No Images? Click here In This Issue - January 2019
MESSAGE: Dr. M. Mustafa Hirji, Medical Officer of Health & Commissioner (Acting) Happy New Year! We are hoping you're feeling the same excitement we are to be starting another year with renewed resolve to serve our patients, clients, and population. A topic that has received much discussion of late is suicide. We have tragically had a few recent deaths at a bridge. This appears to us to be an example of suicide contagion—where public discourse about the death, and particularly the means and location, is causing other vulnerable persons to die in the same manner. As we work with many other partners to reduce risk of suicide, we, first, want to reduce suicide contagion by encouraging the use of language that is less likely to lead vulnerable persons to also die by suicide. A barrier on the bridge in question is also being studied carefully, with research showing barriers prevent individuals from dying, without those individuals in most cases moving to another location or dying by other means. One way in which we would like to work with you in the health care sector, is in ensuring our at risk patients are identified and given the support and treatment that they need. We have identified the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) as a tool that assesses the full range of suicide-related ideation and behaviour. We are now looking to gauge interest in adopting this tool and exploring how we use this tool with our clients, and can help health care practices to use it as well. In the coming months, we will be reaching out to identify practices interested in adopting this assessment. As well, we hope to host a community forum later this year to learn about this tool and how to integrate it into our work. We hope this will be one more way we can, together, improve the health of the people of Niagara. As always, please feel free to contact us any time about ways that we can work better together. Sincerely, M. Mustafa Hirji REVIEW: Environmental Mould and Health Mould and health impacts came to our awareness in the early 1990s. Since then our knowledge has evolved. At that time it was believed that health impacts were due
Our understanding has grown since then. Although we are not certain about amounts and all the mechanisms of exposure, we do know that mould exposure (from live or dead spores) is linked to health impacts such as
Environmental mould testing has very limited value due to the dynamic and varying nature of mould growth. The same tests conducted on different days, in the same place can produce widely varying results. Interpretation of test results can be unreliable, as there is no determinable “safe” exposure limit, nor can we determine a safe exposure limit until we understand the mechanisms of what are causing the health effects. It is recommended to advise patients
Resources for patients:
For further information, please contact the Environmental Health program at 1-888-505-6074 or 905-688-8248 ext. 7590 Monday to Friday between 8:30a.m. and 4:30p.m. FOR YOUR PATIENTS: Help your patients quit smoking In Niagara, 16% of adults are daily smokers. The majority of people who use tobacco want to quit. Many effective treatments exist, and tobacco use assessments and interventions can be done quickly and efficiently. NOTE: Physicians are eligible to receive payment for initiating smoking cessation discussions (E079) and smoking cessation follow-ups (K039). Free Nicotine Replacement Therapy is available for your patients in Niagara – call the Tobacco Hotline at 905-688-8248 ext. 7393 or click here for more information. For a free in-office Lunch and Learn session to learn more about helping your patients quit, contact Victoria Hull. For free resources to support your patients, please visit http://www.youcanmakeithappen.ca/ FOR YOUR PATIENTS: INCommunities and 211 Everyone is affected by the Social Determinants of Health, and on top of their immediate health concerns, some of your patients may struggle with issues such as; making ends meet, accessing healthy food to eat or navigating government assistance programs. Health care providers have an important role to play, as a trusted source of information for patients. To determine if patients may require additional support, consider using the Poverty Screening Tool. Referring patients to appropriate supports can be difficult to navigate. INCommunities is a free and confidential phone service that can provide information and referral services to your patient by dialing 211. Each call is answered by an Information and Referral Specialist and the service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Dial 211 to ask about
Order patient resources for your office from 211. SURVEY: Vision Screening in Primary Care We are looking for input from health care professionals - please fill out a short survey to help us understand what is currently happening with vision screening for children in your primary care office. SURVEILLANCE UPDATE: Influenza A Peaking
MEDICAL ADVISORIES & MEMOS: January 2019 MEMO: Minimizing Vaccine Wastage & Submitting Temperature Logs, Jan. 9, 2019 MEDICAL ADVISORY: Influenza-like illness & anti-viral recommendations, Jan. 18, 2019 MEMO: Impending School Suspensions & Implications for Your Practice, Jan. 21, 2019 MEMO: Opt-Out Process of Mandatory Prophylactic Eye Treatment for Opthalmia Neonatorum and Erythromycin Ointment Shortage, Jan. 29, 2019 MEDICAL ADVISORY: Baylisascaris procyonis (B. procyonis), Jan. 29, 2019 NOTE: You can now receive Medical Advisories and Memos electronically from Niagara Region Public Health - subscribe here. |