No Images? Click here In This Issue - April 2018
MESSAGE FROM DR. HIRJI:Acting Medical Officer of HealthI think we are all pleased to finally see the start of spring and the impending end of our respiratory infection season. At Public Health & Emergency Services, renewal and growth is very much an ongoing theme for us. In the last half year, there have been several changes in provincial legislation and our governing standards that impact our mandate and work. And with elections this year and new governments possible, more change is certainly possible. Our focus through this change is to find ways to better serve our population and partners such as you, and make a bigger impact on the health and health equity for the people of Niagara whom we all serve. One area where significant change is being explored is with Emergency Medical Services. With growing call volumes and ambulances increasingly stuck in offload delay at emergency departments, we are exploring non-traditional care pathways to connect 911 callers to community care rather than just hospital care. Below, there is a more detailed discussion of some of what we are doing. In the coming months, we will touch on other areas where our work may be shifting to better impact our population. As we share our plans, please feel free to let us know your thoughts, suggestions, and concerns. As our partners in making our community healthy, we need and value your input in order to be successful. Thank you for your partnership in so much of what we do, and we look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Mustafa. IPAC REVIEW: Just Clean Your HandsBest practices for hand hygiene include:
For effective hand hygiene, health care providers should not wear artificial nails, nail polish, hand, or arm jewelry. Wearing gloves is not a substitute for hand hygiene. A designated hand sink or ABHR are to be available within these key locations:
For additional information on hand hygiene, refer to: Public Health Ontario. Hand Hygiene posters for your clinical office can be found HERE under Infection Prevention and Control. FOR YOUR PATIENTS: Oral Health MonthBrush Up on the Facts: Keep Kids’ Teeth Healthy: The Ontario Association of Public Health Dentistry, along with Public Health Units across Ontario, have launched an awareness campaign for Oral Health Month. The Brush Up on the Facts: Keep Kids’ Teeth Healthy campaign is geared to parents and focuses on the impact dental health has on kids’ healthy growth and development, as well as the free preventive services and treatment through Healthy Smiles Ontario program for eligible kids up to age 17. Order materials to educate patients on the importance of oral health and how to access free dental services. Niagara’s Current Oral Health State: Through the Public Health school based screening program 27 000 elementary school students are screened. Dental caries rates continue to be unacceptably high with:
To assist in decreasing dental caries, various community fluoride varnish programs (daycares, schools and primary care settings) have been implemented across Niagara. Over 40 primary care providers and/or other allied health professionals in 18 practices are currently applying fluoride varnish for free in Niagara. The application literally takes seconds to apply and can be seamlessly integrated into the well-baby visit schedule. Interested in learning how this can be incorporated into your practice? Send an email to schedule a lunch and learn session. Smiles for Life – A National Oral Health Curriculum for Primary Care Clinicians: Access free online learning modules to enhance oral health care with your patients. UPDATE: Message from Niagara Emergency Medical ServicesNiagara Emergency Medical Services is transforming the pre-hospital emergency system to better meet the health care needs of the residents of Niagara and to increase response time reliability for callers to 911 with life-threatening time critical health issues. Conventional thinking will be changed to move toward a fully realized Mobile Integrated Health Care Model; one which will tailor the response more accurately to actual health care need. This transformation will be completed using outcome evidence, best practice and innovative use of resources; guided by representatives from all facets of health care within Niagara including ED physicians, Primary Care Physicians, Medical Officers of Health and the Paramedic Base Hospital. Certain initiatives will be rolled out in late Spring, 2018, and this change may impact your patients and practices in the following ways:
For more information or to schedule a presentation for your office, please contact Karen Lutz-Graul. SURVEILLANCE: Influenza Continues Declining
Learn about how you can ensure your youngest patients are protected from influenza with a free CME accredited online learning course ALERT: New and Updated Reporting Requirements under the HPPA and ISPAFrom the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, please note that there are new reporting requirements under the Health Protection and Promotion Act, as well as new vaccine reporting requirements under the Immunization of School Pupils Act. |