Programs Update

OnPage On-Call Trial

The Oceanside on-call group is currently trialing OnPage software to replace the answering service that currently serves the call group.  This tool is entirely online and runs through an app on physician's phones that alerts the on-call physician scheduled for the day to any on-call requests.  The app also allows physicians to message each other, provides escalation routes if the alerts are not answered, and keeps logs of all calls.  If the trial is successful and the MAMS call group decides to go ahead, they will move to the new system likely later this month.  Any questions?  Please contact Sharon Todd at 250-937-0611.

Port Alberni Primary Care Network

Our expression of interest has been accepted and we are starting to pull together a working group and meeting with our care provider leads to discuss our first steps to begin writing the PCN Service Plan for Port Alberni.  More updates next month!

Health Connect Registry

Our migration from the PAM list in Oceanside to the Health Connect Registry has been completed, and the registry now holds about 2,500 patients that were migrated or newly signed on.   Going forwards, if your practice needs or wants some new patients, please  contact PCN Administrator Lois Miller at centralisland@divisionsbc.ca.  If your office needs more Health Connect Registry posters or info cards to give out to patients, please get in touch with Sharon Todd at stodd@divisionsbc.ca and we will have some brought to you!

PMH, Shared Care, Maternity, First Nations Engagement

Shared Care, Psychiatry:
Follow up with psychiatry shared care: Tina Biello has connected with interested GPs and clinics with a schedule for sessions with Dr. Saffy. These sessions started last week of January and are going well. Dr. Saffy’s schedule is full now. However, if anyone is interested in Oceanside who hasn’t been scheduled, please get in touch.

Nurse in Practice:
Murray Coughtrey has been working with Dr. Biglow, Dr.El Karsh and Dr.Duncan in this role and is available to any other clinics who might be interested in this model. If anyone would like further information, please get in touch with Tina Biello, Project Manager.

Maternity Network:
The work of the maternity network will resume this summer with meetings of stakeholders to discuss upcoming PCN service plan writing. Tina Biello will be getting in touch to organize this with all GPs and NPs who provide maternity care in Port Alberni, specialists, as well as midwives and First Nation partners.

First Nations:
First Nation engagement sessions are being offered in collaboration with RCCBC, Nuuchahnulth First Nations and Central Island Division. Each session will have 3 elders from Nuuchahnulth territories and 3-5 primary care providers.
Sessionals will be paid and it is highly recommended for all providers in Port Alberni to attend in the spirit of reconciliation and the work we are about to embark on with the Primary Care Network in Port Alberni.
The 8-session series started March 31 and runs until June 30.
The final two sessions in the series are on:
June 17; and
June 30.
Please contact Tina Biello – tbiello@divisionsbc.ca for more info and to register.

* There will be one more session in July for WCGH staff. Date TBD.

PCN Update

The PCN Steering Committee and the Division staff continue the work of operationalizing the PCN Service Plan and are excited to share this month’s updates.

Learn more about our Clinical Pharmacist and how he is helping providers and patients
Corey Jefferies continues to settle into the role of PCN clinical pharmacist and is currently working with 4 clinics supporting 9 providers on a set recurring schedule.
Corey also has time blocks set aside to see patients that are referred through the Oceanside PCN Clinical Pharmacist Referral Form which we are pleased to announce is now accessible here on Pathways
The two ways that Corey is able to see patients was described in our engagement session on June 7th – see that presentation here.
PCN Link Clinician – Registered Nurse.
The Expression of Interest for the first two RN roles to be hired is not closed. The RN roles were explained and discussed during the June 7th engagement session. The presentation can be seen here. A further two RNs will also be hired into the PCN next year.
A physician for the Priority Response Team
We are very excited to announce that a candidate has been selected for 1.0 FTE of the 1.5 FTE physician role within the PRT. The physician will start September 1st. More details to follow.  To improve the function of the PRT team, the Island Health Quality Improvement group are undertaking an analysis of the service. And as part of our PCN evaluation work we want to talk with providers who have made referrals to the PRT about their experience and suggestions for improvement.
If you are willing to do a 15-minute interview about your experience with the PRT service, please e-mail garthur@divisionsbc.ca. Any input will be confidential and will help us improve this service and your experiences with it

PCN Progress Update
We continue to implement the service plan and an update on progress to date was shared by Dr Drew Digney at the June 7th engagement session. The presentation can be seen here.
If you have questions about any of the information above or the PCN work in general, please contact us at: garthur@divisionsbc.ca

CIDFP AGM 2021 Meeting Location

This year's AGM is scheduled for Wednesday, September 15th.
Please answer a quick (one question) survey to help us plan the meeting.

Please click here or use the link below
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KTZXL78

Port Alberni PCN Physician/NP Consultation Lunches

Port Alberni PCN Physician/NP Consultation Lunches

The Central Island Division of Family Practice, along with our new physician lead for the Port Alberni Primary Care Network, Dr. Anienne Marsay, invite you to save the date on either Wednesday, July 7th or Wednesday, July 14th, both from 12:00-1:00 to join us for lunch at the Chances Rimrock Casino restaurant. 
We are seeking physician and NP consultation for input to our Service Plan for the Port Alberni PCN.  All attendees will be compensated by sessional, and your notes on what is working, what is not working, and what you would like to see in our Service Plan in Port Alberni will be noted for the building of the service plan. Invites will go out later in June, so you can RSVP for a date that works for you!  We hope to hear many caregiver voices to add your valuable insight into our service planning.

Island Health Looking for a Division Head in Oceanside/Nanaimo region

Island Health is looking for a family practitioner in the Central Island Division to act as a Division Head. (This is NOT related to the Central Island Division but is a separate position within Island Health).

The Division Head, Family Practice (NRGH Region) is a medical expert who provides leadership to division members, and collaborates with the Department Head to achieve the highest possible quality of Family Practice medical care at the sites within the scope of the division’s clinical services and within available resources address.  For further information see the attached outline here.

If you have interest in this position please contact Drew Digney at Drew.Digney@viha.ca by July 31.

Governance 101: Key Concepts for Governance Excellence

Governance 101: Key Concepts for Governance Excellence
Date: July 15, 2021
Time: 12:00 PM-1:00 PM.
Where: Webinar

We are pleased to announce the first webinar in the Doctors of BC Governance Webinar Series. Governance 101: Key Concepts of Governance Excellence will expand on important topics highlighted in the JCC's recently published Governance Fundamentals Guidelines. Join governance consultants Alison Sayers and Nichola Manning, along with your physician colleagues from around the province, for a virtual presentation including:

• best practice for governance excellence
• roles and responsibilities for governance table leaders; and
• the differences between governance and operations within your MSA or Division."

Please register here or using the link below to confirm your participation:

https://doctorsofbc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CqtB5nlyRo-eLgg4h46f3Q

At Home Cervix Screening Pilot sponsored by BC Cancer Agency

Looking for family practitioners in Oceanside to be Involved in the At Home Cervix Screening Pilot sponsored by BC Cancer Agency

BC Cancer Cervix Screening would like to initiate the HPV pilot in two or three communities that would be willing to collaborate in the pilot and support the learning and development of this new screening pathway. Central Island Division has been selected as one of the pilot project division. Fran Chiste from Port Alberni will head up that geography, so we are looking for an Oceanside practitioner to head up this area The At‐Home HPV screening pilot would target the identification of participants based on their address.  For further information see the attached outline here.

If you have interest in this pilot project please contact Jill Skuse at jskuse@divisonsbc.ca by July 31.

Director, Year 3 Rural Family Practice Clerkship

The MD Undergraduate Program, Faculty of Medicine, invites applicants for the position of Director, Year 3 Rural Family Practice Clerkship

Please click here for the complete job description from UBC.

As I am retiring from this position, we are looking for another rural physician to fill it.
I have loved the position - the contact with the students and the rural preceptors - watching students light up and love rural medicine and the great team we have to work with.
This UBC Medical School Program ensures that all 3rd year medical students work in a rural setting for 4 weeks. If the students become specialists, this exposure is invaluable for the rest of their careers. It is during this rotation that so many students decide to practice rural medicine!
Anyone who has questions about this position is welcome to call me on my cell: 250 847-1181.
The start date is Sept 1, 2021 and I will still be a member of the team in another capacity for one year -- I am happy to work with the new Director regarding any questions, contacts, processes etc as they get going.
Thank you,

Karin Blouw MD CCFP FCFP
Year 3 RFP Course Director
UBC Department of Family Practice
Site Lead Rural - NW NMP, UNBC and VFMP, UBC

Please click here for the complete job description from UBC.

What's new at Health Data Coalition?

We are pleased to announce the launch of our beta program for Division access to HDC Discover this month, allowing registered Division users to view the larger community aggregate data trends, helping to inform them and better serve your community. Vancouver, Fraser Northwest, and Surrey North Delta Divisions are taking part in our beta program. We look forward to sharing more about their experience and our progress in upcoming newsletters!

Currently, HDC Discover has data insights representing over 800,000 patients across the province which is inspiring. As more Division members register with HDC Discover, they’re making real changes to the way they support their communities. We’re proud to be producing data that leads to tangible patient outcomes. Read Dr Omesh Syal’s story on complex care visits for diabetic patients.

We’ve had several well attended webinars recently and the feedback we’re getting indicates the appetite for continued learning. If you missed the recent webinar on Respiratory Diseases, a recap is available.
And, we've added additional dates! Register online to join us June 23 or 24.

New integrations with top EMR vendors
We’re integrated with the most popular EMR vendors, which allows us to serve all Divisions across the province. The integration of EMR data and HDC Discover’s web-based application helps physicians improve patient outcomes by embedding quality improvement in their everyday practice. We’re pleased to add Open OSP to our network with more new vendors joining us in the coming weeks.

Please click here for more from HDC.

eTick program in BC: information for healthcare providers

BC launched the eTick program (click here) in May. The objective is to improve our understanding of ticks and tickborne-disease in BC to inform risk assessments and communications to the public and healthcare providers. eTick is a Canada-wide program whereby individuals who identify a tick on themselves or their pet take a picture of it and submit it to eTick. A trained professional identifies the tick genus; if it is an Ixodes sp., the submitter will be advised to:

1. store it for 30 days
2. see their physician if they develop Lyme disease-compatible symptoms in that period
3. have the physician submit the tick to the lab for testing

This is very similar to past advice except for the photo identification and 30 day storage advice. More information about the program and associated weblinks can found by clicking here and here.

Regards,
Eleni Galanis, MD, MPH, FRCPC

Medication Abortion Training for Primary Care Providers

The National Abortion Federation (NAF) Canada has launched an online training course to help primary care providers offer medication abortion to their patients. We invite you to share information about this training with colleagues and members of the Central Island Division of Family Practice.

WHY OFFER MEDICATION ABORTION?
More than 80,000 Canadians choose abortion each year. Research shows that many would prefer to obtain abortion care from their primary care provider, the health care provider who they know and trust, instead of going to an abortion clinic.

MEDICATION ABORTION IS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE
Medication abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol is a safe and effective way for primary care providers to offer abortion care. Sold under the brand name Mifegymiso®, the medications are covered by provincial health insurance and are approved for use up to 9 weeks of pregnancy.

ONLINE TRAINING WITH MAINPRO+® CREDITS
NAF Canada’s online training course on medication abortion is designed specifically for primary care providers. Training is delivered through 6 self-paced modules and 1 live session. Topics covered include medication abortion protocols, patient-centered counselling, and how to offer medication abortion in a primary care setting. Up to 5.75 Mainpro+® credits are available.

TRAINING DATES
The next live training session will take place on Tuesday, June 22 from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm PT. The self-paced modules will be available for completion starting Monday, June 7. Each module takes approximately 30-60 minutes to complete.
To register, please visit the registration page and select the Western Canada course option. Additional training sessions will be available this Summer. For the most up-to-date list please see the registration page or contact canada@prochoice.org.

Therapeutics Initiative

Our mission is to provide physicians, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, allied health professionals, and the public with up-to-date, independent, evidence-based, practical information on healthcare interventions. Read more

June 23 Webinar:
TI Best Evidence Webinar: Rational Treatment of Skin and Soft Tissue Infections (SSTIs)

Please click here to view our newsletters

Upcoming UVic Self-Management Programs- REGISTRATION OPEN!

Supported through the Ministry of Health’s Patients as Partners Initiative, Self-Management BC provides programs to support people with chronic conditions learn tools, tips and strategies to live a healthy life.

Click here to visit our website.

Chronic Conditions Self-Management Program
Chronic Pain Self-Management Program
Cancer: Thriving and Surviving Sel-Management Program
Diabetes Self-Management Program
Upcoming Workshops

For more details about any of the above, please call us 604-940-1273 or TF: 1-866-902-3767 or visit our website www.selfmanagementbc.ca

Oceanside Hospice Society

The Oceanside Hospice Society serves individuals and families experiencing end-of-life, care-giving and bereavement in the area stretching from Deep Bay to Nanoose, and west to Errington and Whiskey Creek

We strive to provide links in the continuum of care by supporting care giving at home, in hospital or the palliative care unit at Trillium and at community care facilities.

Please contact us at 250.752.6227 or visit www.oceansidehospice.com for further information.

Divisions Dispatch

The latest news from the provincial team and complementary organizations.
https://divisionsbc.ca/provincial/news-events/divisions-dispatch

Divisions in the News

See what is going on in other divisions around BC:
https://www.divisionsbc.ca/provincial/news-and-events/in-the-news