In This Issue - June 2022

PHYSICIANS' CORNER
UPDATE:
- Primary Care Advisory & Liaison Group
- Vaccine Eligibility Extensions
REVIEW:
- Nurse Family Partnership
- IPAC Complaint Protocol
- Respiratory Surveillance
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
- CME: Introduction to PnP/Chemsex
MEDICAL ADVISORIES & MEMOS

Physicians' Corner

Welcome to June's Physicians' Corner Broadcast with Dr. Hirji, Niagara Region Public Health's Medical Officer of Health (Acting). This month is all about monkeypox and the upcoming, under age 5, COVID-19 vaccine plan.

View the video below or click here.

Our COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions for Health Care Professionals webpage has been updated! Don't see the response to your question on the FAQ page? Call our COVID-19 Health Care Professionals information line Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. at 905-688-8248, press 7 then press 1.

UPDATE: Primary Care Advisory & Liaison Group

The Primary Care Advisory & Liaison (PCAL) group has been meeting bi-monthly since the start of this year. Meeting topics have included COVID-19 treatment and new vaccines for children under 5 years, treatment of Lyme disease, 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 be more involved in these areas.

In April, the group heard from the Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention team on what Public Health is doing to influence and empower Niagara residents to adopt healthier lifestyles and improve the social determinants of health.
- Discussion included some of the practical steps primary care can take to improve patient health and the role primary care can play in helping to make an individuals default decision a healthy one.
In June, the Sexual Health team presented on the increasing rates of STIs in Niagara and how Public Health and primary care providers can work together to reduce STIs.

Action: Watch past presentations here, and check out the new PCAL webpage! Bookmark or add it to your favourites bar and connect with your area catchment lead if you have any questions, want to chat about past discussions or would like something to be brought forward to the next meeting.

UPDATE: Vaccine Eligibility Extensions

Vaccine Preventable Diseases Program

The Ministry of Health has released an updated Guidance for Routine Immunization Services during COVID-19 that outlines extended eligibility for certain cohorts. Please refer to this memo for more information.

Direct Mail Out to Grade 8-10 Students

There are over 10,000 students in grades 8-10 across Niagara who may have missed some of their Grade 7 immunizations. Parents/legal guardians and students (born in 2008, 2007 and 2006) will be notified through direct mail if Grade 7 vaccinations are not up-to-date.

Please be aware

Timeline for mail-outs will be staggered, beginning at the end of June
Your office may see an influx of calls from parents/legal guardians requesting information on their child’s immunization history
If you notice the child is missing immunization(s), please take this opportunity to provide any outstanding dose(s)
If you are unable to administer school-based vaccines, please direct patients to our website for clinic information

REVIEW: Nurse Family Partnership

The Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) is a free, evidence-based home-visiting program offered by Niagara Region Public Health (NRPH). This program is for pregnant individuals who are younger than 25, preparing to parent for the first time. Those who present with some risk and or experience social/economic disadvantage can benefit most from this program. Home visits are conducted by trained public health nurses throughout pregnancy and the child’s first two years of life. Through research trails, this program has been shown to

Improve pregnancy outcomes
Improve infant/child health and development
Improve the economic self-sufficiency of the family

Throughout 2021, NFP nurses in Niagara provided 1,184 home visits to families, with 82% of these visits occurring in-person utilizing proper COVID-19 safety measures.

If you have patients who live in Niagara and are

24 years of age or younger,
less than 28 weeks pregnant, and
preparing to parent for the first time,

they may benefit from in-home nursing support during their pregnancy. Please complete our Family Health Referral Form either online or by fax.

For more information, contact Rose Burns, Nurse-Family Partnership Team Lead by email or phone at 289-407-3600.

If you have a pregnant patient or a patient with a young child who may benefit from home visits but does not meet the eligibility criteria for NFP, NRPH also offers Healthy Babies Healthy Children, a more generalized home visiting program.

REVIEW: IPAC Complaint Protocol

Niagara Region Public Health (NRPH) is mandated under the Health Protection and Promotion Act to investigate infection prevention and control (IPAC) lapses linked to a regulated healthcare professional’s practice. An IPAC lapse is a deviation from the current standard of care determined by the Provincial Infectious Diseases Advisory Committee, Public Health Ontario (PHO) and/or the Ministry of Health.

This mandate helps protect the public from infections while seeking health care, and to ensure that best practices are being followed. The details of this mandate are outlined in the Ministry of Health's IPAC Complaint Protocol (2019). For more information on what the province expects in terms of IPAC including the IPAC checklists used in an inspection after a complaint, please visit PHO’s Resources for Preventing IPAC Lapses.

NRPH’s role is to

Investigate any complaint/referral
Follow-up on a reportable disease
Manage the risk associated with the lapse
Liaise with necessary professional regulatory bodies
Disclose the lapse publicly
Provide proactive advice and support to health care providers who wish to ensure they have optimal IPAC practices

Thanks for keeping Niagara healthy and please contact us with any IPAC related questions.

REVIEW: Respiratory Surveillance

Surveillance Update: Influenza and other viruses still circulating

Public Health Ontario’s most recent respiratory laboratory surveillance data (June 24, 2022) indicates influenza A and B activity are returning to a low level after Influenza A had a moderate increase in April and May
Provincially, rhinovirus/enterovirus is the most commonly-circulating virus, followed by metapneumovirus
In Niagara, since October 2021, 87 cases of influenza have occurred, with 61 cases occurring since the start of May
Of the 87 influenza cases in Niagara, 65.5% are among those under 10 years old

Niagara reports flu activity surveillance information weekly on Tuesdays. For more detail on the 2021 to 2022 respiratory season, please visit Public Health Ontario’s page for the Ontario Respiratory Pathogen Bulletin.

FREE CME: An Introduction to PnP/Chemsex

Gay Men's Sexual Health Alliance is hosting an interactive session to explore PnP/Chemsex. Party & Play (PnP), or ChemSex can occur within the gbMSM population. This is when sex and substances such as methamphetamines come together.

Although PnP is often associated with larger urban populations, the Niagara Region has an extremely active PnP scene in environments that are high risk for transmission of HIV, Syphilis, and other STIs.

When: July 14, 2022 - 9:00AM to 12:15PM

Where: Online Event

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 3 Mainpro+ certified credits. Attendees can expect to achieve the following learning objectives:

Describe PnP and populations that are disproportionately impacted
Demonstrate knowledge of biopsychosocial context of PnP in the MSM community
Practice a harm reduction approach to substance use in the context of sex
Develop competencies in cultural humility, cultural safety, and clinical care

Register for this online event here

MEDICAL ADVISORIES & MEMOS

June 24: Memo - Vaccine Eligibility Extensions, Catch-Up Vaccination and Concurrent Administration of COVID-19 vaccines
June 22: Medical Advisory - Monkeypox Designated a Disease of Public Health Significance and Updated Reporting Requirements
June 2: Memo - Change to Telemedicine Service
May 25: Medical Advisory - Monkeypox Virus

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