In This Issue - August 2023

UPDATE:
- Smoking Referral Form for Primary Care
- Niagara Priority Profiles
- Referring Patients to Public Health for MPox Vaccination
- Bring the Early Words Program to Your Practice
REVIEW:
- World Suicide Prevention Day
- Birth Control and Education Opportunities
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
- CME OPPORTUNITY: Niagara Region Public Health Rounds - Focus on Alcohol and Health + Public Health Open House
- N-OHT TOWN HALL: Palliative Care
- FREE TRAINING: Breastfeeding “Making a Difference” Level 2
MEDICAL ADVISORIES AND MEMOS

UPDATE: Smoking Referral Form for Primary Care

Healthcare providers can now refer patients directly into a local smoking cessation program by completing a referral form.

Public Health has partnered with 6 pharmacies for a limited time, to offer this program to those 18 years of age and older who smoke cigarettes and would like to quit. Patients being referred into this program will get connected with a local pharmacy to receive up to 12 weeks of free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and counselling.

Additionally, to order quit smoking resources for your office, visit the online order form and find resources under ‘tobacco’.

UPDATE: Niagara Priority Profiles

We are happy to share the Niagara Priority Profiles, a data product compiling local and national data on 11 priority populations identified in the Ministry of Health's Health Equity Impact Assessment tool. We hope this data will serve you well in better supporting the communities you work with.

While this data is not reflective of individual needs, it is a resource that can help identify priority populations and their unique needs, reprioritize interventions to meet community needs, and inform targeted communications to a priority population.

Please let us know if there is any way we can support you in utilizing and better understanding this data product by emailing us at healthequity@niagararegion.ca.

Further information and resources are available at our Social Determinants of Health for Health Care Professionals page.

UPDATE: Referring Patients to Public Health for MPox Vaccination

According to Public Health Ontario, eight cases of Mpox have been diagnosed in Niagara since May 1, 2022. Although cases in Ontario have mostly been identified among males who report sexual or intimate contact with other males (MSM), anyone can get Mpox. Various factors that may increase the potential risk for exposure include close, sexual, and/or other intimate contact with someone who has a Mpox rash, sore, or scabs.

Please consider patients in your practice that may benefit from vaccination for Mpox. The Mpox vaccine is only available at Public Health vaccination clinics. Eligible individuals can book an appointment for their first or second dose by calling 905-688-8248 ext. 7425 or 1-800-263-7248.

More Information

MPOX Virus (gov.on.ca)
PHO Rounds: Mpox: Outbreak, Response, and Vaccine Effectiveness
- Recorded webinar from June 19, 2023
- Copy of webinar slides

UPDATE: Bring the Early Words Program to Your Practice

The Canadian Children’s Literacy Foundation is seeking Expressions of Interest from healthcare practices whose patient population includes children aged five and under experiencing barriers to literacy – such as families with low literacy, limited access to programs and resources, and low socioeconomic status.

If your practice would like to be part of the Early Words program at no cost, which includes resources and training to bring early literacy into your practice, please visit Early Words for more information or register for one of their upcoming information sessions:

Register here for September 6, 11 – 11:30 a.m. EST
Register here for September 14, 3 – 3:30 p.m. EST

The deadline to apply to the Expression of Interest is September 29, 2023 at midnight local time.

REVIEW: World Suicide Prevention Day

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

Twelve people die everyday in Canada by suicide, with many more people affected by this loss. Health care providers have a unique opportunity to make an impact in the work you do with patients on a daily basis by asking directly about thoughts of suicide and assisting patients to create a safety plan.

Order suicide prevention resources for patients, including the new Suicide Prevention Guide.

REVIEW: Birth Control and Education Opportunities

With centres located in three municipalities across the region, Niagara Region Public Health continues to offer birth control services through our sexual health program.

These include:

Live chat with a nurse about birth control options. Many languages are available through the online messaging platform.
Birth control prescriptions for patients 24 and under
Reduced cost of birth control for clients 34 and under
Emergency contraception at a reduced cost
Referrals for long-acting contraceptives up to the age 30
Options counselling and referrals for pregnancy and termination
Free latex and non latex condoms

Please continue to discuss the importance of healthy sexual relationships, STI testing and birth control options with your patients.

Education Opportunities: The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

Medical Abortion Training Program: CME-accredited course for medical abortion training (6 hours)
Intrauterine Contraception (IUC) Insertion Preceptorship: with four in-depth modules, the course provides a review of the practical skills and knowledge required for insertion of IUC options and more

CME OPPORTUNITY: Niagara Region Public Health Rounds - Focus on Alcohol and Health + Public Health Open House

Niagara Region Public Health is inviting all interested health care professionals to this professional development opportunity.

The Public Health Open House will feature public health booths, information on programs and services available to patients, resources for your practice, and an opportunity to ask questions to program staff. The Niagara Region Public Health Rounds session will feature presentations, discussion, and a Q&A panel.

Niagara Region Public Health Rounds has been certified for up to 1.5 MainPro+® credits by the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

Niagara Region Public Health Rounds is a self-approved group learning activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Cost: Free

When: Thursday September 14, 2023

Public Health Open House and Networking (in-person only): 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Niagara Region Public Health Rounds - Focus on Alcohol and Health (hybrid option): 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.

Where:

The Public Health Open House will take place in-person only at Niagara Region Headquarters (1815 Sir Isaac Brock Way, Thorold). Light food and refreshments will be provided.

The Niagara Region Public Health Rounds - Focus on Alcohol and Health session will be hybrid; the speaker session will take place online over Zoom, and will be webcast to an event space at Niagara Region Headquarters for participants who would like to join in-person.

Keynote Speaker:

Dr. Peter Butt is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Butt is the College of Family Physicians of Canada's (CFPC) representative on the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) National Alcohol Strategy; National Treatment Strategy; Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral (SBIR) Advisory Panel, and the Low Risk Drinking Guidelines Advisory Panel.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

Understand the epidemiology of alcohol in Niagara and Ontario
Discuss how alcohol use contributes to health risks for various diseases, including cancer and heart disease
Describe the changes to Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health and clinical implications for practice
Discuss opportunities and messages to refer to during patient interactions to address alcohol consumption and its related health risks

Visit our website to register.

Registration Deadline: Thursday September 7, 2023

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PRACTITIONER'S TOWN HALL: Palliative Care

The Niagara Ontario Health Team is hosting a practitioner's town hall on palliative care.

This 1-credit-per-hour Group Learning activity - Niagara Health System Hospital and Regional Rounds - has been certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Ontario Chapter for up to 1 MainPro+® certified credits.

The Niagara Health Regional Medicine Rounds is a self-approved group learning activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (1 credit).

When:

This session will take place over Zoom on Wednesday September 20, 2023, from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Keynote Speakers:

Lora VanBerlo, BScN, MSc, NP-Adult; Director, Health Equity and Priority Populations, West Region Palliative Care Network, Ontario Health

Dr. Katrin Conen; Palliative Care Physician, Niagara Health

Objectives:

Recognize patients in their care that would benefit from an earlier palliative approach to care
Summarize risks, benefits, and outcomes for earlier identification of patients living and dying with life-limiting illness(es)
Access further resources and training to have serious illness conversations

Requirements:

Free membership to the Niagara Practitioners' Healthcare Alliance (NPHA) is required to participate. A link to register is included below.

To register, visit the Niagara Practitioners' Healthcare Alliance (NPHA) website.

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FREE TRAINING: Breastfeeding "Making a Difference" Level 2

Niagara Region Public Health is hosting a 2-day virtual (LIVE) workshop series for community health care professionals and hospital staff practicing in Niagara who currently work with expectant or new parents and families.

When:

This series will take place over Zoom on November 7 and November 14, 2023 from 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Keynote Speaker:

Kathleen O’Grady is a registered nurse and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). Please see: Breastfeeding: Making a Difference Level 2 Workshop - Niagara Region, Ontario, for her additional credentials.

Key Topics

Effective assessment and management skills by applying current research, using complex case studies and group problem solving to formulate care plans to deal with challenging situations
Effective breastfeeding promotion in a multi-cultural society
Infant-parent attachment
Ethics
Evaluating research, training materials and research

Requirements:

Have completed the Breastfeeding Level 1 training (or an equivalent) within the past 3 years
Must be a health care practitioner practicing in the Niagara region

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

The event is live for registration on the Professional Development Opportunities Page .

Registration Deadline: October 31, 2023

MEDICAL ADVISORIES AND MEMOS

August 2 MEMO: Summer Preparation for the Upcoming Fall Respiratory Season
August 9 MEDICAL ADVISORY: Heightened Surveillance for West Nile Virus (WNV)