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Tag: Members Only News

  • 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

  • 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

  • Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Christine Elliot joining tonight’s Primary Care Virtual Community

    After hearing from many of you and your ask for support to connect with each other and reflect on what’s needed to lead through challenging times The Ontario College of Family Physicians, The Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario and The Change Foundation came together in short order to create the next Primary Care Virtual Community session. There are over 150 members registered and we invite others to join us for the session tonight at 7:00 p.m.
     
    For the Primary Care Virtual Community session tonight, we are thrilled to announce that Ontario’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, the Honourable Christine Elliot will be joining us to personally connect with and thank the primary care community, and recognize each of you for your work on the front lines during this challenging and unprecedented time.
     
    We ask that you do not share in advance on social media that Ontario’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Health is attending this session. With an increase of ‘bots / trolls’ hacking into virtual meetings, we want to do our part to make this as seamless of an experience for everyone joining.  
     
    Given the current situation, we’d like to ensure we dedicate this time solely to those in primary care and keep the community atmosphere we’ve enjoyed in all our sessions so far.  
     
    Please do share this email with your networks so that all of primary care in ON is aware of tonight’s session and knows that they are welcome to join.

    • This Week’s Topic:  Primary Care Leading Through Challenging Times
    • Date and Time: Thursday April 2nd, 2020 from 7pm to 8:30 p.m. [*note time change*]

    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.
     
    If you have not registered for the Primary Care Virtual Community, you can do so by clicking here.
     
    For those who have registered, thank you. Please note we have extended the session to 90 minutes. The Primary Care Virtual Session will now end at 8:30 p.m.
     
    Once you have registered, you will receive a confirmation email that will have an enclosed password. Please use this password for the login for the session tonight. If you have any questions please contact info@changefoundation.com.

  • 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

  • IMPORTANT ACTION REQUIRED – Personal Protective Equipment Survey (Due March 30)

    This email was sent to EDs/Administrative Leads, Board Chairs and Lead Clinicians of AFHTO member organizations.  
     
    Some of you may have already received this email from your Ontario Health regional planning table so please disregard. For those who have not received it, please see below. Please note that there is a password for the survey:
     
    PPEsurvey2020  (note – password is case sensitive, please enter exactly as it appears here).
     
    Please ensure that the person in your organization who will be completing the survey has this password.
     
    If you have any questions pertaining to the completion of this survey, we will be offering 1:1 support over the phone. Please call the PPE Survey help-desk (available 24/7) at 416-687-8445.
     
    From: EOC Operations (MOH) <EOCOperations.MOH@ontario.ca>
    To: EOC Operations (MOH) <EOCOperations.MOH@ontario.ca>
    Subject: IMPORTANT ACTION REQUIRED – Personal Protective Equipment Survey (Due March 30)
     
    Hello,
     
    Acknowledging your feedback on the Minister’s Order on Personal Protective Equipment Data Collection, we are moving all non-acute sectors to the online survey for ease of use. Please pause on reporting via the email template and follow the instructions below. Thank you to those that have already submitted reports by email.
     
    This survey is intended only for organizations identified in the Minister’s Order, excluding hospitals. Hospitals should continue to report through the Daily Bed Census tool. As a reminder, these organizations include:
     

    1. Public hospitals within the meaning of the Public Hospitals Act;
    2. Private hospitals within the meaning of the Private Hospitals Act;
    3. Psychiatric facilities within the meaning of the Mental Health Act;
    4. Independent health facilities within the meaning of the Independent Health Facilities Act;
    5. All ambulance services operating under the Ambulance Act;
    6. Long-term care homes under the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007;
    7. Service providers within the meaning of the Home Care and Community Services Act, 1994;
    8. Local Health Integration Networks within the meaning of the Local Health System Integration Act, 2006 in respect of the home and community care services they provide;
    9. Homes for special care within the meaning of the Homes for Special Care Act;
    10. All centres, programs or services for community health or mental health whose primary purpose is the provision of health care

    If your organization has previously received this request and is already completing the survey, please note the updated due date for the initial response: Monday, March 30, 2020.
     
    Per the Minister’s Order, Ontario Health will begin collecting this data daily.

    As the outbreak of COVID-19 continues to evolve locally and globally, a key challenge identified across the health care sector has been the availability of and access to personal protective equipment (PPE).
     
    To support the provincial response to the outbreak, Ontario Health is collecting data on PPE inventories across the health sector. Understanding your current status and anticipated needs is essential to our shared success in protecting your health and the health of all Ontarians.
     
    Initial provincial data will be collected through the PPE Survey described below. In addition, we continue to evaluate appropriate tools for ongoing reporting in each sector, and will provide more information when available.
     
    Time is of the essence, and we appreciate your efforts to share information as best you can.
     
    The following sections of this email provide you with the information you will need to access the survey, support completion, and the deadline for submission.
     
    Provincial PPE Survey
     
    Survey link and password
    Here is a link to the survey we are asking you to complete: survey link – click here. You will receive a password to access the survey in a separate email.
     
    Who should complete the survey?
    Please identify the individual within your organization that would be most appropriate to complete the survey (e.g., individual responsible for procurement of PPE).
     
    When should the survey be submitted?
    Please submit the initial completed survey by 5 pm, Monday, March 30, 2020. Please continue to submit completed daily surveys by 5 pm.
     
    Instructions
    The following resources are available to support survey completion:
     
    PPE Survey How-To Guide (updated April 2, 2020):
    Attached to this email is a PDF document. This document includes step-by-step instructions and tips for how to fill out the survey. (Please note – non-health sectors were asked to complete this survey on a weekly basis. We are still evaluating solutions for health sectors, so please disregard all references to a weekly cadence).
     
    Webex Training Sessions:
    A training session has been scheduled for those sectors onboarding now. Additional sessions will be scheduled if required. If you would like to attend, please add the session to your calendar, and access using the link below:

    1.    March 31: 9:30-10:30am: Click here to join  

    Help Desk Phone Number:
     
    If you have any questions pertaining to the completion of this survey, we will be offering 1:1 support over the phone. Please call our PPE Survey help-desk (available 24/7) at 416-687-8445.

    Next Steps

    • Share this email and accompanying password email with all your health service providers
    • Review the How-To Guide and attend either of the optional Webinars for instructions on completing the survey
    • Complete the survey no later than 5 pm, Monday, March 30, 2020
    • Continue to monitor your local supply and daily demand of PPE and other critical supplies and escalate any issues through your local partners and Ontario Health Region if needed

    We appreciate how responsive you have been to the many other requests you have received. Our goal is to centralize this collection to better support you in your critical work caring for the people of Ontario.
     
    Attachments:

     
    EOC Operations
    Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Emergency Operations Centre
    Eocoperations.moh@ontario.ca
    Health Care Provider Hotline: 1-866-212-2272
     
    This communication is confidential and is intended only for the person(s) to whom it is addressed. Any unauthorized disclosure, copying, other distribution of this communication or taking any action on its contents is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify me immediately and delete this message without reading, copying or forwarding it to anyone.

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

     

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

    HR, privacy and risk management during the COVID-19 pandemic –Mar. 27 webinar
    These are uncertain times and the way we are now practicing primary care has changed dramatically in the last few weeks. As we move towards more virtual care and accommodating more work from home, there are a lot of questions around how to support our staff and ensure that patient and provider safety be paramount in this ‘new normal’.  Things are evolving every day and new announcements of support are continuing to be announced.

    Making sense of it all can be a challenge with the ongoing flow of information so join us for a Q and A with Maria McDonald of McDonald HR Law and Kate Dewhirst of Kate Dewhirst Health Law to learn more about what you need to know during this challenging time.

    If you would like to submit your questions in advance to ensure they are addressed during the webinar, please feel free to send them to info@afhto.ca and we will make sure that Maria and Kate are aware of them prior to the presentation. We will add the slides and recording to our site within a business day or so of the webinar.

    A few additional items of interest:
    1. The Ontario Government released Ontario’s Action Plan 2020: Responding to COVID-19 which includes $17-billion action plan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding announced can be divided into the following three categories:

    • Direct support for health care;
    • Direct support for people and jobs;
    • Deferrals to help people and businesses increase cash flow.

     As expected, this Action Plan is noted as the first step in its response to COVID-19, with a focus on ensuring front-line health care providers get the resources they need to fight the outbreak. For details of the Action plan please visit the government website or read the H+K Insights Note that provides a summary of the investments announced.  

    2. Ontario Health is evolving its COVID-19 regional response table into a revised Health System Response structure – as details emerge we will let our members know but please take a moment to read this memo from H+K on the New Health System COVID-19 Response Structure.

    3. Ontario College of Familly Physicians has just released their In-Office Assessment Guidance to manage in-person visits.

    4. A reminder that we continue to post the Ministry situation reports daily and other relevant COVID-19 information on our website. If you have any tools/resources that you have developed and want to share, please email info@afhto.ca.

  • Bits & Pieces: new COVID-19 guidance for primary care; COVID-19, HR, privacy & risk webinar & more

    Bits & Pieces: new COVID-19 guidance for primary care; COVID-19, HR, privacy & risk webinar & more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • COVID-19 guidance for primary care
    • HR, privacy and risk management during the COVID-19 pandemic – Mar. 27 webinar
    • Reorganizing COVID-19 resources on our site
    • Shift to Virtual Care-Primary care response to COVID-19
    • Early lessons: tackling a global crisis with a community response
    • Member renewal payments-hold cheques please
    • Upcoming events including NPAO COVID-19 peer support group and CMHA Ontario and Mental Health Works Webinars – In response to COVID-19 pandemic

    COVID-19 guidance for primary care
    The Ministry has released the latest version of COVID-19 Guidance: Primary Care Providers in a Community Setting. Please use this version as your guidance document for your teams.

    Highlights include:

    • Implementing a system for virtual and/or telephone consultations
    • Referrals to local assessment centres
    • Conducting clinical examination and specimen collection using Contact/Droplet precautions
    • Link to latest case definition, signage and PHO IPAC recommendations

    HR, privacy and risk management during the COVID-19 pandemic –Mar. 27 webinar
    These are uncertain times and the way we are now practicing primary care has changed dramatically in the last few weeks. As we move towards more virtual care and accommodating more work from home, there are a lot of questions around how to support our staff and ensure that patient and provider safety be paramount in this ‘new normal’.  Things are evolving every day and new announcements of support are continuing to be announced.

    Making sense of it all can be a challenge with the ongoing flow of information so join us for a Q and A with Maria McDonald of McDonald HR Law and Kate Dewhirst of Kate Dewhirst Health Law to learn more about what you need to know during this challenging time.

    If you would like to submit your questions in advance to ensure they are addressed during the webinar, please feel free to send them to info@afhto.ca and we will make sure that Maria and Kate are aware of them prior to the presentation. We will add the slides and recording to our site within a business day or so of the webinar.

    Reorganizing COVID-19 resources on our site
    Every day new information on COVID-19 comes and we know it’s hard to sort through it all. Considering this we have reorganised the resources and updates on our site into several pages:

    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.

    *Please also note that the list of essential workplaces in response to COVID-19 was released yesterday. Primary care and the interprofessional care provided by teams are essential though not explicitly noted – as we try to get some clarity on this, the recommendation is to shift to as much virtual care as possible. We continue to press the Ministry and Ontario Health around the issue of lack of PPE and hope they will have some information in the coming days.

    Shift to Virtual Care - Primary Care Response to COVID-19 Pandemic Document

     

    Shift to Virtual Care-Primary care response to COVID-19

    On Thursday, Mar. 19 we sent the email “Update on COVID-19 and Moving Towards More Virtual Care”. It listed different tools teams might use for virtual care and activities to support patients and families during this period of self-isolation and physical distancing.

    We have now compiled those and more in Shift to Virtual Care-Primary care response to COVID-19, a document outlining what fellow teams have done to support their patients. You can also find more information on our Virtual Care, Digital Health and COVID-19 page.

     

     

     

     

    Early lessons: tackling a global crisis with a community response
    Longwoods article co-authored by Dr. Tia Pham, South East Toronto FHT on East Toronto Health Partners (ETHP)’s response to COVID-19 and lessons which may help other OHTs.

    Member renewal payments-hold cheques please
    We understand members are focused on COVID-19 right now. As we plan for the upcoming year with membership renewals please note that our building will be closed starting tomorrow. If you plan to pay by cheque, please hold for about two weeks. 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.

    NPAO COVID-19 peer support group webinar, Mar. 26
    Infectious disease outbreaks like COVID–19 can be worrying and can affect your mental health.  Because of this NPAO has set up a group chat webinar for NPs where you can share your thoughts, experiences, concerns, etc. with your colleagues. Join at 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm for free.

    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

    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
  • Letter from AFHTO’s President and Board Chair

    Letter from AFHTO’s President and Board Chair

    Tom Richard

    Dear AFHTO teammates,

    I just wanted to reach out to all of you while I have a moment to thank you for your tremendous efforts over the last couple of weeks. Like you, I have been busy working with our team to realign services, develop innovative ways to contend with COVID-19 while also continuing to provide essential care to our patients.

    In addition, working with public health and our hospital to martial resources to meet the pending demand has been a daunting planning process. I know all of you have also been working hard to make sure we can be as prepared as possible for this pandemic.

    Through this, I have observed firsthand the dedication and commitment of all our IHPs, physicians, nurse practitioners and administrative staff as we strive to contend with something that we have never before experienced. Everybody has made the patient’s interest and well-being their first priority as we plan and prepare for COVID-19.

    Your association continues to be here to support you. They have responsibly embraced social distancing and are trying to work as much as possible from home but continue to represent and assist you with matters that are of critical importance to team-based care.

    As many of you may know, the Ministry email from March 18th allows interprofessional primary care teams to re-deploy any clinical resources where they are most needed to contend with COVID-19. We are all encouraged to work closely with Public Health experts to facilitate a coordinated and effective response to this virus.

    Additionally, the Ministry has decided to delay the Annual Operating Plans and has loosened reporting timelines as they understand the challenges we are all facing now.

    I know many of you may be feeling anxious and tired, but I can assure you that our ability to adapt and confront this pandemic as a team puts us in a much stronger position to mitigate the eventual impact. By supporting our patients and each other, we will get through this and be successful in demonstrating the great value that team-based care brings to Ontario.

    Last night as I reviewed my many emails, I came across one from a grocery store chain about how they were contending with the difficult circumstances they faced as a result of this pandemic. A phrase that caught my eye was “TOUGH TIMES DON’T LAST, TOUGH TEAMS DO!” I thought this captured perfectly that attitude we must all embrace in these uncertain times.

    Look out for your patients and look after your colleagues. Support each other in the coming weeks and not only will we succeed in dealing with this pandemic, but we will also ensure that team-based care is the model of care that should be offered to all in Ontario.

    Take care,

    Dr. Tom Richard
    President and Board Chair
    Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario

  • Update on COVID-19 and Moving Towards More Virtual Care

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

    These are challenging times and we really appreciate the phenomenal care that is being provided by everyone working in team-based primary care and in health care. As the foundation of the health care system, your relationships with your patients and families are based on trust and they are looking to you now more than ever to be there for them during these very uncertain times. But through it all, taking care of yourself and your team to ensure there is a healthy workforce is paramount and important for your own health and well-being.

    However, things are ramping up and there is a real need to start capacity planning should there be a need to redeploy health human resources to the ongoing fight against COVID-19. In the next few days you’ll receive a survey from the Ministry who are looking at capacity in the system – we’ll send that as soon as we get it, and would request that you prioritize filling that in as soon as you receive it.

    Planning for More Virtual Care
    Today Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health issued a memo Re: Managing Health Worker Illness and Return to Work COVID-19. In the document he makes recommendations related to travel and return to work for health care providers. He also notes:

    While other services are decreasing their operations, in health care you are being called upon to care for patients and to be ready for surge. I am asking, where there may be an opportunity, for all health system employers to facilitate work arrangements that enable appropriate employees to work from home or to work virtually, if not re-deployable.

    Health system employers should also consider a review of their services and practices to identify how they can provide services to patient groups virtually or remotely.

    These are uncertain times, but the recommendation is to try to accommodate care for patients virtually as much as possible. If your providers, including IHPs and admin staff, do need to come into the clinics please ensure they are well protected. We are very aware of the PPE challenges in primary care and continue to press the Ministry and Ontario Health for updates on the supply issues and hope to have some information on that when provided.  

    We are currently working on business continuity plans and collecting policies related to accommodating staff to work from home and hope to share that with you soon – a reminder that we are posting materials on our site daily including the Ministry’s COVID-19 Situation Reports. If you have anything you can share, please send to info@afhto.ca and we will make sure to share it with the teams.

    Many teams have already started virtual care or employing some activities to support patients and families during this period of self isolation and social distancing. Here are some tools you may want o implement with your teams:

  • Bits & Pieces: ON state of emergency, COVID-19 updates & more

    Bits & Pieces: ON state of emergency, COVID-19 updates & more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • Ontario declares state of emergency
    • COVID-19 updates including memo
    • Selecting an IPAC representative
    • Virtual visit billing codes, PPE recommendations & steps to reduce spread
    • Members’ stories
    • Registration now open for Project ECHO Ontario Bariatric Network (OBN) series starting April 2, 2020
    • NPAO Patient Choice Award
    • Upcoming events including Leading in turbulent times

    Ontario declares state of emergency
    Today, the Government of Ontario announced that it is making an order declaring a state of emergency under s 7.0.1 (1) the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act.

    Updates relevant to health care include:

    • $100 million for increased capacity in hospitals to assist with the effective treatment of COVID-19 patients both in critical care and medicine beds.
    • $50 million for more testing and screening through public health, including additional funding to support extraordinary costs incurred to monitor, detect and contain COVID-19 in the province. This includes contact tracing, increased laboratory testing capacity and home testing.
    • $50 million to further protect frontline workers, first responders and patients by increasing the supply of personal protective equipment and other critical supplies and equipment to protect them.
    • $25 million to support frontline workers working in COVID-19 assessment centres, including the creation of a new fund to provide respite care, child care services and other supports as they are needed.
    • $4 million for Indigenous communities to support transportation costs for health care professionals and the distribution of critical supplies.

    You can also read H+K’s insight note on the declaration here.

    COVID-19 updates including memo

    For EDs, Lead Clinicians and Board Chairs:
    At this time only 107 of 193 members have either completed this short survey to track provider preparedness, or otherwise contacted us. The Ministry of Health and Ontario Health (Shared Services) have emphasised the importance of filling this out. Please do so as soon as possible. This is a direct link to the spreadsheet, with no need to log in.

    Health care providers facing immediate challenges with their personal protective equipment supply levels can email the ministry at EOCLogistics.MOH@ontario.ca.We have also asked Ontario Health for an update on PPE supply and hope to get some information to you soon.

    We continue to update the relevant page on COVID-19, including the self-assessment tool and a memo from the provincial command table dated Mar. 16. If you have any questions, you can also email EOCOperations.moh@ontario.ca.

    You can also read H+K’s memo on yesterday’s press conference from the Ontario government here.

    Infection control resource page

    Selecting an IPAC representative

    During emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic, clinical sites may start thinking about their own policies including infection control.  Per a regional IPAC Specialist at Public Health Ontario, selecting an IPAC representative may be very different from team to team. Hamilton FHT, for example, has designated Quality Improvement individuals who take on this role.

    Smaller teams may not have this option and may choose to find someone who is interested in the role, or whose current role most closely fits with the role (e.g., patient safety).  

    It may also be the case that they do not wish to have an overarching IPAC person but have an individual at each clinical site that is responsible for IPAC.

    If you are looking at training for your team you may want to consider:

    • IPAC Canada keeps a list of paid courses here. They cover a lot of ground and have a lot of information that may not be applicable to a team setting.
    • Free Public Health Ontario resources are shown on our infection control resource page.

    We’re working with PHO to develop tools, resources and webinars for our members once we’re able to focus more on everyday concerns and will be surveying our members shortly to get your thoughts on what is needed. But in the meantime, please share any resources you have developed by sending them to info@afhto.ca.

    Virtual visit billing codes, PPE recommendations & steps to reduce spread

    Members’ stories

    Bancroft Community FHT – Bancroft Community FHT Doctor presented with Council of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Award

    South East Toronto and North York FHTs – Your next visit to a doctor may not be face to face. Ontario shifting to virtual-first model in bid to halt spread of COVID-19

    Project ECHO Ontario Bariatric Network

    Registration now open for Project ECHO Ontario Bariatric Network (OBN) series starting April 2, 2020

    Update your knowledge on post bariatric care and obesity management by joining the upcoming videoconferencing series hosted by Guelph General Hospital Bariatric Centre of Excellence. Discuss patient cases and learn about leading surgical and medical treatment options for patients with obesity and strategies to identify and prevent potential post – operative complications. Sessions are offered at no cost to all practitioners and allied health professionals working in primary care.

    Find out more and register here.

    NPAO Patient Choice Award
    Nominations for this award are submitted by patients, based on their description of their nurse practitioner’s professional qualities, approach to patient care and specific stories of dedication and how the nurse practitioner has made a difference in their lives or the lives of others. You can find a poster for your wait room and more information here. Deadline June 22, 2020.

    Leading in turbulent times – how to guide your teams through the Coronavirus pandemic, March 19, 2020
    Learn how to apply LEADs framework so you can lead to support and protect the community from widespread exposure.
    Learn more here.

    Electronic Asthma Management System (EAMS) – OSCAR Tool Demonstration, March 24, 2020
    Join this webinar for an hour-long demonstration to learn more about EAMS. Register here!

    Managing the Complex Patient: Diagnosis, Treatment and Follow-Up: CHEP+ Conference, April 4, 2020
    The second annual CHEP+ conference is accredited and now being offered online. Learn to cover C-CHANGE guidelines. Find out more here.

    Rainbow Health Ontario Conference, CANCELLED
    The RHO conference was cancelled, and paid conference registration fees will be fully refunded. Click here for more information.

    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

    Together We Care: OTLCA & ORCA Conference, CANCELLED
    This convention has been cancelled, including the OLTCA’s general meeting and leadership dinner. The ORCA general meeting will proceed via webinar. Click here for more information.

    Insomnia Interventions: First-Line Treatment for Insomnia in Primary Care, POSTPONED
    This program has been postponed. Click here for more information.