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Tag: Success Stories

  • AFHTO members leading Ontario Health Teams

    Originally published Jul. 30, 2019. Last updated Dec. 4, 2019

    On July 18, 2019, the Minister of Health, Hon. Christine Elliott, hosted a town hall to provide an update on the next steps for becoming an Ontario Health Team (OHT) for those who completed a self-assessment. With more than 150 submissions received, OHTs are being positioned as a new way to deliver care by providing seamless transitions of care for patients and removing barriers for providers.

    Out of the readiness assessments received, 74 teams have demonstrated the core components necessary for the development of the OHT (inclusion of primary care, acute care and community care). Thirty-one (31) teams have been invited to proceed to full application phase (which need to be submitted by October) and then forty-three (43) teams are moving to in development.

    After the town hall, multiple announcements for individual applications went out and AFHTO members so far are either leading or actively involved in multiple OHTs who can now proceed to full application.

    Announced:

    Proceeding to full application:

    Congratulations to all our teams proceeding to the next phase and all those who have been invited to develop their application further.

    This page will be updated when relevant news is received.

    Relevant Links:

  • Bits & Pieces: more OHTs, in-yr reconciliation webinar, OCFP awards members & more

    Bits & Pieces: more OHTs, in-yr reconciliation webinar, OCFP awards members & more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • More OHTs announced
    • In-year reconciliation deadline webcast
    • OCFP recognises AFHTO members at 2019 Awards Ceremony
    • Digital Health Toolbox slides and video available
    • Safer opioid prescribing through a clinic-wide urine drug testing system – the HARMS Program
    • Holiday perks
    • New toolkit for people who provide and who receive mental health care
    • Upcoming events on virtual care, preparing for audits and more

    More OHTs announced
    As of Dec. 3, more of the first 24 Ontario Health Teams were announced:

    • Southlake Community OHT – including Aurora-Newmarket FHT, Georgina NPLC and Southlake Academic FHT
    • Guelph and Area OHT – including East Wellington and Guelph FHTs, eHealth Centre of Excellence (part of Centre for Family Medicine FHT)
    • Durham OHT – includes North Durham FHT
    • North York Central OHT – includes North York FHT and Carefirst FHT
    • Burlington OHT- includes Burlington and Caroline FHTs
    • Toronto East OHT – includes South East Toronto FHT

    This makes 8 OHTs announced to date, with a target of 24 to be announced. Visit our site to learn more.

    Over the next few weeks, the Ministry will be rolling out 24 OHTs across the province. To stay up to date we encourage you to subscribe to the Connected Care Updates.And to follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

    And please let AFHTO know if your OHT is being announced and share any media announcements so that we can spread the word.  

    In-year reconciliation deadline webcast
    Join us on Monday, December 16, at 11:30 a.m. for a 30-minute call with Fernando Tavares, Program Manager at the Ministry of Health, to discuss and ask questions about

    submission of the year-end expenditure forecast and resulting in-year surplus. The in-year reconciliation deadline this year is January 10, 2020.

    We hope teams projecting unspent funds will consider a voluntary contribution to AFHTO to assist with our Governance & Leadership program and other supports for members. This will be discussed on the call. Please register here.

    OCFP recognises AFHTO members at 2019 awards ceremony
    AFHTO congratulates physicians in our member family health teams who were recognized at the Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP) 2019 Awards Ceremony, including Dr. Jocelyn Charles of Sunnybrook Academic FHT, named 2019 Reg. L Perkin Ontario Family Physician of the Year.

    Visit our site to find out who won the Awards of Excellence.

    Digital Health Toolbox slides and video available

    Digital health toolbox

    Last week we held The Digital Health Toolbox: Enabling High-Performance Teams in The Delivery of Integrated, Patient-Centred Care Webinar. Presented by the eHealth Centre for Excellence, it highlighted:

    • a virtual visits solution co-designed with providers and patients
    • an eReferral solution, co-designed with providers and patients, supporting seamless transitions in care
    • EMR-integrated tablets, enabling efficient patient assessments
    • Chronic disease prevention and management (CDPM) decision support tools; and
    • a system of regionally-based tools that support the sharing of vital health information across geographies and health sectors.

    Slides and video are now available.

    Safer opioid prescribing through a clinic-wide urine drug testing system – the HARMS Program

    HARMS AFHTO 2019

     

    Slides from the AFHTO 2019 presentation on this Bright Lights award winning program are now available here.

     

     

     

    Holiday perks

    Perkopolis December

    Don’t forget, as you shop for the holidays, AFHTO members are eligible to sign up for Perkopolis discounts, which include travel, major retailers, tickets to major attractions, sporting events and more. So far, we have over 500 active members.
     
    Check with your administrator if your team is already signed up and you can register right away. If not, please have them contact info@afhto.ca. It’s free to sign up!

    New toolkit for people who provide and who receive mental health care
    The toolkit from McMaster University includes two new workbooks that were jointly developed by healthcare providers and mental health service users.

    One workbook can support people dealing with a mental health challenge to navigate their care and prepare for appointments with their primary care provider (e.g. family doctor, nurse practitioner, or other healthcare provider within a primary care setting).

    The other workbook can be used by providers during appointments to facilitate communication between patients and providers, as well as plan next steps. PDFs of the workbooks can be downloaded here, or you can request hard copies of the toolkit for your clinic here.

    Increasing Access To Patients Through Virtual Care Visits Webinar, Dec. 10, 2019
    Listen to the Minto Mapleton and Peterborough FHTs share how they integrated digital health tools in their programs. Register now!

    Advanced Social Work With Older Adults, Jan. 15, 2020
    The OASW is holding their popular online certificate course in January. Register before Dec. 15. Learn more here.

    ECHO Mental Health Programs, Jan 2020
    ECHO Complex Patient Management and Adult Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities are multi-week programs that commence in January. Learn more and apply here.

    Preparing for Audits, Jan. 15, 2020
    Register early for AFHTO’s upcoming Financial Webinar Series session. Learn how to prepare for audit season. Register now!

     

  • OCFP recognises AFHTO members at 2019 Awards Ceremony

    AFHTO congratulates physicians in our member family health teams who were recognized on Thursday, November 28, 2019 at the Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP) 2019 Awards Ceremony.

    Congratulations to all those recognized this year:

    Dr. Jocelyn Charles of Sunnybrook Academic FHT, named 2019 Reg. L Perkin Ontario Family Physician of the Year.

    Award of Excellence recipients:

    Relevant Links:

  • Clinton, North Perth FHTs and Others Accredited with Commendation

    Clinton, North Perth FHTs and Others Accredited with Commendation

    Group Photo of Accreditated Team

    Clinton FHT and North Perth FHT were part of the Huron Perth Sub-Region Accreditation Prototype (HPSAP) that was accredited by Accreditation Canada the week of Oct 21st, 2019. Most of the members of the HPSAP experienced accreditation for the first time, being awarded Accredited with Commendation.

    According to Kimberly Van Wyk, RN, Executive Director of Clinton FHT:
    This is an accreditation prototype where six organizations that have never gone through the accreditation process have voluntarily joined HPHA for the on-site survey. The partner organizations are the Alzheimer Society of Huron County, the Alzheimer Society of Perth County, the Clinton Family Health Team, the North Perth Family Health Team, Knollcrest Lodge, and the Ritz Lutheran Villa/Mitchell Nursing Home.  The purpose is system improvement and standardization of service delivery. All of the organizations were highly engaged in the process. 

    The partners feel there is significant opportunity for collaboration with the changing model of health care in Ontario. This report focuses on progress made by HPHA since the last on-site survey in 2014 as well as the integration of the new teams into the accreditation process. Huron Perth and Area has submitted a proposal to be one of the new Ontario Health Teams and has been shortlisted. Sixty-one partner organizations have signed on. 

    Read more in the report here.

    Name tags

  • Bits & Pieces: Dr. Linda Lee wins Joule grant for MINT Memory clinics & more

    Bits & Pieces: Dr. Linda Lee wins Joule grant for MINT Memory clinics & more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In this Issue:  
    • Dr. Linda Lee wins Joule grant for MINT Memory clinics
    • Members in the media
    • OHT Webcast Series: The Shift to Shared Leadership video and slides available
    • HQO quality standard updates including mental health transitions
    • Ministry of Health news and updates
    • Upcoming events including improving timely access and more

    Dr. Linda Lee wins Joule grant for MINT Memory clinics

    Dr. Linda Lee, Centre for Family Medicine FHT won a Joule 2019 Innovation grant for access to care on Sep. 10. A $100,000 grant has been allocated to help scale up the MINT memory clinic model beyond their 112 clinics in Ontario.

    New resources, including an infographic, are also available at their site.

    Members in the media
    Couchiching FHT:  feature on their Bright Lights award-winning trans health program

     Elliot Lake FHT: Virtual Clinic coming to Elliot Lake Family Health Team

    OHT Webcast Series: The Shift to Shared Leadership video and slides available

    shift to shared leadership webcast

    On Sep. 12 we held a webinar reviewing approaches to creating shared leadership tables and/or working groups and offered practical “OHT Starter Kit” tips and tools. We were joined by our partners at the Ontario Community Support Association and Advantage Ontario as co-hosts.

    The webcast was facilitated by Karima Kanani, Partner at Miller Thomson LLP, and Keri Selkirk and Maria Sanchez-Keane from the Centre for Organizational Effectiveness.

    Slides and video are on our site, along with other resources.

    HQO quality standard updates including mental health transitions

    Seeking volunteers for quality standard advisory committee on inpatient mental health transitions– This quality standard will outline care for people moving between the hospital and home after a mental health or addictions related stay. Deadline to apply Oct. 8.

    Draft diabetes quality standards and patient conversation guides- feedback needed by Oct. 10:

    Ministry of Health news and updates

    Memo – seasonal influenza update CMOH – overview of actions they’re taking to help partners mitigate and prepare for health system pressures.

    Situation report #2: RYUK security incident advisory – a second hospital was hit with RYUK ransomware Wednesday, Sep. 25. As there is a risk of further incidents beyond hospitals, the ministry is issuing a second advisory and is expanding distribution to the broader health system. Read the advisory and the recommendations.

    Drug Shortage / Supply Health System Alert: Fresenius Kabi – Oxytocin 1ml vial – due to higher than anticipated demand, their stock of Oxytocin Injection Synthetic 10 USP units/mL SD vial 1mL has been depleted earlier than expected and will be going on backorder effective September 30th, 2019. Read the update here.

    Canadian Conference on Dementia, October 3, 2019
    Held in Quebec City and featuring plenary and parallel sessions, an exciting debate, interactive workshops, as well as oral and poster presentations. Find out more here.

    Palliative and End-of-Life Care & MAiD Educational Opportunities, October 16 – December 11
    Take a look at this 5-part webinar series developed by Queen’s University Faculty of Health Sciences, in partnership with the OCFP. Find out more here.

    BoneFit, October 5, 2019 to March 28th, 2020
    Osteoporosis Canada is holding these evidence-informed exercise training workshops around Ontario at the Basic and Clinical levels. See the locations and dates here.

    Improving timely access to primary care, Oct. 9, 2019
    HQO webinar to share findings from 2019/20 Quality Improvement Plan indicator measuring timely access to a primary care provider. Register here.

    ECHO Chronic Pain/Opioids evening series, Oct. 7- Nov. 4, 2019
    A 4-part evening ECHO series on Buprenorphine/Naloxone prescribing in primary care. Register here.

    Liver Disease in Primary Care: Approach to Fatty Liver, Oct. 17, 2019
    Part of ECHO Liver quarterly evening series. Find out more here.

  • Couchiching FHT Trans health program is where advocacy meets health care

    Orillia Matters article published September 24, 2019

    By Jessica Owen, Village Media

    The Couchiching Family Health Team was given a major honour last week for shining a light on an under-served segment of the population.

    The group won a Bright Lights Award for community and social accountability from the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario (AFHTO) on Sept. 19, recognizing the work they’ve done on their Trans Health Services program, which launched late last year.

    “I was there with our peer support navigator, and we were both pretty close to tears,” said Angela Munday, director of clinical services with the Couchiching Family Health Team in Orillia. “It’s quite an honour to be recognized by your peers to be doing something innovative and shows we are accountable to our community.”

    “When I think about how little there is out there for the transgender population… it makes me very proud to work here, on a team that’s able to say we’re on the cutting edge of services that are coming out,” she added.

    Started last year through the North Simcoe Muskoka Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) in collaboration with Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital (OSMH), the program was created to fill a gap in services.

    “(OSMH) was looking to make their services more inclusive for the LGBTQ population. They put in a proposal (for this program) to the LHIN, but they were turned down because they wanted this program to be in the community, not in the hospital,” said Munday.

    “They kind of came to us in the eleventh hour and asked (us), and we said ‘Absolutely,’ with no hesitation,” she said.

    The funding went toward hiring a four-day-per-week nurse practitioner and a full-time peer support navigator who is, themselves, transgender. The duo work in collaboration to provide the best service they can for transgender patients throughout their journey.

    “Patients generally will see both of them, but it just depends on the patient’s needs,” said Munday. “The team will help them work through the patient’s thought process and help them with whatever they need.”

    The reasoning behind starting the program comes from major barriers transgender people face when trying to access health care.

    According to a Trans Experience Study done in North Simcoe this year, Munday said 54 per cent of transgender people avoid needed health care, 33 per cent avoid going to the local emergency department while 16 per cent will even avoid calling 911 when they are in urgent crisis.

    “They’re afraid of how others will react to their identity,” she said. “That’s really what we’re trying to target with this program.”

    Another component of the program sees the nurse practitioner providing training for ways to deal with transgender patients for primary-care providers, in partnership with Rainbow Ontario.

    “So, we’re not only trying to provide front-line care… we’re also trying to build the capacity within our region, so trans healthcare becomes part of regular healthcare,” she said.

    Munday said currently in Ontario, programs that serve primarily the transgender population are extremely rare, and ones that receive provincial funding to do so are even rarer.

    This program is the only one of its kind in Simcoe County. It’s based on a project originally undertaken by The Gilbert Centre in Barrie in conjunction with a local university.

    “This is the first one,” said Munday.

    In the first year of the program, which officially launched on Oct. 26, 2018, it has seen roughly 90 patients reach out for care.

    Looking forward, Munday said they’ve been approved for funding from the LHIN to add a mental-health therapist to the team.

    “We’re excited about that because we know the rates of depression and suicide are much higher for the transgender population. That is coming in the next few weeks,” she said.

    Another new addition is a speech therapist through OSMH who specializes in voice feminization therapy. It will be one of only two places in all of Ontario that provide the therapy (the other is St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto).

    “We have two people working through that therapy right now… and we are hopeful we will be able to continue to have that therapy free of charge,” said Munday.

    Overall, Munday said winning the award wasn’t just a win for the Couchiching Community Health Team.

    “It felt like it was a win for the transgender population as well, who have been stuck in the dark for a long time,” she said.

    For more information on the program, click here.

    To read the complete Orillia Matters article, click here.

  • Announcing the Bright Lights 2019 Award Winners!

    Announcing the Bright Lights 2019 Award Winners!

    Bright Lights Logo

    AFHTO has named the winners of our annual Bright Lights Awards.

    These innovators have improved primary care through their leadership, outstanding work and significant progress made toward improving the value delivered by interprofessional primary care teams throughout Ontario. Bright Lights Award winners are innovators and team players whose work has an impact on the healthcare system. 

    The review committees made up of AFHTO members chose the winners from among dozens of nominations. AFHTO gave awards for each of our six conference themes, as well as a spotlight award for excellent work by an underrepresented primary care team. 

    In addition, AFHTO’s board presented a special award to an organization whose work improves patients’ lives and enhances the quality of primary care in Ontario. 

    Board Award: County of Simcoe paramedicine program 

    In recognition of: Collaboration to Ensure the Success of Community Paramedicine as Part of the Interprofessional Primary Care Team 
    This year, the board has recognized the County of Simcoe paramedicine program supported by Director Meredith Morrison and Community Paramedicine Coordinator Kyle McCallum. The program monitors vulnerable patients, including those who might call 911 and go to the emergency room, and has successfully reduced unnecessary dependence on primary care among the vulnerable.

     

    The six theme recipients of Bright Lights Awards and the winner of the spotlight award are listed below. Click on the links to read a summary of their achievements:

    1.    Windsor Family Health Team

    • Award Category: Access to Care: Improving Team-Based Care
    • Achievement: Windsor Team Care Centre

    The Team Care Centre (TCC) has successfully made interdisciplinary team care available to patients with mental health, addictions, and complex care needs, including patients of solo practitioners who do not have access to team-based care.

    2.    Sunnybrook Academic Family Health Team

    • Award Category: Continuous care: ensuring seamless transitions for patients across the continuum of care
    • Achievement: Code Orange – the Colour of Collaboration exercise

    After a local mass casualty, the team realized that primary care teams have a contribution to make during a crisis and, in collaboration with their hospital, revamped its Code Orange procedures.

    3.    Family First FHT Mental Health Team

    • Award Category: Comprehensive Team-Based Care
    • Achievement: Increased access for psychotherapy services

    Given the long wait times for access to mental health services provincially, the team offers group interventions to patients with more severe symptoms and psychiatric diagnoses.

    4.    St. Michael’s Hospital Academic Family Health Team

    • Award Category: Patient and Family-centred Care
    • Achievement: Applying methods of citizen engagement in primary care

    They used methods of citizen engagement to gather recommendations from a representative group of patient advisors to prioritize areas for improvement to service delivery.

    5.    Couchiching Family Health Team

    • Award Category: Community and Social Accountability
    • Achievement: Trans Health Service

    Couchiching FHT integrated transgender healthcare into primary care delivery with the services of a Nurse Practitioner with expertise in hormone replacement therapy and surgical referrals and a peer support navigator and implemented Safer Spaces training for employees.

    6.    Digital Coalition- Clinton FHT, Stratford FHT, East Elgin FHT, Thames Valley FHT (sites in Elgin, London and Woodstock),Tillsonburg Family Physicians, North Huron FHT, North Perth FHT, Sauble FHT, London FHT, Four Counties FHT, Brockton & Area FHT, Maitland FHT, Happy Valley FHT, Huron Community FHT, Saugeen Shores Medical Associates, London Lambeth FHO, Wolseley Medical Clinic, London InterCommunity CHC, Elmdale FHO, Ingersoll NPLC, South Huron Medical Centre, various solo practices and Partnering For Quality Team

    • Award Category: Enabling High-Performing Primary Health Care
    • Achievement: Digital Coalition

    These rural teams and partner organizations have created an active, voluntary digital partnership that boosts the efficiency of their practices through coordinated form creation, testing, communication and distribution.

    7.    The Spotlight Award: Trent Hills Family Health Team

    • In recognition of:  Providing Better Care for Rural Children 

    Presented in recognition of underrepresented primary care teams, the Spotlight Award is presented to Trent Hills Family Health Team. Nurses on the team identified a gap in care and developed a program to support families in rural area in providing better care of children from birth to school age.

    To see all our nominees please visit the 2019 Hall of Fame. The call for nominations for the 2020 Bright Light Awards will go out in June 2020. All AFHTO members are welcome and encouraged to participate. For additional event photos, please contact info@afhto.ca.

  • Memory clinics win Joule grant

    Newswire article published September 10, 2019

    By Joule, Village Media

    Eight recipients will share $200,000 to develop or scale up projects to improve access to care and health outcomes

    OTTAWA, Sept. 10, 2019 /CNW/ – Joule, a Canadian Medical Association (CMA) subsidiary, today announced the eight recipients of its annual Innovation grants. The recipients from across the country will share $200,000 in flexible funding to develop or expand their respective projects.

    Access to care grants: Recipients in this category focus on innovative solutions that improve access to health care for Canadians―particularly for those in rural, remote and marginalized communities.

    Dr. Linda Lee – MINT Memory Clinics: Dr. Lee has been practicing family medicine for 30 years and has developed a multi-specialty interprofessional team-based model of care called MINT Memory Clinics―which provides access to high-quality dementia care within local family doctor’s offices. A $100,000 grant has been allocated to help scale up the model beyond their 112 clinics in Ontario.
    Dr. Sheila Wang – Swift Skin and Wound app: Dr. Wang is a dermatology resident at McGill University Health Centre and the Chief Medical Officer at Swift Medical. Their Swift Skin and Wound app is designed to streamline wound assessment at the point-of-care. A $20,000 grant will be provided to further develop the remote capabilities of their technology―specifically to treat First Nations populations with chronic wounds in Northern Quebec and beyond.
    Health care solution grants: Recipients in this category are leading initiatives that aim to enhance the quality, safety, efficiency, and health outcomes for patients, while at the same time reducing overall costs within the Canadian health care system.

    Dr. Bill Wang – iMIRGE Medical: Dr. Wang is the Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at iMIRGE Medical. Along with his co-founder, he has developed the first and only cost-effective, portable medical GPS for providers―bringing the accuracy of image guidance systems to the bedside. Dr. Wang will use the $40,000 grant to develop the GPS further and build visibility with potential stakeholders along the way.
    Gabriel Georges – Puzzle Medical Devices: Mr. Georges is a medical student in his final year at the University of Montreal and a co-founder of Puzzle Medical Devices. A $20,000 grant will help support the launch of a second pre-clinical study for his project, ModulHeart, the first long-term hemodynamic support which is assembled inside the patient using a proprietary transcatheter technology.
    Emerging physician innovator grants: This category supports the ideas of medical learners and residents who are looking to increase or improve access to care or create health care solutions that will provide better outcomes for patients. 

    Jordan Lewis – Flutter Wear: Mr. Lewis is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Toronto, is the co-founder and the chief medical officer at Flutter Wear. Designed for expectant mothers, the mobile app and belly band sensor passively detect fetal movements―collecting baseline data and informing the management of decreased fetal movements. A $5,000 grant and the mentorship from the Joule Innovation Council will support the launch of the product into the market.
    Philip Edgcumbe – Pico Lantern: Mr. Edgcumbe is a medical student at the University of British Columbia and has invented a miniature projector for surgery called the Pico Lantern. A $5,000 grant will allow him to further develop and test the prototype for his device, which is small enough to be dropped into the abdominal cavity―giving surgeons the ability to peer beneath the surface, better formulate their surgical plans and minimize surgical complications.
    Dr. Robert Schultz – Boreas Central Line: Dr. Schultz is a cardiac surgery resident at the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta and the CEO at Voyage Biomedical Inc., the creator of the Boreas Central Line (BCL). Leveraging techniques from cardiac surgery, BCL is a specialized central venous catheter which administers fluids to achieve targeted, deep, and rapid cooling of the brain. A $5,000 grant will help manufacture a prototype for Health Canada and FDA compliance.
    Dr. Devon Livingstone – ENTiD: Dr. Livingstone is an otolaryngologist who just completed his residency at the University of Calgary. He is also the CEO of ENTiD, a company which uses a digital otoscope and an AI-powered platform to improve ear disease diagnosis at a low cost. A $5,000 grant will help him build a privacy-compliant software platform, refine hardware design and manufacture otoscopes.
    For more information on the Joule Innovation grant program and this year’s recipients, please visit joulecma.ca/grants.

    To read the complete Newswire article, click here.

  • Northeastern Manitoulin FHT retains Opioid replacement therapy program

    Manitoulin Expositor  article published August 14, 2019

    By Michael Erskine, The Manitoulin Expositor

    Mindemoya clinic will be considered to better serve the needs of Central, West End patients

    MANITOULIN – Sometimes trying to do a good deed can backfire with unintended consequences and so it seems to have been the case with a recent “good will” consultation held with members of the Central Manitoulin municipal council to provide a heads up on efforts to improve access to those living with addictions in the West End of Manitoulin.

    Subsequent to the council presentation by a representative of Dr. Suman Koka’s clinic in Mindemoya as the potential host for an additional Manitoulin opioid replacement therapy program, a flurry of misinformation exploded on social media, including suggestions that the current program taking place in Little Current would be pulling up stakes and moving to Central Manitoulin. According to Northeastern Manitoulin Family Health Team manager Judy Miller, also the spokesperson for Dr. Suman Koka of the Northwood Recovery’s Island operations, that is emphatically not the case.

    “We are not closing Little Current,” she said.

    Currently there are programs running in Wiikwemkoong, M’Chigeeng and Little Current to assist those dealing with addictions and those residing in the rest of the Island can self refer to the program at the Northeastern Manitoulin Family Health Team. While there are discussions planned with the steering committee overseeing addictions services on Manitoulin on how to improve access for those residing in the western portion of the Island, those discussions, while scheduled, have not yet taken place, let alone settled on a plan for improved access—Facebook reports notwithstanding.

    “People can still self refer to Wiikwemkoong and M’Chigeeng and everyone else can contact the Northeast Manitoulin Family Health Team,” said Ms. Miller.

    The issue of opioid addiction is still a major challenge on Manitoulin, admitted Ms. Miller, but the success of the program has been nothing short of outstanding. “Of the 140 cases originally left stranded when the Toronto company (that previously offered opioid replacement therapy on Manitoulin) pulled out, 83 percent are stabilized on suboxone, have their families back, their jobs back,” she said.

    With the current system of treatment program placement, most of those tackling their opioid addictions are able to do so in an atmosphere that not only protects their privacy, but ensures that they are not subjected to the societal stigma attached to addictions.

    The steering committee dealing with the access to addiction treatment on Manitoulin consists of the executive directors of the health centres, family health teams and Dr. Koka.

    Those struggling with addiction issues are urged to contact their local health centre or the Northeastern Manitoulin Family Health Team to learn more about the support services in place to provide assistance. This newspaper will be reporting on any planned expansion or increased access plans as that information becomes available—those currently managing their lives thanks to the current programs are urged to disregard any social media commentary regarding those programs.

    Click here to access the complete Manitoulin Expositor article

  • Windsor FHT awarded part of large grants for mental and oral health projects

    Windsor Star article published on June 27, 2019

    By Jennifer La Grassa,Windsor Star

     

    More than half a million dollars was given to several organizations across Windsor-Essex Thursday, from the Downtown Mission to the Residence for Young Men.

    The grants were awarded to support oral and mental health care programs that help vulnerable or marginalized groups.

    The WindsorEssex Community Foundation awarded eight local charities a total of $580,587 from Green Shield Canada’s Six 4 Six Community Granting Initiative — $50,000 of which was from the Honey Family Foundation — on Thursday morning. There were 15 total applicants, and about half received grants that ranged from $26,000 to $165,000.

     

    For the first time ever, they’ll offer these services to female or self-identified male youth. Weinberg said they anticipate 80 youth between the ages of 16 to 24 will join the program.

    Green Shield Canada, a national non-profit health and dental benefit provider, gave $6 million dollars to fund local programs in six cities across Canada: Windsor-Essex, Hamilton, Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria, and Northern Ontario.

    The full list of recipients, their grant totals and anticipated projects are as follows:

    • The Canadian Mental Health Association Windsor-Essex County Branch: $25,000. This will support their Building a more Mentally Healthy Community project that aims to deliver mental health education, training and awareness to at-risk populations and caregivers.
    • Windsor Residence for Young Men: $26,186. The Youth Independence program will use this grant to deliver guidance and skills training to aid in youth resiliency.
    • The Windsor Family Health Team: $40,880. The One Team Recovery project will use the grant to increase access to outpatient services for individual families affected by substance use.
    • South Essex Community Council: $40,920. The grant will support their Building Routes to Mental Wellness project that educates service providers, employers, immigrants and temporary foreign workers on early signs of mental health issues and resources for intervention. These materials will be provided in English, Arabic, Spanish and German.
    • Life After Fifty: $56,600. With this money, Life After Fifty will launch a one year Social Prescription pilot project that will prescribe physical and social activity to socially isolated seniors in order to improve their mental health.
    • Family Services Windsor-Essex: $61,000. This will support 1,060 hours of direct clinical intervention, training in psychological first aid and other wellness materials to the Mental Health & Wellbeing for Newcomers project for Windsor-Essex newcomers.
    • The United Church Downtown Mission Windsor: $165,000. This grant allows the Oral Health for All project to go mobile, providing dental services to people in the county that don’t have easy or affordable access.
    • The Multicultural Council of Windsor & Essex: $165,000. The grant will go towards their three-year Oral Health Navigator Project that hopes to provide education and health promotion opportunities to 600 newcomers and immigrants. Individuals and families will be connected to health resources in the community and educated on making healthy decisions.

    Click here to access the full Windsor Star article.