Tag: virtual care

Bits & Pieces: memo to primary care from OH and more

Your Weekly News & Updates

In This Issue

Memos to primary care, on operational direction and more
Health ministers’ meeting in Vancouver
Reminder- Supporting Caregivers Supports Patients- The Critical Role of Primary Care in Preventing Caregiver Burnout, Nov. 24
Virtual concussion occupational therapy services for teams
Moving towards an integrated health data ecosystem & QIP update

OLTCA convention call for content
Nominate high performing early career family physicians
IPHCC & PHAC seeking participants for short videos
Upcoming events including Evaluating program planning using an equity framework and more

Memos to primary care, on operational direction and more

Recent updates include:

Memo- supports for a challenging fall season- EN and FR– Ontario Health, Nov. 3, 2022
Operational Direction Fall/Winter Surge- EN and FR– Ontario Health, Nov. 1, 2022
A multinational Delphi consensus to end the COVID-19 public health threat– Nature, Nov. 3, 2022
Managing Respiratory Illnesses in Kids– register for Nov. 11 session of “Changing the way we work”, for OCFP and UofT

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

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates– the original page, with news and updates. You can find links to related pages here as well.

Health ministers’ meeting in Vancouver

“Mr. Duclos … added the federal government is also prepared to make bilateral agreements with provinces and territories on issues of shared priorities, such as increased access to family health teams and mental-health services.” Full article here.

As the provincial and territorial health ministers gather in Vancouver to meet with the federal Minister of Health, the Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos, AFHTO remains hopeful that all parties share his priority of increasing access to primary care teams and that we will see much needed funding flow to the province through the Canada Health Transfer.

Please read AFHTO’s statement here.

Reminder – Supporting Caregivers Supports Patients- The Critical Role of Primary Care in Preventing Caregiver Burnout, Nov. 24

Primary care providers can play a key role in preventing burnout and enhancing caregiver well-being by initiating early interventions and connecting caregivers to support.

Co-hosted by The Ontario Caregiver Organization and the Primary Care Collaborative, this webinar will include insights from a caregiver with lived experience, as well as examples of primary care initiatives across Ontario that are connecting caregivers to support. Register here.

Virtual concussion occupational therapy services for teams

The Neurology Centre of Toronto (NCT) has developed a concussion rehabilitation program that has been implemented and proven successful with an existing FHT in Ontario. The program provides patients with access to virtual concussion occupational therapy services and has been running successfully since March 2022.

The patients in this program wouldn’t have access to this care otherwise, and the program has generated very positive feedback and results. Specifically, when surveyed after completing this program:

33% of patients demonstrated an improvement in daily activity tolerance
67% of patients demonstrated an improvement in their symptom scores, and
83% reported satisfaction with the program.

NCT would like to extend this service to other teams (including NPLCs and CHCs) in need of concussion rehabilitation services to support their patients. Please contact Jenni Diamond, Occupational Therapist and Program Director, to discuss the details and how it may fit within your team: jenni.diamond@numinus.com.

Moving towards an integrated health data ecosystem & QIP update

Moving towards an integrated health data ecosystem– Connected Care update on Ontario Health Data Council report, Nov. 4, 2022
Register for Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) 2023/24 Launch Webinar, Nov. 16, 2022– OH webinar

OLTCA convention call for content

Taking place March 27-29, the Ontario Long Term Care Association (OLTCA) in partnership with the Ontario Retirement Communities Association (ORCA) are hosting the Together We Care 2023 Convention in person. The TWC Call for Content is now accepting abstracts. For a full list of program streams and to submit an abstract, please visit their site. Deadline November 21, 2022, at 4:00 pm EST.

Nominate high performing early career family physicians

Dr. Monica Aggarwal at the University of Toronto is conducting a study that will identify the key capabilities and competencies of high-performing family medicine graduates. This will help inform how learning, teaching and assessment can be improved in family medicine residency programs in Canada.

She’s looking for nominations for high-performing early-career family physicians (based on the criteria identified here). If you have a nominee, please contact monica.aggarwal@utoronto.ca.

IPHCC & PHAC seeking participants for short videos

The Indigenous Primary Health Care Council is looking for both health care staff as well as general population participants for the creation of short videos.

Created in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada, the videos aim to increase knowledge about the importance of vaccination, build vaccine confidence, and address barriers to accessing vaccination services. An honorarium will be provided. Please see the flyer for more information.

ONCA A Year Later: the 100 Most Asked Questions, Nov. 10, 2022
Hosted by Community Legal Education Ontario, who have compiled the most frequently asked questions into a database and want to share what they have learned. Register here.

Infection Prevention & Control in Primary Care, Nov. 23, 2022
Hosted by Hamilton FHT and Public Health Ontario. Find out more here.

Evaluating program planning using an equity framework, Nov. 23, 2022
To plan for an expansion of healthcare services in newly developed neighbourhoods, a planning initiative was conducted to better understand the needs of the population. Ensuring equity of care was identified as a priority for this initiative.

CCHL Forum webinar featuring speakers from Ontario Health, North York FHT and Queen Square FHT. Register here.

Highlights and implications of the Ontario Science Table’s brief on primary care, Nov. 30

On October 3, 2022, the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table (OST) released its final brief, a 3-part exploration of how primary care responded to and was affected by the pandemic, and implications for ongoing health system planning and policy. In this webinar, you will hear from a panel of primary healthcare experts who contributed to that brief, as they share some of the most significant findings and implications. Register here.

Climate Conscious Inhaler Prescribing, Dec. 8

Metered dose inhalers produce significant carbon emissions. Ironically, these contribute to changes to the climate that can exacerbate respiratory conditions. Simple practice changes can help disrupt this cycle and lessen the health sector’s contributions to climate change.

November 8, 2022

QI in Action eBulletin #122: Clinically Appropriate Use of Virtual Care in Primary Care
In this Issue:
- Phase One Guidance for Clinically Appropriate Use of Virtual Care in Primary Care
- Wawa FHT in the News
- Canada-Wide Study on Health Equity and Virtual Primary Care
- Upcoming Events
Phase One Guidance for Clinically Appropriate Use of Virtual Care in Primary Care
Content below developed by Ontario Health and edited for length

Dr. David Kaplan, Vice President, Quality, at Ontario Health, and Co-Chair of the Primary Care Expert Panel for Guidance for Clinically Appropriate Use of Virtual Care, explains how the guidance was developed, informed and why it can be a helpful resource for primary care clinicians.

Q: Why is Ontario Health developing guidance for clinically appropriate use of virtual care?
A: As we know, the COVID-19 pandemic spurred the necessity for the health care system to pivot and rapidly adopt new ways of using available technology to reach patients and deliver care. While this was an extraordinary feat and has paved the way for the innovation we are seeing within health care, there have been reports of variation in practice and clinicians and patients alike have questions about the ‘best’ uses of virtual care. To address some of the questions about virtual care and put the learnings gleaned over the pandemic into practice, we, at Ontario Health, thought it would be helpful to build on the work previously conducted by the Ontario Telehealth Network (OTN) and provide some new guidance to clinicians around virtual care.

The Ministry of Health provided funding to Ontario Health to undertake this work and develop guidance for clinically appropriate use of virtual care. While important for all specialties, we started with developing virtual care guidance for primary care because we felt it had the potential to reach more people across Ontario and have the most impact. Over time, Ontario Health will develop tailored guidance documents that apply to other specialties.

Q: What does the guidance include?
A: The Phase I Guidance is expected to be released this fall. These materials are intended to be used by primary care clinicians and lays the foundation for decision-making around use of virtual care, patient-centric approaches, and respecting clinicians’ comfort with virtual care. The guidance also outlines the supports available to both clinicians and patients related to virtual care. Patient-facing ‘tools’ have been developed to complement the guidance materials and can assist clinicians to explain virtual care, the various modalities of virtual care and support patients to decide if virtual care is appropriate for their needs. We want clinicians to feel confident in their decisions related to virtual care.

Q: How has the guidance been developed?
The development of the guidance was modeled after related work led by Ontario Health, such as Quality Standards and Person-Centred Virtual Cancer Care Clinical Guidance. A review of statements, policies and standards set out by professional regulatory agencies, an inventory of existing guidelines and evaluation of these guidelines against a method for determining strength of this guidance, and a scoping review was conducted. We also looked at available data to determine how virtual was being used in Ontario to help inform our work.

A primary care-specific expert panel was also established to help give direction to this work and included a mixed membership of primary care physicians, nurse practitioners and patient partners. It was important to our project team to include people from each of the six Ontario Health regions so we could be inclusive of and capture how primary care exists and is practiced across the province.

Q: How has the use of virtual care shifted?
A: Before March 2020, clinicians had regularly used the telephone for sharing lab results and refilling medication prescriptions. Video was being used, but primarily by specialists in Ontario and only if certain conditions were met. It was also used by primary care clinicians, though on a smaller scale. Virtual care in this context wouldn’t have been considered ‘mainstream’ until the pandemic.

Through work we conducted with INSPIRE-PHC, a research group based out of Queen’s University, we’ve been monitoring use of telephone and video primary care delivered by clinicians. Recent data demonstrates virtual care continues to see uptake and use in primary care settings. This is a formative time for the evolution of virtual care in primary care and Ontario Health’s guidance can support primary care clinicians to take a systematic, stepwise approach to planning and delivering virtual care.

The Guidance for Clinically Appropriate Use of Virtual Care in Primary Care is expected to be released later this Fall and we will share once they are available.

Wawa FHT in the News
In a twist on the traditional rural-to-urban referrals, Wawa FHT received a request for help from a nearby urban centre. With no providers delivering medical abortions in the city or surrounding area, Wawa FHT expanded their medical abortion program to include a virtual component and provide care to this underserviced urban population. The team won a 2022 Spotlight Bright Lights Award and has been featured on CBC News.

Canada-Wide Case Study on Health Equity and Virtual Primary Care
Dr. Jay Shaw is leading a project with the Canadian Network for Digital Health Evaluation that aims to gain insights into how primary care organizations across Canada have successfully incorporated health equity into virtual primary care design, implementation, and delivery. The Primary Care Research Network is inviting primary care organizations across Canada to participate in a 30-to-40-minute phone interview about how equity considerations were incorporated when they implemented virtual primary care. For more information, email the research coordinator, Simone Shahid, at WCH.

Upcoming Events
Guidance for Clinically Appropriate Use of Virtual Care
Wednesday, November 9, 2022, 8-9 am
Please join Dr. David Kaplan and Dr. Risa Bordman from the Primary Care Expert Panel – Guidance for Clinically Appropriate Use of Virtual Care, as they present the third of a 3-part series on the Guidance for Clinically Appropriate Use of Virtual Care. Please register in advance.

Primary Care Report: Using Data for Improvement – a focus on using the opioid prescribing indicators to drive improvements in patient care
Thursday, November 10, 2022, 12-1 pm
Ontario Health is hosting a webinar for primary care providers on using the opioid prescribing indicators in the MyPractice: Primary Care report to drive improvements in patient care. Please REGISTER HERE to join the session. This is the fourth installment of an accredited series that will focus on using data from the MyPractice: Primary Care report for quality improvement. This 1-credit-per-hour Group Learning program has been certified by the CFPC and the Ontario Chapter for up to 1.0 Mainpro+Ⓡ credits.

Supporting Caregivers Supports Patients- The Critical Role of Primary Care in Preventing Caregiver Burnout
Thursday, November 24, 2022, 12-1 pm
Primary care providers can play a key role in preventing burnout and enhancing caregiver well-being by initiating early interventions and connecting caregivers to support. Co-hosted by The Ontario Caregiver Organization and the Primary Care Collaborative, this webinar will include insights from a caregiver with lived experience, as well as examples of primary care initiatives across Ontario that are connecting caregivers to support. Click here to register.

Highlights and Implications of the Ontario Science Table’s Brief on Primary Care
Wednesday, November 30, 2022, 7:45-8:45 am
On October 3, 2022, the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table (OST) released its final brief, a 3-part exploration of how primary care responded to and was affected by the pandemic, and implications for ongoing health system planning and policy. In this webinar, you will hear from a panel of primary healthcare experts who contributed to that brief, as they share some of the most significant findings and implications. To register, click here.

Climate Conscious Inhaler Prescribing
Thursday, December 8, 2022, 12-1 pm
This webinar will explore the carbon footprint of healthcare systems and how inhalers contribute to it, examine two problems related to inhaler prescribing and imagine practice change that results in an immediate reduction in emissions: “high value, low carbon care”. To register, click here.

In Case You Missed It: Check out eBulletin #121 or other back issues here!
Questions? Comments? Contact us at improve@afhto.ca.
October 27, 2022

Bits & Pieces: bivalent COVID-19 booster dose and more

Your Weekly News & Updates

In This Issue

Ontarians aged 18+ eligible for bivalent COVID-19 booster dose
Reminder- Wellness Check: Dealing with Transitions and Managing Stress, Sep. 15
New resources- Cannabis and Older Adults
Reminder- submit questions for the fireside chat with the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health by Sep. 23

OHT and PHU fall vaccine collaboration and more
Program extensions to 2023 for publicly funded vaccines
Upcoming events including Long COVID and more

Ontarians aged 18+ eligible for bivalent COVID-19 booster dose

Bivalent COVID-19 boosters are available to vulnerable populations immediately. All Ontarians aged 18+ will be eligible as of September 26 and can book through the provincial booking line or call 1-833-943-3900. Vaccines also will be available to primary care clinics who wish to provide them – please contact your PHU for more details.

Read the full news release here.

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

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

New resources- Cannabis and Older Adults

The Cannabis and Older Adults eLearning modules by CCSMH Canadian Coalition for Seniors Mental Health are still available, and new resources are available in both English and French. New material will be added over the next few months. Current titles include:

Assessing Appropriateness of Medical Cannabis for Older Adults
Optimizing Communication with Older Adults About Cannabis
Monitoring for Potential Adverse Effects of Cannabis Among Older Adults

Reminder- submit questions for the fireside chat with the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health by Sep. 23

We are pleased to welcome Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Catherine Zahn, and Ontario Health CEO, Matt Anderson, to the AFHTO conference this year at our pre-conference fireside chat on Oct. 11! Together, we will have an informal conversation about the current state of health care in Ontario, including their reflection on the role of primary care during the pandemic and in the build back of the health care system in the province.

Moderated by AFHTO’s past president, Dr. Allan Grill, this session will be an important opportunity to hear about the work the government is doing. We encourage members to join and to submit questions by Sep. 23, 2022. Register with your verification code here.

OHT and PHU fall vaccine collaboration and more

Recent updates include:

Memo – Fall 2022 Vaccine Planning and Deployment: Continued Collaboration across Ontario Health Teams and Public Health Units and PHUs and their local OHT(s) – MOH and OH, Sep. 7, 2022

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

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates– the original page, with news and updates

Program extensions to 2023 for publicly funded vaccines

Content below provided by Ministry of Health

The Ministry of Health put out a guidance document to communicate the extended eligibility for publicly funded vaccines for high risk and school-based programs (see here for English and French). Since several vaccines have age- or grade-based eligibility, some individuals may have missed their opportunity to receive the recommended vaccines under the publicly funded program as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This document indicates the applicable vaccines for continued access for missed doses beyond the age or grade-based eligibility criteria and outlines eligible cohorts, and the timeframe individuals must receive their missed vaccine doses.

Primary Care & Covid-19 Support CoP, Sep. 14, 2022
Hosted by OH, there are updates on Covid-19 trends and impacts from a provincial perspective; Covid-19 Clinical Pathways/resources; Ontario Health’s Guidance for the Clinically Appropriate Use of Virtual Care in Primary Care. Register here.

Long COVID, Sep. 16, 2022

49th in the series ‘Changing the way we work’- OCF and UofT DFCM COVID-19 CoP. Register here.

NPAO 2022 Annual Conference, Sep. 22-23, 2022
This years’ Conference theme is The NP Experience: Pushing Boundaries Towards Common Goals. Find out more here.

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

Community of Practice: Infection Prevention and Control in Primary Care, Oct. 4- 31, 2022

Quarterly (CoP) meetings hosted by Public Health Ontario to support Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) programs in Primary Care settings.

Sessions will be held on several dates and times for different regions. Find out more here.

AFHTO 2022 Conference, Oct. 12, 2022

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

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

September 13, 2022

QI in Action eBulletin #120: Striving for Health Equity and Better Health Outcomes
In this Issue:
- Striving for Health Equity and Better Health Outcomes at McMaster FHT
- Targeted Poverty Screening Process Improves Health Equity
- Collecting Race-Based and Indigenous Identity Data
- Learning Opportunities
- Upcoming Events
Striving for Health Equity and Better Health Outcomes at McMaster FHT
Content below developed by McMaster FHT

Through the expertise and passion of Dr. Tejal Patel, Andrea Pansoy (PA), Dr. Amanda Ramdyal and Dr Anjali Menezes, McMaster FHT (MFHT) has developed an interactive program focused on equity, diversity, inclusion (EDI), anti-racism and anti-oppression (AR/AO) that has led to the hiring of a full-time EDI and AR Partner. Initially, a 4-part EDI & AR/AO educational session was created in response to a global awakening that is ongoing but came to a head in 2020.

After the tremendous success of the initial series, the 3 creators and the EDI/AR Partner continue to support both the MFHT and our community partners formally and informally, through continued offerings including workshops, a lending library, a community of practice, weekly newsletter updates regarding internal and external events and learning opportunities, multi-cultural calendars and more. The MFHT has changed its approach to recruitment and retention and collaborates with equity deserving suppliers.

Finally, the launch of the DFM Racialized Community of Support took place in June 2022, creating a safe space for self-identifying Black, Indigenous and/or racialized staff and faculty. Such a support group already exists for the family medicine residents learning at the MFHT, started by 2 residents in 2020/21.

The team has created a Community of Practice and support groups, shared their reflective anti-racism and EDI prompts with 3 clinical Departments and their residency programs, as well as with the GHHN. Invitations have been extended further to other McMaster staff and faculty, as well as community partners to attend education sessions and promote the dissemination of this material.

The team is working with resident groups to integrate this educational framework into resident education at McMaster University, and they are working on a literature review of anti-racism teaching within medical education. Find more information here or contact Jill Berridge at berridj@mcmaster.ca.

Targeted Poverty Screening Process Improves Health Equity
A research team at North York General Hospital and the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto created an innovative way for family physicians to use a validated tool to screen their patients for poverty.

The project used data managed by the University of Toronto Practice-Based Research Network (UTOPIAN) to identify patients living in low-income neighbourhoods by postal code and Statistics Canada census information and create a chart alert. During patient visits, physicians could then see the alert and use the evidence-based clinical tool to assess for poverty. Then if needed, physicians could offer referrals to North York FHT case workers to provide supports to improve patients’ well-being, which includes tax-filing assistance and income optimization. The results from this study are published in this peer-reviewed article.

This project is one of the first to incorporate neighbourhood-level data into EMRs in community primary care settings and was funded through a Patient’s Medical Home Caring and Compassion Grant from the College of Family Physicians of Canada. For more information, please contact Joyce Lo at jlo@nyfht.com.

Collecting Race-Based and Indigenous Identity Data
CIHI released pan-Canadian minimum standards for collecting race-based and Indigenous identity data in health systems, along with guidance on their use. You can also view a supplementary report that identifies some key concepts and considerations related to collecting and using race-based and Indigenous identity data. For questions on the guidance and standards, please contact populationhealth@cihi.ca.

Learning Opportunities
2SLGBTQI Identity and Dementia: An Introduction for Healthcare and Social Service Professionals
Egale Canada has a free e-module that takes 45-60 minutes to complete and is designed for healthcare providers, social work professionals, and other support personnel specializing in the care of people living with dementia. It may also be of interest to anyone working in homecare, community care or long-term care settings. For more information and to fill out the form to access any of Egale’s e-modules, click here.

Call It Out: Racism, Racial Discrimination and Human Rights
A 30-minute interactive eCourse from the Ontario Human Rights Commission that offers a foundation for learning about race, racial discrimination, and human rights protections under Ontario’s Human Rights Code. The course offers a historical overview of racism and racial discrimination, explains what “race”, “racism” and “racial discrimination” mean, and provides approaches to preventing and addressing racial discrimination.

Upcoming Events

Health Care Innovation: New Opportunities in the Digital Era
Monday, September 12, 2022, 12:30-4:00 pm | Globe and Mail
This half-day event will bring leading voices and experts in health care innovation together to discuss where the greatest opportunities lie, along with strategies to overcome barriers to implementation. Register here.

Wellness Check: Dealing with Transitions and Managing Stress Webinar
Thursday, September 15, 2022, 12-1 pm | Canadian Mental Health Association Ontario & AFHTO
In a webinar hosted in partnership with CMHA Ontario, participants will have the opportunity to gain insight into change processes and their impact on workplace mental health from Nancy Hood, the head trainer of the Your Health Space program. Strategies for managing hybrid working models and combating stress will also be explored. Learn more and register here.

POPLAR Webinar Series: EDIIA in Research
Equitably improving primary health care requires research and practice-based learning that are thoroughly grounded in the principles of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Indigeneity, and Accessibility (EDIIA). POPLAR, Ontario’s provincial primary healthcare Practice-Based Learning and Research Network has the vision to advance equitable primary healthcare delivery and health outcomes for everyone in Ontario, and is hosting the following webinars for anyone who wants to learn more about building these principles into their work:

Part 2: Building Research Projects with an EDIIA Lens
Friday, August 26, 2022, 12-1 pm | Dr. Vivian R. Ramsden, University of Saskatchewan
Learn more and register here.

Part 3: Embedding Equity in Leadership and Teams- Measuring EDIIA
Wednesday, September 21, 2022, 12-1 pm | Dr. Nicole Kaniki, University of Toronto
Learn more and register here.

Part 4: EDIIA and Data – Building Capacity
Wednesday, October 19, 2022, 12-1 pm | Dr. Andrew Pinto, Upstream Labs
Learn more and register here.

OMD Digital Health and Virtual Care Conference
Thursday, September 29 to Friday, September 30, 2022
Learn how to take advantage of innovative technologies to realize more of their benefits and integrate them with your EMR workflows. Find out more here.

AFHTO 2022 Conference
Wednesday, October 12, 2022
Join your peers from across Ontario and beyond as we reconnect and reimagine, moving forward together. Members get more than 50% off registration. Register here.

In Case You Missed It: Check out eBulletin #119 or other back issues here!
Questions? Comments? Contact us at improve@afhto.ca.
August 18, 2022

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

Your Weekly News & Updates

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

COVID-19 vaccinations for kids under 5

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

Open letter to keep expanded access to care for uninsured people

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

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

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

Minto Mapleton FHT meets with MPP

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

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

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

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

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

Member stories

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

Guelph FHT – 2021-2022 annual report

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

Summerville FHT- 2021-2022 annual report

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

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

Recent updates include:

Vaccines for Under 5, Second Boosters, Monkeypox – AFHTO, July 25, 2022
Paid COVID Sick Days (Total Of 3 Days) Are Back Until March 31, 2023– Maria McDonald, July 25, 2022
Researchers find no difference in rate of childhood diabetes in Ontario during COVID-19 pandemic– ICES, July 25, 2022

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

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates– the original page, with news and updates

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

Reminder- AFHTO 2022 Conference networking leads wanted

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

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

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

Are you interested in advising AFHTO on the top issues facing IHPs in team-based primary care? Would you like to be a leader in working with IHPs in primary care to advocate for and to speak to the critical role of teams? Would you like to share and spread knowledge and learnings? If yes, please apply to join our IHP Advisory Council!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AFHTO 2022 Conference, Oct. 12, 2022

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

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

July 27, 2022

2022 Conference Themes

Tectonic shifts: rebuilding primary care in a new world
(more…)

July 11, 2022

Bits & Pieces: nursing week, OAB funding materials and more

Your Weekly News & Updates

In This Issue

Happy National Nursing Week
Online appointment booking 2022/23 funding webinar materials available
Election 2022: It Takes a Team
Online OHIP renewal finally updated
June 2- deadline to implement right to disconnect policy
Long COVID: aiming for a consensus and more

GoodLife – chance to win a BBQ when you join
2023 OCFP Family Medicine Summit call for abstracts
Application for ECHO Ontario Mental Health Summer Programming open
Upcoming events including OMA Town Hall on Paxlovid and Evusheld and more

Happy National Nursing Week

Happy #NationalNursingWeek to all nurses-RNs,RPNs & NPs in primary care teams. Thank you for you dedication to your patients, communities, and teams. We appreciate you for everything you do.

Online appointment booking 2022/23 funding webinar materials available

On April 28 Ontario Health provided information and answered questions about the 2022/23 Ministry of Health approved funding for OHTs, in development teams and other health care organizations to enable more patients to schedule an online appointment with their primary care provider or other community care provider. Slides and video are now available on our site.

Election 2022: It Takes a Team

Candidates have started campaigning in earnest for the provincial election on June 2. Healthcare is a top issue for all parties AND the public, so use all the resources available to make your voice heard.

Share successes, pictures from candidate meetings, or pictures of patients with a voter card on social media. Broadcast what you do to deliver the best primary care in Ontario where It Takes a Team.

AFHTO is tweeting regularly. We ask you tag @afhto when you tweet, and we’ll also retweet you! Don’t forget to use our campaign slogan #ItTakesATeam

If you have any questions, please email advocacy@afhto.ca.

Online OHIP renewal finally updated

The change has finally been made! OHIP cards can now be renewed online by anyone with a driver’s license OR an Ontario Photo Card. Advocacy for a fairer system was heard. Patients can renew here.

June 2- deadline to implement right to disconnect policy

A reminder that employers, who as of January 1, 2022, had 25+ employees, must implement a right to disconnect policy by June 2, 2022. The policy’s content is up to employers. Resources available from Maria McDonald of McDonald HR Law are:

Long COVID: aiming for a consensus and more

Recent updates include:

Staying Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines: Recommended Doses– MOH, updated May 2, 2022
COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Recommendations– MOH, updated May 2, 2022
Long COVID: aiming for a consensus – The Lancet, May 4, 2022

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

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates– the original page, with news and Ministry situation reports (please note that the Ministry Situation Reports on COVID-19 are posted daily so review them to better understand the provincial response)
COVID-19 Vaccination Information
COVID-19 assessment centres in Ontario
COVID-19 information for Patients, Caregivers and the Public
Infection control resources and tools for primary care
Management and operations, human resources and COVID-19
Mental health and wellness during COVID-19
Providing Comprehensive Care During COVID-19
Resources for Re-opening
Virtual Care, Digital Health and COVID-19

GoodLife – chance to win a BBQ when you join
You have a chance to win 1 of 5 Napoleon Rogue 365 BBQs when you enroll in the Corporate Membership Program before June 30, 2022. Find out more here.

Right now, annual (paid in full) rates are $619 and biweekly rates $25. Effective May 30, 2022, AFHTO members will be eligible for a 25% discount on membership types.

To take advantage of discounted rates, you need a membership ID assigned by AFHTO. Automatically assigned to those on the ‘Bits & Pieces’ mailing list, these are sent to GoodLife monthly near the end of the month. To get your ID or be put on the list for one, please email info@afhto.ca.

2023 OCFP Family Medicine Summit call for abstracts

In 2023, FMS will be presented virtually, including live-stream days on January 27 and 28. Find out more about the application process on their site. Deadline June 12, 2022.

Application for ECHO Ontario Mental Health Summer Programming open
The program includes ECHO Ontario Integrated Mental and Physical Health (12 sessions – Fridays from 12:00 – 1:15 p.m. EST, June 3 – August 26, 2022). Apply here.

Practical technologies that can enable ageing in place webinar May 19

Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Geriatrics at Sinai Health and University Health Network (UHN) and Director of Health Policy Research at the National Institute on Ageing (NIA) will be presenting on Practical Technologies that can Enable Ageing in Place on May 19, from 9:00 – 10:00am EDT.

OMA Town Hall on Paxlovid and Evusheld, May 10, 2022
The OMA will host an online COVID-19 town hall on Paxlovid and Evusheld on Tuesday, May 10th from 7:30-9:00 p.m. The session will address considerations for prescribing Paxlovid for the treatment of COVID-19 and will provide an overview of Evusheld, a new prophylactic treatment for immunocompromised patients. Register here.

Back to the Office: Redefining Workplace Wellness in the Post-Covid World, May 17, 2022
Virtual panel presented by Canadian Club Toronto with OASW CEO Dr. Deepy Sur. Find out more here.

Demystifying Insurance: What Nonprofits Need to Know to Protect their Operations, May 19, 2022
Free webinar presented by HUB International in partnership with CharityVillage. Register here.

3rd Annual McMaster University Review Course in Psychiatry, May 26-27, 2022
Virtual CPD Conference. Find out more here.

May 10, 2022

QI in Action eBulletin #116: Role of Primary Care in Vaccine Distribution, QIPs 2022-2023
In this Issue:
- Understanding the Role of Primary Care in Vaccine Distribution
- Quality Improvement Plans 2022/23
- COVID-19 and Respiratory Virus Test Requisition Form
- Did You Agree to Be Listed On Online Appointment Booking Platform Bleen?
- Quality Standard on Transitions from Youth to Adult Health Care Services
- Recognizing World Delirium Awareness Day
- Developing A Practice Tool for Prescribing Cascades in Primary Care
- Upcoming Webinars
The Role of Primary Care in Vaccine Distribution – Currently recruiting MDs and IHPs!

AFHTO has partnered with Dr. Rachelle Ashcroft on a study focused on understanding how and in what ways primary care contributes to vaccine distribution, challenges experienced by primary care in the transition of vaccine distribution, as well as generating recommendations about primary care’s ongoing and future roles in vaccine distribution, including COVID-19 boosters.

This study will be in the format of focus groups with EDs, MDs, NPs, nurses, QIDSS and IHPs.
- We are actively recruiting MDs. If you are a physician interested in participating, please complete this poll.
- We are also currently recruiting IHPs. If you are an IHP interested in participating, please complete this poll.
For any questions, please connect with Sandeep Gill: sandeep.gill@afhto.ca.

Quality Improvement Plans (QIPs) 2022/23
Content below developed by Ontario Health (Health Quality Ontario)

For the past two years, Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) submissions have been on pause while organizations did the necessary work to manage the COVID-19 pandemic in their communities and regions. It has been a difficult time. While we know focused commitment to quality is vital, we also know that our system is facing unprecedented health human resource challenges and instability related to the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, we want to clearly convey to you our expectations regarding your Quality Improvement Plans (QIPs) for 2022/23: This year submission of your QIP to Ontario Health will be considered voluntary. Please e-mail QIP@OntarioHealth.ca if you have any questions. As always, the team is here to support you.

This year’s QIPs will focus on a small number of quality issues that are important to the health care system—issues that have been particularly impacted by COVID-19 and need our attention to help support health system recovery. The small number of priority indicators in this year’s QIPs have been developed in consultation with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Long-Term Care, other teams across Ontario Health, and organizational leaders like yourselves. Organizations may also choose to integrate other local issues that are of importance to their communities.

Priority indicators by sector are provided in the Appendix below. Supporting documents, including a QIP guidance document, technical specifications for the indicators, and a snapshot of quality priorities in brief for 2022/23, are also available. QIP Navigator, our online QIP development and submission platform, has been updated in preparation for voluntary submission. As usual, organizations can download pre-populated templates from QIP Navigator to support their QIP development process.

Individual organizations who choose to submit their QIPs to Ontario Health are encouraged to do so by April 1, 2022. However, in consideration of the current pressures on the health care system, there will be flexibility with timing of submissions and QIP Navigator will be kept open until June 30, 2022.

This is the first year that organizations that are part of an OHT will work to submit their organizational-level QIP while also contributing to their OHT’s cQIP. For that reason, and because organizations are continuing to respond to COVID-19, we have limited the number of focus areas for both the cQIP and the organizational-level QIP. Organizations that wish to reflect their cQIP work in their QIP may also include the cQIP indicators in their organizational QIP.

Annual Planning Materials:
Please see below for further clarifications by the Ministry of Health, on behalf of Fernando Tavares, A/ Program Manager Primary Health Care Branch

In follow up to the enclosed distribution from Ontario Health regarding the submission of this year’s Quality Improvement Plans. We wanted to confirm that the Ministry is supportive of Ontario Health’s plan to make this year’s submission voluntary and confirm that teams are not contractually required to submit this report for 2022-23.

We continue to encourage all organizations who choose to complete this work to develop and post your 2022/23 QIP on your website and share it with your administrative staff, clinicians, and patients/residents and their family members.

Further Supports:
COVID-19 and Respiratory Virus Test Requisition Form
Please find the Public Health Ontario COVID-19 and Respiratory Form Virus Test Requisition Form adapted to Telus PSS and OSCAR EMRs here.

If your team has this form implemented within Accuro, please reach out to Sandeep Gill: Sandeep.gill@afhto.ca.

Did You Agree to Be Listed on Online Appointment Booking Platform Bleen?
Recently it has come to our attention that many AFHTO member organizations are listed as clinics for patients to book an appointment online on the Bleen platform. We strongly advise you to review the list of clinics here to see if your team is on the list, as this solution is not aligned to the service standard.

For any associated privacy concerns, please reach out to the Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC). If your team did not agree to be listed on this website and would like to be removed, please directly reach out to Bleen via phone: 1-866-943-9480 and via an online form here. We have brought this issue to Ontario Health’s attention, and they are working with OntarioMD and the Ministry to bring a resolution to the issue.

We also encourage you to take this opportunity for patient education if you receive any appointment requests through this platform and advise patients on approved appointment booking practices for your team. If you are interested in exploring funding opportunities for online booking, please click here. For any questions, please connect with Sandeep Gill: sandeep.gill@afhto.ca.

Content below developed by Ontario Health (Health Quality Ontario)

New! Quality Standard on Transitions From Youth to Adult Health Care Services
In February 2022, Ontario Health released the Transitions From Youth to Adult Health Care Services quality standard, developed in partnership with the Provincial Council for Maternal and Child Health.
When young people transition from youth to adult health care, they are at increased risk for negative health outcomes as they adapt to new services, people, and processes.

The quality standard is an evidence-based resource that outlines what high-quality care looks like during this critical time. It can be used to help young people, families, and caregivers know what to ask for in their care; to help health care professionals know what care they should be offering; and to help health care organizations measure, assess, and improve their performance in caring for patients.

Please share this quality standard within your network and stay tuned for information on an upcoming webinar on this topic. For more information, contact qualitystandards@ontariohealth.ca.

Recognizing World Delirium Awareness Day
Delirium is often a complication of respiratory illnesses, such as pneumonia, in older adults. It is a sudden change in how someone thinks, acts, or understands what’s happening to them. See the quality standard addressing what quality care looks like for delirium and accompanied patient guide, from Ontario Health and Provincial Geriatrics Leadership Ontario and more resources here.

Developing A Practice Tool for Prescribing Cascades in Primary Care

Are you an Ontario physician, nurse practitioner or pharmacist who provides primary care as part of an interprofessional team?

Are you interested in reducing medication-related harm?

A University of Toronto research team wants to learn from clinicians working in interprofessional teams about your experiences and thoughts on interventions that may help to address prescribing cascades.

What is a prescribing cascade?
Prescribing cascades occur when a new medication is prescribed to treat the side effects of another medication. These often arise when prescribers attribute patients’ new signs or symptoms to a medical condition rather than a medication side effect. Prescribing cascades are important sources of potentially unnecessary medication use.

What is being asked of me?
– Complete a brief questionnaire (< 10 minutes) and then participate in a up to 1.5-hour discussion group or interview to share your perspectives. You will be invited to participate in a second discussion group or interview (also up to 1.5-hours) if interested.
– A $100 gift card will be provided for each discussion group or interview that is attended.

Do you have questions or want to get involved?
Please email the team at rx.cascades@utoronto.ca or contact them at (416) 978-4838. This study has been reviewed by the University of Toronto Research Ethics Board (#42135).

Upcoming Webinars

Stories from the Ivory Tower, Mar 22, 2022, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Register here

In March 2022, HSPN is presenting stories from the ivory tower of university-based evaluation of Ontario Health Teams (OHTs). Evaluators from the HSPN have spent the better part of the past year observing the development of OHTs with an aim to understand:
1. What factors contribute to the successful implementation and sustainability of OHTs?
2. What adaptations are OHTs making to improve function/performance/outcomes?
3. What are the barriers to OHTs’ successful implementation?
MyPractice: Primary Care Report: Using Data for Improvement – a focus on using the cancer screening indicators to drive improvements in patient care, Thursday March 31st, 2022, 12–1 p.m.

Ontario Health is hosting a webinar for primary care providers on using the cancer screening indicators in the MyPractice: Primary Care report to drive improvements in patient care. This is the third of an ongoing accredited series that will focus on using data from the MyPractice: Primary Care report for quality improvement. This 1-credit-per-hour Group Learning program has been certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Ontario Chapter for up to 1.0 Mainpro+Ⓡ credits. The program is part of a series that has been certified for up to 4 Mainpro+ credits.
Register here

AFHTO Webinar – Ontario Health And Primary Care, MHA CoE And HCNS
Friday, April 1, from 11 AM to 12:30 PM
Register here

AFHTO has arranged a members’ update and conversation on primary care with Ontario Health, the Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence (MHA CoE), and Healthcare Navigation Service (HCNS). Five speakers will be joining us on Friday, April 1, from 11 AM to 12:30 PM.

We will be joined by the following speakers:
- Sacha Bhatia, Population Health and Value Based Health Systems Executive, Ontario Health
- Zahra Ismail, Senior Director, Primary Care and Social Determinants, Ontario Health
- Danyal Martin, Director, Clinical Programs, Mental Health & Addictions Centre of Excellence, Ontario Health
- Graham Woodward, VP, Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence, Ontario Health
- Mala Shastri, Lead, Co-Design, Patient Populations and Discovery, Ontario Health
Members are encouraged to join the webinar and are welcome to submit questions by March 21. However, the floor will also be open for Q&As with all speakers, and any we do not get to during the webinar will be followed up on.

This webinar is open to all members.

Diabetes Care: Tools and Resources to Support Mental Health Needs, Friday April 8, 2022, 12:30–1:30 p.m.
Ontario Health is hosting a webinar for endocrinologists, primary care providers, and diabetes educators on screening for mental health needs among people with diabetes, and new, provincially-funded resources available to support them. This is the first of an ongoing series that will highlight Ontario Health’s three diabetes quality standards. Register here.

Moderator: Dr. David Kaplan

Panelists:
- Marcia Ross, Lived Experience Advisor
- Nina Hoyt, Nurse Practitioner, Health Sciences North
- Dr. Geetha Mukerji, Endocrinologist, Women’s College Hospital
- Leslie Johnson, Regional Director Mental Health and Addictions, Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences
The links to the diabetes quality standards can be accessed here: Type 1 Diabetes, Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes, and Diabetes in Pregnancy.

In Case You Missed It: Check out eBulletin #115 or other back issues here!
Questions? Comments? Contact us at improve@afhto.ca.
March 17, 2022
COVID-19 Clinical Assessment Centres, ConfusedAboutCOVID.ca and updated guidance documents
Dear Members,

With the recent news that Health Canada has authorized PAXLOVID for patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 at high risk of developing serious disease, there is some hope that treatment can be made available as soon as possible after diagnosis of COVID-19 and within five days of the start of symptoms. Ontario is expecting 10,800 doses by the end of the month and while details around where they will be disseminated are still being worked out, it looks like the Clinical Assessment Centres (see below) may be the first point of access. As we wait for more information, we wanted to share some important guidance updates and resources to support you.

COVID-19 Clinical Assessment Centres
To help further conserve needed capacity for people requiring emergency services, Ontario Health has requested that a number of COVID-19 assessment centres across the province expand their scope to include clinical services to support people with known or suspected COVID-19 infection who meet certain criteria. These clinical assessment centres build on the COVID, cough and flu clinics and other influenza-like illness clinics established in the fall. They will support assessment, diagnosis, and disposition planning for people whose symptoms cannot be safely self-monitored at home but are also not experiencing severe symptoms that would require emergency care.

To support this pivot, please find attached:
- Memo from Ontario Health to primary care providers explaining the role of the COVID-19 clinical assessment centres
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document that also explains the difference between the COVID-19 clinical assessment centres and COVID-19 assessment centres
- COVID-19 Clinical Assessment Centres (CACs): Information for Primary Care Providers from the Centre for Effective Practice
If you have any questions about clinical assessment centres in your region, reach out to the Vice President, Clinical Programs in your region:

* A reminder that if you have already existing pathways for referrals to your local clinical assessment centre (especially in Northern and rural settings), you should continue to use them.

New patient resources at ConfusedAboutCOVID.ca
The Department of Community and Family Medicine (DFCM) at the University of Toronto and the Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP) have created a new series of patient resources that teams can use to help patients make sense of the latest guidance around COVID/Omicron.

The resources include plain-language questions and answers about COVID management, testing, isolation and more. They offer patients and the public trustworthy advice about protecting their health and how primary care providers can help. Find out more at ConfusedAboutCovid.ca or to access them individually here:
Updated Guidance Documents
Here are some updated guidance documents from the Ministry of Health over the last week:
- COVID-19 Case Definition – MOH, updated Jan.17, 2022
- COVID-19 Vaccine Information Sheet: For Children (age 5-11) – MOH, updated Jan. 18, 2022
- COVID-19 Integrated Testing & Case, Contact and Outbreak Management Interim Guidance: Omicron Surge– MOH, updated Jan. 13, 2022
- COVID-19 Vaccine Third Dose Recommendations– MOH, updated Jan. 13, 2022
- Medical Exemptions to COVID-19 Vaccination– MOH, updated Jan. 12, 2022
- After Your COVID-19 Vaccine– MOH, updated Jan. 11, 2022
COVaxON
- If you are having issues accessing COVaxON or need to register additional staff/volunteers you can contact OntarioMD directly for information and support: covaxon.support@ontariomd.com.
- Just a reminder also that OMD runs ongoing training sessions on COVaxON – information and registration can be found here.
- COVaxON accounts are automatically deactivated after 30 days of inactivity so please check in advance of your clinic to ensure that all necessary staff/volunteers are reactivated if some time has passed.
Upcoming COVID-19 related webinars
- Therapeutic Management of COVID-19, Thursday, Jan. 20, 12:00p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
  - The General Medicine Quality Improvement Network (GeMQIN) will discuss recent developments in treatment of COVID-19 in both the inpatient and outpatient setting. Register here.
- COVID-19 Community of Practice for Family Physicians: Responding to the Omicron surge, Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
  - Join the OCFP and the DFCM in their 37th session of ‘Changing the way we work’. Register here.
- Vax for the Future: Equity, Community and Trust. Community of Practice | La vaccination pour l’avenir : équité, communauté et confiance, Wednesday, Jan. 26, 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
  - Join this Alliance-hosted virtual event showcasing best practices and lessons learned for improving vaccine confidence, featuring panellists from member centres (TAIBU CHC, Centre Francophone du Grand Toronto, Woolwich CHC, and Somerset West CHC). Register here.
- Quality Rounds: The Reality of Virtual Care: Lessons From The Pandemic, Friday, Jan. 28, 2022, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 pm.
  - Over the last two years of the pandemic, the popularity and usage of virtual care has increased dramatically. Join Ontario Health as they hear from patients and providers on the enablers and barriers to delivering and using virtual care during the pandemic, as well as exploring the future opportunities of virtual care in Ontario. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Courtney Paxton at Courtney.Paxton@ontariohealth.ca.
- Primary Care and COVID-19 Support CoP, Feb. 9, 2022, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 am.
  - With a focus on COVID@Home monitoring and Post COVID-19 Clinical Guidance for Primary Care. Hosted by Ontario Health. Click here to register.
While the ‘all hands-on deck’ to immunize as many individuals over 50+ as possible over the two weeks in December may have ended, teams are being encouraged to please participate in vaccine efforts in your community if capacity exists, including providing COVID-19 vaccines to your patients in clinic and counselling individuals who have not yet received their vaccine.

If you are still struggling with getting vaccines in your teams or want to participate in your public health vaccine clinics but do not know where to get assistance, please contact your PHU operational contact. If you’re having any issues, please let us know ASAP so we can work with the Ministry to provide a resolution.

We are expecting an updated Primary Care Guidance document very soon which will provide updated guidance on how to manage in-person care with updated IPAC, screening and testing guidance. We will ensure we share that as soon as it is available.

Once again thank you for all you are doing to keep your patients and the community safe. If you need any assistance or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Yours in Good Health,

The AFHTO Team

(in collaboration with the Primary Care Collaborative)
January 19, 2022