Tag: Members Only News

Your Weekly News & Updates

Major overhaul to ON healthcare

This morning, the government announced a major overhaul to the health care system through legislation that will, if passed, create Ontario Health. This agency will have oversight of 30-50 Ontario Health Teams – teams that will connect local health care providers and services around patients and families. The Minister’s announcement can be heard here, and the legislation will be introduced this afternoon. More information is here, and it will be regularly updated.

MPP Advocacy: Primary care takes a team

The legislature has resumed, and the legislation for significant changes to the health care system was announced today. All MPPs will be there as this legislation is debated, so keep up the great work with local meetings. MPPs can work to see team-based primary care be a key part of this reform if they know its value. Tools and resources are online, including key messages we encourage you communicate. We have also posted a new literature piece for your use. You’ll receive a few hard copies in the mail in the next 2-3 weeks!

Reminder- Harvard ManageMentor Mar. 5

Join us next Tues. Mar. 5, 12:00-1:00 p.m. for a lunch and learn session hosted in partnership with Harvard ManageMentor.

A self-directed online-learning program affiliated with the Harvard School of Business, it covers over 40 topics of vital relevance to today’s healthcare managers. Each module helps strengthen specific leadership skills that drive performance and results.

New toolkits from Choosing Wisely Ontario

You can help reduce unnecessary testing and treatments, starting with these new toolkits from Choosing Wisely Ontario:

• Benzodiazepine use
• Imaging for low back pain

Addressing gaps experienced by adults with developmental disabilities

The Health Care Access Research and Developmental Disabilities (H-CARDD) Program has released its latest report, Addressing Gaps in the Health Care Services Used by Adults with Developmental Disabilities in Ontario.

Results show that adults with developmental disabilities were disadvantaged for every outcome examined. This was true regardless of age, sex, the wealth or poverty of the neighbourhood where they lived, or the kind of developmental disability they had. Find out more about this and their recommendations here.

Overview of the Redesigned OHIP+

The Ministry will be hosting weekly webinars to provide an overview of the redesigned OHIP+ and to answer questions regarding changes to Ontario Drug Benefit program coverage for children and youth aged 24 years and under. Webinars will be held each week on Wednesdays from 12:15-1:00 pm

Click on this link to access the webinar on Wednesday February 27, 2019 from 12:15-1:00 pm.

Teleconference information will be available at this link 10 minutes prior to the start of the webinar. Please mute your phone by pressing *6 once you have dialed in.

If you do not have the latest version of Adobe installed on your device, please click on the link a few minutes early in the event you are prompted to update your software.

Seeking input on TELUS Health’s Babylon mobile app

A 2nd-year graduate student in the Master of Science in Sustainability Management program at the University of Toronto, Irene Duah-Kessie, is conducting a project on a new health care mobile app named Babylon by TELUS Health. The aim of the app is to make care more accessible for patients without a family doctor, who have after-hours non-emergent needs, and/or live in rural areas.

She’s currently looking for family physicians across the GTA to participate in a confidential 30-minute interview to initiate a conversation on how the app will impact physicians and their patients. The results will be used to develop a strategic plan to guide the implementation of this app in Ontario. She will be in the field now until Friday, March 15th.

If you are interested in participating in this work or have any further questions, please email irene.kessie@mail.utoronto.ca.

Updating the Guideline for Diagnosing and Managing Pediatric Concussion

The process to update the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation’s ‘Guideline for Diagnosing and Managing Pediatric Concussion’ published in June, 2014 to guide healthcare professionals in diagnosing and managing pediatric concussion is underway.

Led by Drs. Roger Zemek (Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario; University of Ottawa) and Nick Reed (Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital; University of Toronto), this process has involved clinicians and researchers from the disciplines involved in pediatric concussion. Learn more here.

Team-Based Approaches to Chronic Pain Management: Opioid Stewardship, Feb. 28, 2019

Nearly 20% of Canadian adults experience chronic pain. This webinar will provide insights to help your patients manage their pain safely and effectively, and introduce you to the Opioids Clinical Primer. Register today.

7th Annual Addictions and Mental Health Conference, May 26-28, 2019

Registration is now open for Where Change Happens. Find out about the program and register here.

Governance Webcast Series: Risk Management, Mar. 27, 2019

Join us to discuss risk management and the board’s role and leading practices in this. Register here.

Health Care Consent & Advance Care Planning in Ontario, Feb. 27, 2019

Hosted by Hospice Palliative Care Ontario. Find out more.

Your Weekly News & Updates

New website coming soon

We’re working hard on the new AFHTO website, testing every feature to ensure it works for you.

Some of these include:

• Individual login
• Different access levels for triad and staff
• Refined search and more user-friendly features

We’re currently checking for bugs and glitches, but we’ll be revealing it within a couple of weeks. Stay tuned for the results!

Building Together registration deadlines this week

The deadlines to register for Building Together: How to become a high-performing team are Feb. 20 and Feb. 22 for the Ottawa and Toronto workshops respectively.

What makes a good team great? Join us at this FREE workshop on March 6 and 8 to find out.

Developed and presented with our research partners at Western University, originated with last year’s QI Enablers Study.

This is for every member of a primary care team. Everyone is welcome, from the official and unofficial leaders to the clinicians and the clerical staff. Team-building happens from the bottom up and the top down, and from all other directions as well.

When and where?

• Ottawa: Wed., Mar. 6, 2019
• Toronto: Fri., Mar. 8, 2019

For more information, check out our FAQ or the web post.

Teams continue to meet with MPPs

It’s great to see MPP meetings happening across the province! This work is helping to ensure MPPs understand and can speak to the value of team-based care. The legislature resumes today, and work around health care reform is expected to be a focus. Now is the time to meet with MPPs. Tools and resources are here, including the key points we encourage you communicate.

Call for submissions – Ted Freedman Award

The Ted Freedman Award for Innovation in Education is open to all healthcare organizations and recognizes those individuals or organizations that inspire, advocate and enable education in health, health services and healthcare management. Deadline is Mar. 15, 2019.

For submission guidelines and further information visit their site.

OCFP 2019 Awards call for nominations

Nominations are now open for the 2019 OCFP Awards, celebrating family medicine and the contributions that Ontario’s family physicians make with their patients, communities and our healthcare system. AFHTO members have won numerous awards, including Family Physician and Family Practice of the Year.

For additional information please visit their site. Deadline is Apr. 8, 2019.

Social Work Week Resources

Social Work Week will take place from March 4 – 10, 2019. The Ontario Association of Social Workers invites teams to participate in an online celebration by sharing what issue you turn into answers using their downloadable speech bubbles. You can use the hashtag #TurnIssuesIntoAnswers and/or #SocialWorkWeek2019

Social workers or teams can also use the speech bubbles to engage with one another in person and create a collage or poster in their workplace, transitioning this into a meaningful and interactive experience for all. You can access digital resources here.

Government Webcast Series: Strategic Planning and Public Complaints: Feb. 20, 2019

Attend this webcast on strategic planning and public complaints. Register now!

Building Together: How to become a high-performing team, Mar. 6 & 8, 2019

What makes a good team great? To find out, join us on March 6 in Ottawa and March 8 in Toronto. It’s free, interactive, and interprofessional! Register now for Ottawa and Toronto.

Spirometry Interpretation Workshop, Feb. 21, 2019

Learn the ins and outs of Spirometry at this workshop held in Stratford. Learn more here.

Considerations for Implementing the NP Role within your Team, Feb. 22, 2019

Join Beth Cowper-Fung, AFHTO’s President and Board Chair and Clinical Director of Georgina NPLC & Claudia Mariano, Manager, Practice and Policy, NPAO, for this interactive session. Register here

Team-Based Approaches to Chronic Pain Management: Opioid Stewardship, Feb. 28, 2019

Nearly 20% of Canadian adults experience chronic pain. This webinar will provide insights to help your patients manage their pain safely and effectively, and introduce you to the Opioids Clinical Primer. Register today.

Your Weekly News & Updates

In this Issue:

Build, broaden and refresh your leadership skills with Harvard ManageMentor

Join us Tues. Mar. 5, 12:00-1:00 p.m. for a lunch and learn session hosted in partnership with Harvard ManageMentor.

What is Harvard ManageMentor?

• A self-directed online-learning program affiliated with the Harvard School of Business
• Covers over 40 topics of vital relevance to today’s healthcare managers. Each module helps strengthen specific leadership skills that drive performance and results.
• Includes quick videos, Learn-Practice-Reflect lessons, assessments and downloadable resources/tools for your everyday management responsibilities and challenges

Teams meeting with MPPs

Several teams in Niagara region met with MPP Wayne Gates this week. Meetings across the province continue, helping MPPs from all parties speak to the value of team-based care for their community. The legislature resumes next week, and the government is undertaking health system reform, so now is the time to meet! Tools and resources are here.

Please aim to communicate the three key points, so the message the government hears is consistent and aligns with their priorities.

And don’t forget to let us know when you’re meeting, so we can add it to our website!

Reminder- fill out the GoodLife Fitness discount survey by Feb. 19

AFHTO is looking into setting up a partnership with GoodLife Fitness to provide great savings on membership for all our members and their families. This includes access to all GoodLife Fitness clubs across Canada.

We need to find out if there’s enough interest first before we can proceed. If you’re interested in a possible membership, please complete the survey by Feb. 19. This will determine if we go ahead with the program.

ECHO Evening Series

ECHO Ontario will be hosting 2 different series in February/March, 2019. ECHO sessions consist of a short didactic lecture by an interprofessional specialist team and real de-identified patient cases presented by participants.

ECHO Liver:
Date:  Feb. 21, 2019
Topic:  Liver Disease in Primary Care: Approach to Liver Enzymes

Click here to register or for more details

ECHO Chronic Pain/Opioid Stewardship
A 4-part series on Buprenorphine/Naloxone prescribing, starting Feb. 25

Click here to register or for more details

Pain competence assessment tool reliability testing

The Musculoskeletal Program at Toronto Rehabilitation Institute (TRI) has developed a new Pain competence assessment tool (PCAT) to assess competence among clinicians managing chronic pain (CP) patients. They’re now conducting a reliability testing for the new PCAT.

To do this, they’re recruiting clinicians (family physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, pharmacists, social workers, and psychologists), who are working at a primary care setting to participate in this study. As an appreciation for your time, you will be compensated by a $25 gift card. You can find out more or take the survey here.

Seeking input: a draft early pregnancy complications and loss quality standard

Share your thoughts on a draft quality standard to address early pregnancy complications and loss. It’s estimated that 1 in 5 pregnancies will end in miscarriage, with 80% of them occurring in the first trimester.

Send your feedback by Feb. 26, 2019.

This quality standard and accompanying patient guide, being developed by Health Quality Ontario and the Pregnancy and Infant Loss Network, outline for patients and clinicians what quality care looks like.

Trillium Primary Health Care Research Day

Taking place on June 5, 2019, you can submit an abstract or register today. Limited travel grants available.

Seeking input – national guidance on workplace violence and harassment

The Public Services Health and Safety Association (PSHSA) is conducting research on behalf of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA Group), a global organization dedicated to safety, social good, and sustainability.

The purpose of the research is to determine the need for national standards or guidance on the prevention and management of workplace violence and harassment and to recommend where further work needs to be done on any identified gaps. Please respond to the survey. Deadline is Feb. 21, 2019.

Government Webcast Series: Strategic Planning and Public Complaints: Feb. 20, 2019

Attend this webcast on strategic planning and public complaints. Register now!

Considerations for Implementing the NP Role within your Team, Feb. 22, 2019

Join Beth Cowper-Fung, AFHTO’s President and Board Chair and Clinical Director of Georgina NPLC & Claudia Mariano, Manager, Practice and Policy, NPAO, for this interactive session. Register here

Building Together: How to become a high-performing team, Mar. 6 & 8, 2019

What makes a good team great? To find out, join us on March 6 in Ottawa and March 8 in Toronto. It’s free, interactive, and interprofessional! Register now for Ottawa and Toronto.

Team-Based Approaches to Chronic Pain Management: Opioid Stewardship, Feb. 28, 2019 Nearly 20% of Canadian adults experience chronic pain. This webinar will provide insights to help your patients manage their pain safely and effectively, and introduce you to the Opioids Clinical Primer. Register today.

How big data changed sports and will revolutionize your health care, Feb. 21, 2019

Join HQO’s Quality Rounds on how teams can leverage data to support patients. Save the link here.

Your Weekly News & Updates

In this Issue:

Important healthcare updates

Premier’s Council interim report: The Premier’s Council on Improving Health Care and Ending Hallway Medicine just released their first report. It provides an assessment of Ontario’s health care system and lays the groundwork for future reports that will speak to recommendations for health system restructuring. Visit our site for an overview.

AFHTO’s 2019 Pre-Budget Submission: many of the report’s findings are consistent with AFHTO priorities and aligned with our most recent Pre-Budget Submission to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs as part of the 2019 Ontario Pre-Budget Consultations in January.

See our key recommendations on primary care and mental health; transitioning care coordination to primary care; expansion of interprofessional team-based care; and facilitating and funding a strategy that spreads existing models of performance measurement in primary care across Ontario. Delve deeper here.

Draft Health System Efficiency Act in the media:

AFHTO is aware that a draft bill from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care was leaked to the press last week. The Health System Efficiency Act, 2019 appears to be in early stages, but the draft provides a high-level overview of what may be a major structural overhaul of health services in the province.

A summary of the draft legislation, as it read on January 31 when leaked, is here. The draft itself can be seen through online media.

Additional documents that imply major changes to the health care system were also leaked to the media on Feb. 4. When we get factual information about the direction the government is heading with health system restructuring, we will let our members know. In the meantime, we continue to encourage teams to reach out to their MPP to speak about the value of team-based care in their communities. Tools and resources are here.

Interested in knowing how to maximize your HOOPP pension and to get a retirement estimate?

HOOPP is offering 3 webcasts for employees who are on the pension plan.

• HOOPP Overview
• HOOPP Connect, your pension at a glance
• Preparing for retirement

You can view the webcasts and register through this link -scroll to the bottom for the link to the webcast schedule and registration link.

HOOPP will also be hosting several regional presentations in the evening and on weekends at various cities across Ontario. These will be added to the link when they’re scheduled. If your organization has the HOOPP, please distribute this to all your employees on the pension plan.

Do you want a GoodLife Fitness discount?

AFHTO is looking into setting up a partnership with GoodLife Fitness to provide great savings on membership for all our members and their families. The membership includes access to all GoodLife Fitness clubs across Canada.

We need to determine whether there is enough interest from our members first before we can proceed with a program. Please complete the survey no later than Feb. 19, if you’re interested in a possible membership. This will determine if we go ahead with the program.

Better care for your patients who experience chronic pain
Nearly 20% of Canadian adults experience chronic pain. This webinar will provide insights to help your patients manage their pain safely and effectively. Join us on Thurs., Feb. 28 for a free one-hour webinar, Team-Based Approaches to Chronic Pain Management: Opioid Stewardship. Register here.

Radon course

For non-smokers, radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in Canada. Talking to your patients about the need to test their homes is an important part of preventing radon-related cancer.

McMaster University has designed a free, certified program to provide you and your colleagues with reliable, evidence-based information on radon. Get started at radon.machealth.ca.

Virtual masterclass on the conduct and use of patient-oriented research

McMaster Health Forum is offering four virtual offerings of the Masterclass on the Conduct and Use of Patient-Oriented Research. Each offering will cover the same material as the original face-to-face masterclass although in a virtual setting spread over 11 weeks each. You can find all of the details here.

The first of the four virtual masterclass offerings is scheduled to begin on Mon. Feb. 25.

Reminder – you can join a virtual primary care network

The Change Foundation has agreed to convene Ontario’s first virtual primary care network to discuss health system change. AFHTO and the Ontario College of Family Physicians look forward to continuing to support creating the space and opportunity for future discussions with primary care and propelling change within Ontario.

Does joining a virtual community interest you? Click here

Reminder – 2019 LeaderShift registration open!

Registration is open for the spring 2019 LeaderShift LEADS learning series cohorts. Build your capacity to lead organizations, strengthen partnerships, improve the health and vitality of your community, and contribute to transformation of the health system in a 5-day, in-person learning series that will make you LEADS certified. Toronto cohort deadline is Feb. 8. Learn more and see the dates and registration links here.

Humber students available

Humber College invites you to participate in the Paid Work Term (Work-Integrated Learning) component of Bachelor of Commerce – Healthcare Management program. Students will be available to start near the end of April 2019. For more information:

• Letter of introduction
• Curriculum
• Job opportunity form

CIRA community investment program applications open

Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) has requested applications to help ‘build a better online Canada’. Focus areas include infrastructure, access, digital literacy, engagement and services.

Deadline Feb. 28, 2019. Find out more.

Government Webcast Series: Strategic Planning and Public Complaints: Feb. 20, 2019

Attend this webcast on strategic planning and public complaints. Register now!

Considerations for Implementing the NP Role within your Team, Feb. 22, 2019

Join Beth Cowper-Fung, AFHTO’s President and Board Chair and Clinical Director of Georgina NPLC & Claudia Mariano, Manager, Practice and Policy, NPAO, for this interactive session. Register here

Building Together: How to become a high-performing team, Mar. 6 & 8, 2019

What makes a good team great? To find out, join us on March 6 in Ottawa and March 8 in Toronto. It’s free, interactive, and interprofessional! Register now for Ottawa and Toronto.

Opioids Clinical Primer

MacHealth has released “Safer Opioid Prescribing Strategies, the third of six free courses on understanding and managing the ongoing opioid crisis. Learn more here.

Your Weekly News & Updates

Members in the media

Windsor FHT: Team Care Centre opens doors to Windsor community, offers ‘upstream approach’ to patient care

Powassan and Area FHT: Powassan and Area FHT officially opens new home

Madawaska Valley FHT: Madawaska Valley opens family health team

Advocating for team-based care with your MPP

Tools and resources to help communicate the value of team-based care to your MPP are now online. As the new government undertakes health system and primary care reform, let’s show how team-based care aligns with their priorities.

Share your stories and the great work you’re doing every single day. And don’t forget to tweet (and tag @afhto) and send a picture to info@afhto.ca so we can share the amazing advocacy work happening across the province!

Transforming primary care for older Canadians living with frailty

In this interactive webinar, you’ll learn about an innovative research project that is currently underway across Canada. With the support of the Canadian Frailty Network, researchers, collaborators, health care providers and older adults are working together to develop a feasible and sustainable model that includes: consistent screening and assessment of frailty, improved patient engagement and shared decision making, and the use of technology to improve care coordination. The webinar will take place on Thursday, March 21 from 12:00-1:00pm EST.

Learn more and register for the event.

Ontario eConsult

The Ontario eConsult program, co-developed by Dr. Clare Liddy, The Ottawa Hospital Academic FHT, is designed to improve access to specialists. It’s being broadly rolled out across the province.

Family physicians and nurse practitioners can now access 78 different specialty groups including addiction medicine, genetics, chronic pain, and transgender care in addition to the more frequently requested services such as GI, cardiology, rheumatology, and neurology.

Primary care providers using the service are very enthusiastic especially as the response time is so quick-2 days on average- instead of waiting months for an appointment. Read the fact sheet to find out more.

Mediterranean Diet Toolkit

Developed by the Ontario Primary Health Care Action Group, the Mediterranean Diet Toolkit: Supporting Patients to Reduce CVD Risk and Improve Mental Health is designed to help primary care practitioners successfully implement the Mediterranean diet with their patients and clients. Special thanks to Michele MacDonald Werstuck, Lee Kapuscinski and Denis Tsang for their leadership and expertise in its development.

In the toolkit you’ll find:

• Validated Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Screening tools
• Patient resources such as handouts and menu plans
• Custom EMR templates for Telus Practice Solutions
• Key research articles
• Powerpoint presentation

And don’t forget, the revised Canada’s Food Guide was released last week.

Government Webcast Series: Strategic Planning and Public Complaints: Feb. 20, 2019

Attend this webcast on strategic planning and public complaints. Register now!

Building Together: How to become a high-performing team, Mar. 6 & 8, 2019

What makes a good team great? To find out, join us on March 6 in Ottawa and March 8 in Toronto. It’s free, interactive, and interprofessional! Register now for Ottawa and Toronto.

Considerations for Implementing the NP Role within your Team, Feb. 22, 2019

Join Beth Cowper-Fung, AFHTO’s President and Board Chair and Clinical Director of Georgina NPLC & Claudia Mariano, Manager, Practice and Policy, NPAO, for this interactive session. Register here

Leukemia 101- Training for oncology nurses and allied healthcare professionals, Feb. 6, 2019

Join this free webcast on Leukemia, hosted by the LLSC. Learn more here.

Your Weekly News & Updates

How to become a high-performing team

What makes a good team great? To find out, join us on March 6 in Ottawa and March 8 in Toronto for Building Together: How to become a high-performing team. It’s free, interactive, and interprofessional! Register now for Ottawa and Toronto.

Farewell to Catherine Macdonald

It is with genuinely mixed feelings we announce that Catherine Macdonald will be leaving AFHTO to join the Alliance for Healthier Communities (formerly AOHC) in a new role of Knowledge Translation Specialist, working directly with their performance and communication teams.

Catherine has been with AFHTO for three and a half years, starting first as our conference assistant before moving on to supporting our Governance & Leadership and Quality Improvement Decision Support Programs, so many have you had the pleasure of working with her over the last few years.

We’re going to miss Catherine but know she will bring to the Alliance a wealth of experience and dedication that will continue to further the quality agenda in primary care. Please join us in wishing Catherine our sincerest best wishes and wish her well in the new role. Her last day with AFHTO will be Friday, February 1^st – any questions related to the QIDS work can be directed to improve@afhto.ca.

Considerations for implementing the NP role within your team

Join Beth Cowper-Fung, AFHTO’s President and Board Chair and Clinical Director of Georgina NPLC & Claudia Mariano, Manager, Practice and Policy, NPAO, for an interactive session on the role of an NP in team-based primary care. Bring your questions and examples and hear directly from two experienced NPs.

When:  Friday, Feb. 22^nd, 2019
Time:  12:00 to 1:00 p.m.

Register here.

LeaderShift Spring 2019 LEADS applications now open

Earn your LEADS certificate this spring for free. Applications for four new LEADS cohorts are now open and travel subsidies are available. You can apply for:

• Toronto #1: March 5- 20
• Oshawa: May 1- 30
• Hamilton: May 1- June 5
• Toronto #2: May 7- June 6

Application deadlines are on the LeaderShift website.  Spread the word to your colleagues, and if you applied for a cohort in 2018 and didn’t get an opportunity to attend, now’s your chance to re-apply. Learn more today.

Primary Care and Health System Change video available

In November The Change Foundation hosted Primary Care and Health System Change webinar, the recording of which is available here. Focused on how to lead change in Ontario, the conversation was facilitated by globally recognized change leader, Dr. Helen Bevan. Dr. Robert Varnam, who has led transformative primary care change in the National Health Service (NHS)- England, and an esteemed panel of primary care physicians, including Dr. Rob Annis, North Perth FHT and AFHTO’s board and Dr. Sarah Newbery, Marathon FHT, joined her.

Building on this momentum, The Change Foundation has agreed to convene Ontario’s first virtual primary care network to discuss health system change. AFHTO and the Ontario College of Family Physicians look forward to continuing to support creating the space and opportunity for future discussions with primary care and propelling change within Ontario.

Does joining a virtual community interest you? Click Here

CHOGIP and online Human Resources toolkit

CHOGIP: as AFHTO members, you’re eligible for the customized Community Health Ontario Group Insurance Program (CHOGIP). Contact Arthur J. Gallagher to request a complimentary consultation session to review your present Benefits Plan on a no-cost/no-obligation basis.

Human Resources toolkit: AFHTO, in partnership with Humaniqa and Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (Gallagher), is pleased to offer a comprehensive, online Human Resources toolkit. This web‐based solution offers tools and resources aimed at streamlining and easing the administrative burden for HR professionals. The program is free to CHOGIP members and available at a discounted price for others.

HOOPP webinars for primary care

Eighty percent of public sector employees said that pension benefits are a critical factor in accepting a job. Find out if becoming a participating Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) employer is right for you. The presentation will include detailed steps to becoming a participating HOOPP employer including information about becoming an OHA member.

• Wed., Feb. 20, 2019, 12:00pm to 1:00pm
• Thurs., Feb. 28, 2019 – 12:00pm – 1:00pm
• ·Tues. Mar. 5, 2019 – 12:00pm to 1:00pm

New resource to help obtain income support for patients with mental illness related disability

Many people receive mental health care in primary care with limited access to specialists, yet ODSP uses specialist treatment and hospitalization to determine degree of disability. This report from the Collaborative Mental Health Care Working Group, University of Toronto can help you advocate for your patients.

Global Leadership Conference proposals due Feb. 1

On October 24-27, 2019 the International Leadership Association (ILA) is hosting their 21^st Annual Global Conference “Leadership: Courage Required” in Ottawa.

Submission deadline is Feb. 1, 2019 and can be submitted at their site.

Health Quality Ontario news

2019/20 Quality Improvement Plans (QIPs) priorities: priorities are now available and based on issues highlighted in Measuring Up 2018.

The 2019/20 QIP priorities focus on issues related to reducing wait times, better transitions and hallway health care. There are also fewer indicators to make it easier for organizations to complete and implement their plans.

New quality standard for low back pain: Health Quality Ontario has released a new quality standard: Low Back Pain. For more information about quality standards, visit their website.

Falling Through the Cracks: Greg’s Story: Jan. 24, 2019

Bookmark the webinar link for HQO’s virtual screening of Greg’s Story, a short film of a cancer patient’s journey through Alberta’s healthcare system. Learn more here.

Leukemia 101- Training for oncology nurses and allied healthcare professionals: Feb. 6, 2019

Join this free webcast on Leukemia, hosted by the LLSC. Learn more here.

Government Webcast Series: Strategic Planning and Public Complaints: Feb. 20, 2019

Attend this webcast on strategic planning and public complaints. Register now!

Your Weekly News & Updates

Reminder: This Friday, learn how to advocate for team-based care

Join Hill+Knowlton Strategies, our government relations firm, this Friday, January 18, from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. to hear about the new government’s priorities, to discuss how to work with your MPP, and to review the prepared key messages that will resonate.

It’s important that MPPs are champions for team-based care as the government reviews primary care in the province and how it’s delivered. Learn how to effectively communicate with yours! Register for the webinar here.

Leading transformation: building adaptive capacity

This Advanced Learning Program offered by the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME) has two modules, starting Feb. 28, 2019. Learners are presented with a leadership framework that focuses on building the capacity within themselves, their teams and their organizations to respond adaptively to the depth, pace and scope of change. You can learn more here and apply here. Early bird deadline is Jan. 17, 2019.

Buprenorphine-Naloxone treatment for opioid use disorder: Free course from CAMH

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is offering a free course on buprenorphine-naloxone treatment for frontline providers who provide treatment for opioid use disorder. The course fee ($350) is waived and covered by the Opioid De-Implementation Project if you use the link below to register.

• Learn more about the course and learning objectives
• Register for the course-last day to register is March 11, 2019. Limited spots available.

OISE Psychology Clinic welcomes child/youth and family therapy referrals

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) Psychology Clinic, a University of Toronto training site, has expanded services and is currently welcoming child/youth and family therapy referrals. Sliding scale fees are available. The clinic also offers opportunities for onsite visits to talk about the services being offered. To learn more, visit their site and see their poster.

What are your clinical needs as a primary care provider?

The Centre for Effective Practice (CEP) needs your help to select topics to inform their tool development process. What areas of patient care do you believe need clinical tools (e.g. decision aid, medication algorithm or evidence summary)? What topics interest you and would serve your needs as a primary care provider?

Make your voice heard by participating in a short survey. It only takes five minutes and your answers will directly inform the clinical tools developed this year. All individual responses will remain anonymous.

The CEP develops new clinical tools each year based on feedback from primary care providers such as yourself. All of the clinical tools and resources can be freely accessed on cep.health.

Click here to take the survey.

Prescription to get active

Prescription To Get Active uses the power of a doctor or NP’s prescription to help encourage deconditioned, sedentary at risk patients to get more active. There are no costs associated with becoming a prescribing member and prescribers are asked only to commit to the program and reporting total Rx’s written on a quarterly basis.

The only standardized provincial program to offer this level to all Ontarians, it’s now running in Markham, Stouffville, London, Toronto and Bancroft. You can find out more below:

•  Video
• Website
• FAQ
• Letter to prescribers
• 2017 Q4 stats

Volunteers needed for post-stroke rehabilitation research study

Research has shown that music engages the brain bilaterally throughout extended networks.  Volunteers between the ages of 30 and 79 who have had a stroke more than 6 months ago and have difficulty with arm and/or hand movements are needed for a clinical research study using music and rhythm in post-stroke rehabilitation.

For further information:

• https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03246217
•  https://www.canadianstroke.ca/en/research/recruiting-studies/

,or contact the investigator, Catherine Haire, at 647-521-5381; catherine.haire@mail.utoronto.ca.

Predicting the Future: Charitable sector careers for the workforce of 2020: Jan. 22, 2019

Learn what’s driving the Future of Work and the value of incorporating new tools and approaches into how you address staffing challenges. Register now!

Changing CARE: Made-in-Ontario approaches to improving the caregiver experience: Jan. 28, 2019, Toronto

Registration is required for this free event by the Change Foundation. Learn more here.

Government Webcast Series: Strategic Planning and Public Complaints: Feb. 20, 2019

Attend this webcast on strategic planning and public complaints. Register now!