In This Issue - August 2022

PHYSICIANS' CORNER
UPDATE:
- Vaccine Preventable Disease Program - What's Your VAQ Part 2
- Public Health Ontario IPAC Checklist for Health Care Settings
- Early Words Program Opportunity
REVIEW:
- Primary Care Advisory & Liaison Group
- World Suicide Prevention Day
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
- FREE TRAINING: Breastfeeding - Making a Difference Level 1
- FREE CME: Strengthening the Connection – Primary Care & Suicide Prevention
MEDICAL ADVISORIES & MEMOS

Physicians' Corner

Welcome to the August edition of the Physicians' Corner Broadcast. As of Aug. 29, only 610 of Niagara’s children aged six months to four years of age have received their first dose to protect them from COVID-19 infection. COVID-19 statistics in Niagara also reveal a significant amount of known cases in Niagara, with 1,000 residents across all ages infected. Eighty-seven have been hospitalized and 10 have been admitted to intensive care.

Data from Public Health Ontario (as of Aug. 20) shows that COVID-19 hospitalizations among those under 19 years of age is highest among children aged zero to four.

It’s critical for health care providers to make a strong recommendation for their youngest patients to get vaccinated. The strength of your recommendation can significantly impact a parent or guardian’s decision to vaccinate their child. Research shows that parents who planned to delay or refuse vaccines but changed their minds, frequently cite accurate information and reassurance provided by their health care provider as the main reasons for making this decision.

Getting patients under five vaccinated

Public Health’s Associate Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Azim Kasmani has released a pre-recorded video detailing the under 5 COVID-19 vaccination plan and answers FAQs which you may be receiving from parents.

Please join the local COVID-19 vaccine administration program to administer these vaccines to your own patients, especially your littlest ones. Review the onboarding steps for details on how to get your practice set up.

If you are not offering COVID-19 vaccine in your office, learn where you can refer you patients for COVID-19 vaccination.

View the video below or click here.

More Information:

Any questions can be directed to HCPengagement@niagararegion.ca or by calling our COVID-19 information line for health care professionals (Call 905-688-8248 and press 7, then press 1 for physicians).

UPDATE: Vaccine Preventable Disease Program - What's Your VAQ Part 2

What’s Your VAQ (Vaccine Awareness Quotient) is a 3 – part series that includes helpful resources and key reminders about various topics as health care providers are starting to immunize patients again. Find Part 1 here.

Immunizing in your office:

Incorporate routine and COVID-19 infection control practices into all immunization procedures
Interruption of an immunization series does not require restarting the series
Educate parent/caregiver about pain management for their child before and on the day of immunization, or on the day of appointment for adult immunization
To reduce injuries due to fainting, immunize patients while seated, or if considered at high-risk, while lying down
Counsel vaccine recipients about the reporting and management of common adverse events following immunization
Advise vaccine recipients to remain in your office for observation for at least 15 minutes after immunization, or 20 minutes when there is a specific concern about a vaccine reaction
Provide individual with a receipt of their immunization and advise parents to report their child’s vaccines to Public Health. Parents can use the linked online portal to report vaccinations.

Updated Publicly Funded Immunization Schedules

On July 7, 2022 the Ministry of Health released an updated version of Ontario’s Publicly Funded Immunization Schedules in both English and French.

More Information

UPDATE: Public Health Ontario IPAC Checklist for Health Care Settings

As in-person care continues to increase in volume, infection prevention and control (IPAC) measures become all the more important for the safety of both patients and staff.

This past June, Public Health Ontario (PHO) updated their Checklist for Infection Prevention and Control Key Principles for Clinical Office Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The checklist can support your practice with

Examining, evaluating (e.g., self-assessment) and re-evaluating your current IPAC practices using provincial recommendations (e.g., Ministry of Health, PHO) as required
Planning and preparing for the resumption of services during the COVID-19 pandemic

Although this checklist is a valuable tool to assess and plan IPAC measures, it is only a supplementary tool; the governing rules remain the directives and guidance of the Ministry of Health and local public health units. See the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 Orders, Directives, Memorandums and Other Resources.

If you have questions about IPAC in your practice, contact the Infectious Disease Program at 905-688-8248 ext. 7330.

UPDATE: Early Words Program Opportunity

The Canadian Children’s Literacy Foundation is seeking Expressions of Interest from health care providers to launch the Early Words program in their practice at no cost. This program will benefit providers whose patient population includes children aged five and under who are experiencing barriers to literacy such as

Families with low literacy
Limited access to programs and resources
Low socioeconomic status

ACTION: If your practice would like to be part of the Early Words program, which includes resources and training, please visit Early Words for more information or register for the Sept. 22 info session here.

The deadline to apply to the Expression of Interest is Sept. 30.

REVIEW: Primary Care Advisory & Liaison (PCAL) Group

The PCAL group has been meeting bi-monthly since the start of this year and meeting topics have included COVID-19 treatment and vaccinations, ticks and Lyme disease, school program catch-up immunizations, monkeypox and the rise of STIs in Niagara.

At each meeting, Public Health leadership presents on local issues and topics that support an understanding of Public Health programs and how primary care can better access or be more involved in these areas. In August, the group received a presentation from Public Health's Family Health Division and discuss parenting supports available in Niagara. Niagara parents offers a variety of free programs for parents across the region and can be accessed through a health care provider referral or by contacting Niagara Parents.

Action: Watch past presentations here, and bookmark the PCAL webpage!

Interested in learning more? Contact your catchment area lead (identified on the PCAL webpage). If you have a few hours available each month and would like to get involved, email HCP Engagement for information on open positions.

REVIEW: World Suicide Prevention Day

Sept. 10 marks World Suicide Prevention Day – a day for education and awareness, and a chance to reflect on how we can work together in suicide prevention.

We know 11 people die everyday in Canada by suicide, with many more people affected by this loss. Although certain demographics of people are disproportionately affected by suicide, no one is immune. Health care providers have a unique opportunity to make an impact in the work you do with patients on a daily basis.

The Zero Suicide framework is an aspirational goal to end all deaths by suicide – Please see the Zero Suicide Community Implementation Toolkit to see how you can enhance suicide prevention work at your practice.

Suicide prevention in our community is everyone’s responsibility – for learning opportunities focused on suicide prevention in primary care, visit our Professional Development Opportunities webpage.

FREE TRAINING: Breastfeeding – Making a Difference (Level 1)

Niagara Region Public Health is hosting a 2-day live (virtual Zoom) workshop series for health care providers and hospital staff practicing in Niagara who currently work with expectant or new parents as well as their families. This series will take place on November 1st and November 8th, 2022.

Keynote Speaker: Kathy O’Grady Venter, RN, IBCLC, Lactation Consultant, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, BFI Assessor for the Breastfeeding Committee for Canada, and Educator for Quintessence Foundation

Note: Participants must attend both session dates and may be eligible to receive IBLCE Continuing Education Recognition Points (CERPS).

Register Here by October 21st, 2022

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FREE CME: Strengthening the Connection – Primary Care & Suicide Prevention

When: Wednesday, Oct. 19, from 1:00 - 3:30 p.m.

Health care providers play an important role in creating a suicide-safer community. Talking openly about suicide with all patients, and asking directly about thoughts of suicide can help to reduce the stigma that many people feel about the topic, and can open up a life-saving line of communication.

Join us for an accredited session with Dr. Virna Little and Dr. Peter Guiterrez to learn about the role of primary care in suicide prevention, safety planning with patients, and to discuss barriers to addressing suicide.

Register online or call 905-688-8248 or 1-888-505-6074 ext. 7218. Registration deadline is Oct. 14.

This one-credit-per-hour Group Learning program has been certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada for up to 2.5 Mainpro+ credits.

MEDICAL ADVISORIES & MEMOS

August 3: Medical Advisory - Heightened Disease Surveillance for Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games
August 10: Memo - Updated Publicly Funded Immunization Schedules for Ontario
August 23: Memo - Pre-Exposure (PrEP) Vaccination Clinics
August 30: Memo - Polio

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