In this Issue:
- Patient with a pregnancy loss? There is support – for you, and for families
- Primary care clinicians can directly refer frontline health workers to psychological practitioners for MOH-covered psychological treatment
- Mental Health Resources
- CMHA Ontario’s Your Health Space
- The Indigenous Voice | Daadibaajimo
- Virtual Care Guidance Statements Checklist for Clinicians and other resources
- Upcoming Events
Patient with a pregnancy loss? There is support – for you, and for families
Content developed by Pregnancy and Infant Loss (PAIL) Network
Lisa Marie Buccella stands in front of a group of health care workers and shares tips for engaging with patients experiencing possibly one of the worst events of their lives: losing a baby.
As a parent who has had a loss, she provides feedback on what wasn’t very helpful: Never start a sentence with “At least you have other children…” or “Just be grateful for…”. The room is clearly engaged and pipe up with questions. Families with an experience of pregnancy and infant loss will also share the importance of being connected with meaningful support, and how validating it feels for a professional to offer information and a referral.
Offered by Sunnybrook’s Pregnancy and Infant Loss (PAIL) Network, the workshop is just one example of a resource for professionals to help support bereaved parents and families during a loss. PAIL Network also offers suggestions for communication with families, memory making, forming bereavement committees, and practical information and handouts for families on issues like lactation after loss and employment leave.
For families living in Ontario, PAIL Network organizes peer-led group and individual support services at no cost. The supports are comprehensive, including groups for each trimester of loss, and groups focused on infant/neonatal loss, SIDS, termination of pregnancy, pregnancy after loss, partners in grief and grief after abortion. Referring a family for support can be done online by any health care or service professional through a secure form that is sent directly to PAIL Network and ensures that a family will be contacted to be connected with peer support online or over the phone.
We encourage you to check out their resources and consider signing up for a session as well as ordering handouts to support families. For more information, visit Pregnancy and Infant Loss (PAIL) Network.
Primary care clinicians can directly refer frontline health workers to psychological practitioners for MOH-covered psychological treatment
Content below developed by Ontario Psychological Association
Primary care providers can now refer patients directly to psychologists from their Electronic Medical Record system (EMR) enabling increased access to timely specialized mental health services. The new development is made possible through a partnership between the Ontario Psychological Association and Ontario’s eServices Program which saw the integration of the Ocean and Strata Health e-referral platforms thereby allowing family physicians, nurse practitioners, and other primary care providers to connect with psychologists.
The Covid-19 Psychological Support Program, funded by the Ministry of Health, ensures that frontline health workers can receive up to 12 psychotherapy sessions with a registered psychologist or psychological associate at no cost. Primary care clinicians wishing to learn more can email opa@psych.on.ca or read our e-referral guidelines for more details. For a demo, please click here.
Mental Health Resources
Webinars
- Supporting Caregivers Supports Patients- The Critical Role of Primary Care in Preventing Caregiver Burnout
- Wellness Check: Dealing with Transitions and Managing Stress– not recorded but materials available
Select Resources
- Strengthening the delivery of mental health and addiction services in primary care– Primary Care Collaborative and OMA policy paper
- AFHTO member mental health initiatives
- Hybrid workspace resources from the Knowledge Institute on Child and Youth Mental Health and Addictions
- Breaking Free- digital, bilingual substance use treatment and recovery program available at no cost to Ontarians- EN and FR
- 2SLGBTQI identity and dementia– Egale Canada free e-modules for healthcare professionals and unpaid carers
- BounceBack program
- Mental Wellness Supports for Health Care Workers due to COVID-19 Digital Toolkit– OH, May 2022
- Mental health and wellness during COVID-19
- Wellness Together Canada
CMHA Ontario’s Your Health Space
Just a reminder that the Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario has launched Your Health Space, a free mental health service for Ontario’s health care organizations. This program provides the training, resources, and tools needed to encourage complex conversations about stress and burnout and promote psychological health and safety in health care workplaces.
Your Health Space offers self-directed modules and live workshops, the latter of which can be tailored to your organization’s unique needs. This programming is delivered through three distinct spaces designed to address the needs of 1) Leaders, 2) Health Care Workers, and 3) Support Staff working within an organization. Furthermore, Your Health Space has a team of trainers across Ontario that are available to facilitate workshops virtually or in person, at your workplace. Upon completion of the program, primary care teams will receive a digital badge and individuals will receive a digital certificate.
If you are an organizational leader interested in bringing this free program to your workplace, please visit www.yourhealthspace.ca or contact yourhealthspace@ontario.cmha.ca.
The Indigenous Voice | Daadibaajimo
Content developed by IPHCC
The IPHCC recently launched a public facing newsletter titled: Indigenous Voice | Daadibaajimo to keep the audience informed on how we are improving Indigenous health outcomes and supporting the advancement and evolution of Indigenous primary health care services throughout Ontario. This newsletter is designed for both non-Indigenous and Indigenous audiences as it entails specific content and resources to promote education and awareness about Indigenous Peoples. To learn more about how the IPHCC is shaping Indigenous health care, subscribe to our newsletter here or send an email to communications@iphcc.ca. Click here to view the past issue.
Virtual Care Guidance Statements Checklist for Clinicians and other resources
The Virtual Care Guidance Statements Checklist for Clinicians and other support tools for the Clinically Appropriate Use of Virtual Care Guidance in Primary Care are now live on the Ontario Health website. They are currently available in English and French. For feedback/questions, email PCP.Gudance@ontariohealth.ca.
Upcoming Events
ECHO Ontario Child and Youth Mental Health
Beginning January 19, 2023, 12:00-1:00 pm
Many Ontarian children and youth live in remote and underserved communities. Eighteen percent of Ontarians live in rural areas, where only 2% of the province’s child psychiatrists live. ECHO Ontario CYMH aims to change diagnostic, prescribing, treatment and referral practices of Primary Care Providers (PCPs) who are caring for children and youth with mental health problems. Register here.
In Case You Missed It: Check out eBulletin #124 or other back issues here!
Questions? Comments? Contact us at improve@afhto.ca.
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