail.com.

    Minto Mapleton FHT meets with MPP

    Screenshot of virtual meeting- Minto Mapleton FHT with MPP

    On July 22, Minto Mapleton FHT met with their MPP Matthew Rae.

    “We all agreed that it felt really successful in educating him about how team based primary care is different from other sectors of the health care system. We gave many examples of how we are able to wrap around patients with members of the team to help them preventatively achieve good health and ultimately be most cost effective for the system.

    Mr. Rae shared that being born, raised, and currently residing in this riding makes him aware of care however, today’s presentation elevated his knowledge especially surrounding recruitment, retention and expansion of our team to support our community currently and in the near future.

    He also acknowledged that his riding is unique from other members of  caucus in that his entire riding is FHT for primary care. (Minto Mapleton, Mount Forest, Listowel/North Perth, and Stratford). This is very different than his colleagues in the GTA who are not in this model and therefore have different priorities. We asked what he needed from us to allow him to advocate accordingly and he felt that collaborating with AFHTO would be a great first step as our representing association.”

    If you are meeting with your MPPs and want AFHTO to connect, please let us know. Finding internal champions in government to help with advocacy efforts to expand team-based care is important as we ensure every Ontarian who needs it has access to team-based primary care.

    Member stories

    Couchiching FHT – Rec centre fees waived so students, patients can make waves

    Guelph FHT – 2021-2022 annual report

    Prince Edward FHT- County and Family Health Team welcome new physician recruiter

    Summerville FHT- 2021-2022 annual report

    Screenshot of Virtual Care Together Design Collaborative home page- healthcare excellence logo in top left, with a graphic of 2 women having a virtual meeting below

    New toolkit to help health care providers deliver virtual care to Canadians
    Canada Health Infoway and Healthcare Excellence Canada have released a new virtual care toolkit to give care providers the tools they need to provide safe, high-quality virtual care to their patients, regardless of experience. Topics include the appropriate use of virtual care, use and optimization of virtual care services and quality and safe virtual care interactions. Information in the toolkit was refined and tested by 25 teams in 10 provinces and territories through the Virtual Care Together Design Collaborative.

     

    Paid COVID sick days back until March 31, 2023, and more

    Recent updates include:

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

    Reminder- nominations to the AFHTO Board of Directors open until July 29, 2022
    Are you interested in serving on the AFHTO board of directors? The Governance Committee of AFHTO’s board invites anyone who works within an AFHTO member organization to apply. Please share this call for nominations with all who work in your team and with members on your Board. Find out more here.

    Reminder- AFHTO 2022 Conference networking leads wanted

    We have an hour in the schedule at the AFHTO 2022 conference for networking, and we’d like IHP session leads. Leads are responsible for programming while AFHTO staff will simply allocate the rooms. Smaller groups will be able to meet at a table in the ballroom. Limited space is available, so this is first come, first serve.

    If you are interested in leading an IHP session, please contact Beth MacKinnon by July 29, 2022.

    Reminder – apply to join AFHTO’s IHP Advisory Council!

    Are you interested in advising AFHTO on the top issues facing IHPs in team-based primary 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, please apply to join our IHP Advisory Council!

    We invite any IHP in a member team to apply by completing this survey by Friday, July 29.

    More information is here. Please share this opportunity with providers across teams.

    Integrating Hepatitis C Care with Safer Supply Practice, July 28, 2022

    Co-hosted by National Safer Supply Community of Practice and CATIE on World Hepatitis Day. Register here.

    Demystifying the Cloud for Nonprofits, July 28, 2022
    Hosted by TechSoup with presentation by Amazon Web Services. Register here.

    ECHO Care of the Elderly, Sep. 7-Dec. 21, 2022
    The latest cycle of the ECHO Care of the Elderly program focuses on Community care and providers. Find out more here.

    NPAO 2022 Annual Conference, Sep. 22-23, 2022

    This years’ Conference theme is The NP Experience: Pushing Boundaries Towards Common Goals. Find out more here.

    AFHTO 2022 Conference, Oct. 12, 2022

    Join your peers from across Ontario and beyond as we reconnect and reimagine, moving forward together.

    Members get more than 50% off registration. Registration with your verification code here.

  • Vaccines for Under 5, Second Boosters, Monkeypox

    Dear members,

    As many of you saw in a recent memo issued by the Chief Medical Officer of Health on July 21, there is increasing international community transmission of two sub-variants of the Omicron variant of concern of COVID-19, BA.4 and BA.5. In Ontario, recent data indicates that an increasing proportion of cases are due to these sub-variants, and the BA.5 variant is now the dominant sub-variant in the province. With these trends of increasing transmission, and with the recognition that flu season is quickly also approaching, just a reminder that you can still access PPE and RATs through the provincial stockpile. Oxygen saturation monitors are also available to order for those teams currently, or will be, participating in the COVID@Home program.

    Vaccinating Children Under Age 5
    As you know, Health Canada has approved the Moderna vaccine for children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years, stating there were no safety signals from the trial and that it will look to “more data from ongoing studies and real-world use to ensure the benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh any risks.” NACI issued these recommendations to advise on its use.
     
    The Ontario government announced on July 21 that appointments for the paediatric COVID-19 vaccine for children aged six months to under five years will be available starting Thursday, July 28, 2022. EN FR. It is anticipated with this age group that the majority of these vaccines will be delivered in primary care or paediatrician offices. If you have not yet done so or have not heard about the distribution of the paediatric vaccines, please contact your public health unit or the COVID-19 delegated vaccine lead.
     
    You may also expect that parents and caregivers will come to you with their questions over the following weeks and months. To support providers in these conversations, please see:

     
    **To help the ministry with their planning on where children under 5 are or will be receiving vaccines, please take a moment and complete this short survey that should take no more than 2 minutes. We thank you very much in advance as your answers will be helpful in determining how widespread the vaccines will be given.

    Second Boosters (or 4th Shot)
    On July 20, the government announced that it would be expanding eligibility for the 4th shot (2nd booster) of the COVID-19 vaccine to everyone aged 18 to 59. Here are some resources you may find helpful:

    Teams are also being asked to continue to encourage eligible patients to get their third dose if they haven’t already done so. Evidence shows vaccine effectiveness remains high six months after the third dose in otherwise healthy patients.
     
    Monkeypox
    Finally, teams are also getting questions about monkeypox, especially now that the WHO has declared it a global health emergency. The Ministry of Health and Public Health Ontario are posting tools to assist providers with learning more about the disease, such as fact sheets, Q&As, and other resources. Dr. Allan Grill was also on CTV News to provide an overview of monkeypox, including what you need to know and how to protect yourself. If you have any questions about monkeypox in your community or how to access vaccination, please contact your PHU.

    You may have also heard that the Ontario Government announced the extension of the 3-day COVID sick days to March 31, 2023. Though this does not go far enough in ensuring permanent sick days, it is a start – please see here for an ebulletin on the COVID sick days and what you need to know from Maria McDonald of McDonald HR Law.

    We hope you are all getting some much-deserved rest this summer and spending time with your loved ones. If you need any assistance or have questions, please contact us any time.

    Yours in good health,
    The AFHTO Team

  • Bits & Pieces: networking session leads wanted and more

    Bits & Pieces: networking session leads wanted and more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • AFHTO 2022 Conference networking leads wanted
    • Nominate a partner or healthcare inspiration for an AFHTO Board award
    • Member stories
    • Funding opportunities – capital grant & supporting mental health and wellness
    • Government of Canada invests $10 million in research on outpatient medications for COVID-19 and more
    • Reminder- nominations to the AFHTO Board of Directors open until July 29, 2022
    • The war in Ukraine and refugee health care: considerations for health care providers in Canada
    • Reminder – apply to join AFHTO’s IHP Advisory Council
    • Upcoming events including supporting patients amid an opioid epidemic and more

    AFHTO 2022 Conference networking leads wanted

    We have an hour in the schedule at the AFHTO 2022 conference for networking, and we’d like IHP session leads. Leads are responsible for programming while AFHTO staff will simply allocate the rooms. Smaller groups will be able to meet at a table in the ballroom. Limited space is available, so this is first come, first serve.

    If you are interested in leading an IHP session, please contact Beth MacKinnon by July 29, 2022.

     Nominate a partner or healthcare inspiration for an AFHTO Board award

    Screenshot of opening of 2021 board award winner video. Logo at top with Board Award, Dr. Brian Klar 2021 below. Background is navy blue with gold stars.

    The AFHTO board invites all members to help them select the recipient of a Board award.

    The Board award recognizes an individual (or a group) who is not an AFHTO member but has significantly contributed to the development and growth of team-based primary care within their local community or at the provincial level.

    Submit a nomination online for the Board Award category by August 19, 2022.

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

    Member stories

    Belleville NPLC– extension for unattached patients program

    Minto Mapleton FHT– showcasing team members on Facebook. Feel free to share and use as a starting point for your own team.

    Funding opportunities – capital grant & supporting mental health and wellness

    AFHTO members in collaboration with partners may be eligible for:

    Government of Canada invests $10 million in research on outpatient medications for COVID-19 and more

    Recent updates include:

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

    Reminder- nominations to the AFHTO Board of Directors open until July 29, 2022
    Are you interested in serving on the AFHTO board of directors? The Governance Committee of AFHTO’s board invites anyone who works within an AFHTO member organization to apply. Please share this call for nominations with all who work in your team and with members on your Board. Find out more here.

    The war in Ukraine and refugee health care: considerations for health care providers in Canada
    CMAJ article published Jul. 11, 2022. Read the full details here.

    Reminder – apply to join AFHTO’s IHP Advisory Council!

    Are you interested in advising AFHTO on the top issues facing IHPs in team-based primary 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, please apply to join our IHP Advisory Council!

    We invite any IHP in a member team to apply by completing this survey by Friday, July 29.

    More information is here. Please share this opportunity with providers across teams.

    Webinar Series: Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Indigeneity, and Accessibility in Research, July 25- October 19, 2022

    Hosted by the Alliance and the Primary Care Ontario Practice-Based Learning and Research (POPLAR) Network

    Supporting patients amid an opioid epidemic, July 27, 2022
    Session by the Practising Well CoP, an intentional conversation for shared learning hosted by the OCFP and the DFCM Division of Mental Health and Addictions. Register here.

    Integrating Hepatitis C Care with Safer Supply Practice, July 28, 2022

    Co-hosted by National Safer Supply Community of Practice and CATIE on World Hepatitis Day. Register here.

    Demystifying the Cloud for Nonprofits, July 28, 2022
    Hosted by TechSoup with presentation by Amazon Web Services. Register here.

    NPAO 2022 Annual Conference, Sep. 22-23, 2022

    This years’ Conference theme is The NP Experience: Pushing Boundaries Towards Common Goals. Find out more here.

    AFHTO 2022 Conference, Oct. 12, 2022

    Join your peers from across Ontario and beyond as we reconnect and reimagine, moving forward together.

    Members get more than 50% off registration. Registration with your verification code here.

  • Vaccine and Monkeypox updates

    Dear members,

    It has been a busy week and we’d like to share some information on the recent vaccine announcements and on Monkeypox.

    On Tuesday, the government announced that it would be expanding eligibility for the 4th shot (2nd booster) of the COVID-19 vaccine to everyone aged 18 to 59. These are being offered at an interval of five months after a person receives their first booster dose. In addition, a new bivalent COVID-19 vaccine is anticipated to be approved by Health Canada this fall, which may offer more targeted protection against the Omicron variants.
     
    We know you’ll get questions about this recent announcement. The CEP and OCFP will be updating their guidance on vaccinations as NACI publishes additional guidance, and we will share this with you as soon as we have it.
     
    Yesterday, the Moderna vaccine was approved for children between six months and five years of age. The dose will be one-quarter of what is administered to adults. NACI has issued these recommendations to advise on its use.

    Additional resources available are this ‘Timing of COVID-19 Vaccines for young children FAQ’ and ‘What are the reasons to vaccinate my young child against COVID-19?’ from Pharmacy5in5 and the School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo.

    We have also received a fact sheet and Q&A on Monkeypox from the Ministry of Health:

    • Monkeypox Fact Sheet (EN) (FR)
    • Monkeypox – Healthcare Provider Q&A
    • Testing and Management of Monkeypox: Information for Primary Care Providers (EN) (FR)

    We will keep you apprised as we learn more.

    Once again thank you for all you are doing to keep your patients and community safe. If you need any assistance or have questions, please contact us any time.

    Yours in good health,
    The AFHTO Team

  • QI in Action eBulletin #119: Stress Management in the Healthcare Workplace

    In this Issue:

    • Supporting Stress Management in the Health Care Workplace
    • BounceBack Webinar: Back-to-the-Office Guide and Tips to Manage Stress and Anxiety
    • Returning to a Shared Workplace Toolkit for Transitioning to a New Normal
    • Other Supports for Health Care Workers
    • Featured Team Initiative
    • Upcoming Events

     

    Supporting Stress Management in the Health Care Workplace
    Content below developed by Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario

    Stress and stress management in the workplace have long been topics of interest for both employers and employees. We often hear that stress is unavoidable and expected when it comes to employment, but for health care professionals the degree of chronic stress endured throughout the COVID-19 pandemic is an issue that deserves concentrated attention and thoughtful response.

    As a Health Care Worker- what can I do to support my own mental health?
    An effective strategy to manage stress on the spot is to first recognize and acknowledge stress. It is beneficial to recognize what one’s stress response might look or feel like, and subsequently identify the stressor or trigger that is causing the stress response. This level of self-awareness will enable individuals to recognize stressors and utilize coping mechanisms in future exposures.

    By acknowledging the stress experience, individuals can switch from the reactive part of their brain to the conscious logical part of the brain. This makes it easier to calm down and problem solve. Reframing, reorganizing, and using positive psychology are other tools to help manage stressful situations at work. By effectively taking care of one’s mental health at work, individuals can build better resilience and adaptability, increase mental well-being, and respond better to future stressors.  

    One of the many resources available for workplace mental health support is Your Health Space (YHS), a free workplace mental health program developed by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Ontario. YHS offers psychoeducation opportunities to professionals working in health care organizations. From Leaders to Health Care Workers, as well as Support Staff, YHS’ evidence-based program seeks to provide participants with practical tools that they can start using to support well-being in the workplace.

    Trainers who lead YHS’ interactive workshops each have a background in health care and are skilled at delivering training workshops in person, virtually or via eLearning modules. Through creating safe spaces for learning, practical application, and connection, YHS is here to support you and your organization with challenges such as workplace stress. Health care organizations can find out more information and register on the Your Health Space website.

    For the full article, click here.

    BounceBack Webinar: Back-to-the-Office Guide and Tips to Manage Stress and Anxiety
    This webinar in June covered new coping strategies to help you better manage life’s stresses. You can watch the recording here.
    Timestamps:

    • 07:24 How to change your thought process
    • 36:00 Practice self-compassion
    • 38:55 Basic coping strategies
    • 42:20 Additional tips to reduce anxiety, stress, and worry
    • 47:28 A quick overview of the BounceBack program

     
    To help you remember the benefits of the BounceBack program, we have digital handouts like the general client factsheet. As well as handouts for yourself or anyone you know who is a: new parent, youth 15-17, caregiver, experiencing chronic pain or chronic conditions.

    Returning to a Shared Workplace: A Psychological Toolkit for Transitioning to a New Normal
    CMHA Ontario has revised its toolkit to reflect the changing needs of Ontarians and has been revised and informed by diverse perspectives, including clinical leaders from the mental health and addictions community across Ontario. The toolkit provides guidance on how to support the mental health of individuals as they plan safe transitions back to shared workspaces and to help employers as they develop policies and procedures for supporting staff returning to the work environment. See here for the toolkit.

    Other Supports for Health Care Workers
    Digital Toolkit of Mental Wellness Supports for Health Care Workers from Ontario Health
    Ontario Health has communications materials to help raise awareness about supports available for health care workers whose mental health has been impacted due to the pandemic. The toolkit with posters, one-pagers, key messages, newsletter content, and social posts can be viewed here.

    Self-Referral for Psychotherapy and Psychiatric Services from CAMH
    The Ministry of Health and Ontario Health partnered with five hospitals to provide mental health services to frontline health care workers. If you are a health care worker in Ontario and require mental health and/or addictions support, you can self-refer for psychotherapy and psychiatric services here.

    Mental Health and Wellness Resources from the Ontario College of Family Physicians
    If you are looking for mental health and wellness resources and peer support for patients and physicians, click here.

    ECHO Coping with COVID-19 Online Sessions
    These virtual sessions take place two times a month on Friday afternoons from 2-3 pm and are designed for health care providers and health professions students responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to register.

    Please see AFHTO’s Mental Health and Wellness webpage for additional resources.

    Featured Team Initiative
    Mental Health and Addictions Community Response Working Group
    Hills of Headwaters Ontario Health Team brought together a working group to respond to the need to support the community’s mental health, especially that of frontline workers. The initiatives they supported include an online portal for frontline/essential workers to access timely counselling support, workshop webinars on managing empathic strain, a virtual remembrance/memorial event, sponsoring memberships to an online psychological PPE resource and developing posters with mental health tips and contact information. See here for more information.

    Click here for a listing of AFHTO member mental health and addiction initiatives.

    Email improve@afhto.ca if you have a program or initiative that we can share with our teams.

    Upcoming Events
    COVID-19 Community of Practice for Ontario Family Physicians
    July 8 from 8:00-9:15 am
    The 47th session in the series “Changing the way we work” will focus on where we are with COVID-19 and what we might expect come the fall. We will discuss the available evidence on the COVID-19 vaccine for kids under 5 years old and reflect on the steps we can take to support an equitable COVID-19 recovery, particularly for our Indigenous population. Register here.

    CMHA Your Health Space Information Session
    July 12 from 2:00-3:00 pm or July 14 from 10:00-11:00 am
    Join us for an information session on CMHA Ontario’s new program, Your Health Space. We also invite organizational leaders (including HR Managers, Wellness Coordinators, Presidents, and CEOs) interested in registering for Your Health Space to participate in a Q&A discussion following the presentation. Register for July 12 or July 14.

    ECHO Ontario Mental Health Summer Applications
    Project ECHO at CAMH and U of T aims to strengthen primary care and allied health capacity in key priority areas for mental health and addictions through weekly videoconferencing sessions and a case-based learning model. Sessions are engaging, interactive, practical and evidence based. The application for ECHO Ontario Mental Health Summer Programming is open and can be accessed here. For more information, please visit the website.  

     

    In Case You Missed It: Check out eBulletin #118 or other back issues here!
    Questions? Comments? Contact us at improve@afhto.ca.

  • Bits & Pieces: federal funding for LGBTQ2 health services at Sherbourne and more

    Bits & Pieces: federal funding for LGBTQ2 health services at Sherbourne and more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • Health Canada funding sexual and reproductive health services for LGBTQ2 Communities at Sherbourne
    • More on mental wellness supports for frontline workers
    • Buddy Up: men’s suicide prevention using friendship and peer support
    • Perkopolis- summer & insurance discounts
    • The impact of physical activity on mental health outcomes during COVID and more
    • Reminder about upcoming changes to Infectious Disease Emergency Leave provisions
    • Primary Care Quality Improvement Hub on Quorum
    • Upcoming events including telementoring in occupational medicine and more

    Health Canada funding sexual and reproductive health services for LGBTQ2 Communities at Sherbourne

    Today the federal government announced funding to improve the quality of and access to sexual and reproductive health services for LGBTQ2 communities at Sherbourne Health and other organizations. Read the news release here.

    As we come to the end of Pride Month, we can recognize for many in these communities, heteronormativity is institutionalized within health care. As such, it’s good to continue learning how to provide an inclusive environment for patients. There are many resources including Rainbow Health Ontario.

    Also available from our own archives and teams:

    More on mental wellness supports for frontline workers

    Per Dr. Sylvain Roy, OPA:

    “OPA began partnering with Ontario Health & MOH in January to deliver treatment to all frontline workers (defined relatively broadly to include physicians, paramedics, nurses, PSWs), etc. in Ontario. There are a number of service offerings and referral pathways.

    Persons identifying as frontline workers can self-refer to one of the five mental health hospitals (e.g. CAMH, the Royal…) where they will be matched to a social worker or psychotherapist for up to 6 sessions of 1-1 therapy. If the patient is deemed to require more sessions or may be best served by a psychologist/PA by the hospitals, the frontline worker patient may be referred to an OPA psychologist for 8 (up to 12 sessions) of therapy covered by MOH.  

    Frontline workers can self-refer on the hospital website e.g. https://www.theroyal.ca/covid-frontline-wellness or https://redcapsurveys.camh.ca/redcap/surveys/?s=JK4XK83AYC

    Primary Care Clinicians will be able to refer frontline worker patients directly to OPA psychologists using the same method as before or from within their EMRs. We are now wrapping up the digital integration work between OCEAN (the primary care e-referral platform) to Strata Health (psychologists e-referral platform) that will enable direct primary care clinician referrals to psychologists for the frontline workers programs and more.  Also, CMHA is offering free training to organizations, and Project Echo provides free mental health-focused peer-to-peer support for frontline workers.”

    Additionally, don’t forget OH has released the Mental Wellness Supports for Health Care Workers due to COVID-19 Digital Toolkit.

    Buddy Up: men’s suicide prevention using friendship and peer support

    Men have a suicide rate 3 times higher than women. Buddy Up is a communications campaign focused on male friendship to prevent suicide, run by the Centre for Suicide prevention, part of CMHA. Find out more here.

    Screenshot of discounts inlcuding Canada Wonderland

     

    Perkopolis- summer & insurance discounts

    AFHTO members are eligible to sign up for free access to over 5000 perks through Perkopolis, including discounts on summer activities, products, and home and auto insurance quotes.

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

     

     

     

     

    The impact of physical activity on mental health outcomes during COVID and more

    Recent updates include:

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

    Reminder about upcoming changes to Infectious Disease Emergency Leave provisions

    Courtesy of Maria McDonald, McDonald HR Law, here is an alert reminding you about upcoming changes to the Infectious Disease Emergency Leave (IDEL) Provisions of the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”), including the end to paid and deemed leave.

    Primary Care Quality Improvement Hub on Quorum

    The Ontario Health Primary Care Quality Team invites you to join the Primary Care Quality Improvement Hub on Quorum. The hub provides links to tools, resources, and webinars that can support quality improvement in your practice. Find out more here.

    Telementoring in occupational medicine for Ontario primary health-care providers, April- July 2022

    Project ECHO OEM sessions are held via videoconference each Friday from April 22 to July 15, 2022. Registration is free and ongoing throughout the cycle. Learn more here.

    New Horizons: Navigating towards the future of family medicine, May – September 2022
    Speaker series hosted by Dr. Danielle Martin, Chair of the University of Toronto Department of Family and Community Medicine. Find out more here.

    NPAO 2022 Annual Conference, Sep. 22-23, 2022

    This years’ Conference theme is The NP Experience: Pushing Boundaries Towards Common Goals. Find out more here.

    Data To Action: Making Your Data Visible and Useful, Sep. 28, 2022
    Hosted by TechSoup Connect’s Ontario chapter. Register here.