No images? Click here In This Issue - May 2021
Physicians' CornerLate last week, the province revealed the details of their reopening plan. At the core of the reopening plan is a three step process that will begin in the middle of June. This reopening will happen province-wide, and no longer vary from region to region. Each step will progress to permitting higher risk activities, after ensuring that cases and hospitalizations are continuing to decrease 21 days after the previous reopening. As well, minimum thresholds for vaccination will need to be reached. Unfortunately, it is unclear in the plan is what happens after June 2 when the stay-at-home order is set to expire. The province didn’t extend it, though did say they would not end it earlier than June 2. The question remains, what will be the restrictions between June 2 and the middle of June? This will need to be clarified in the next week. Given Ontario’s plan, we can expect moving to Step 2 in early July and Step 3 by the end of July. What happens after that isn’t yet articulated. However, the pandemic will not be over, even if it will be tamed in Canada. With most countries of the world not as fortunate as Canada to be able to acquire vaccines, COVID-19 will be circulating widely elsewhere, and likely new variants will continue to emerge and threaten us from international travel. In particular, COVID-19 will likely be a real concern for us during the winter. While it hopefully won’t surge uncontrollably the way it has during recent waves, it will increase and hospitalizations will rise with it. Every winter, we know our health care system is strained to the limits of its capacity by influenza; a modest and controlled increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations would still threaten our hospitals when combined with influenza, and so we can expect ongoing mitigation efforts against COVID-19. Until we vaccinate the rest of the world and bring COVID-19 under control across the globe, we won’t be past the pandemic and able to define our new normal. However, the good news is that we are only 3 weeks away from reopening in Ontario and being past the intense part of this pandemic. If we are slow and careful with the reopening as the Ontario government has proposed, the rest of the year will be much closer to pre-2020 than it was to 2020-2021. -------- Don't forget, up to date information can be found on our FAQs for health care professionals webpage. Check out the 'COVID-19 vaccines', 'testing and self isolation' and 'infection prevention and control' sections for some recent updates and new Q&As. Don't see the response to your question? Call our COVID-19 Health Care Professionals information line Monday - Friday, 9:15 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. at 905-688-8248, press 7 then press 1. UPDATE: Suicide PreventionOn Feb. 24, 2021, Niagara Region Public Health hosted a Continuing Medical Education (CME) for health care professionals in Niagara called Connecting to Hope: Addressing Suicide With Your Patients. Participants heard from keynote speakers Dr. Paul Links and Dr. Kelly Posner about the importance of suicide risk assessment screening in primary care, and learned about the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) and the Zero Suicide Initiative. Health care professionals can play an important role in reducing deaths by suicide – with regular interactions you have everyday in your clinic and by asking a few direct questions, you can be the connection to hope for your patients. Take a look at the videos below to see the C-SSRS tools used:
Niagara Region Public Health is dedicated to supporting primary care practices and community organizations in implementing Zero Suicide and the C-SSRS tools in Niagara. If you would like to find out more about how you can implement these tools into your practice, and about free training opportunities for your staff, please contact HCP Engagement. You can also order Niagara Suicide Prevention Coalition Suicide Prevention Rack Cards and C-SSRS staff reminder cards here. Crisis Resources:
UPDATE: Health Equity and COVID-19Throughout the course of COVID-19, we have seen that marginalized populations already faced with inequities were most impacted by the pandemic. According to Public Health Ontario, these have included
The Impact of the Pandemic has been inequitable and will continue to be inequitable. The Social determinants of Health (SDOH) have been impacted greatly by the pandemic. Health care professionals are in a unique position to consider the SDOH and use a health equity lens with patients to support an equitable COVID-19 response. To support in this, our SDOH For Health Care Professionals webpage has been updated to equip you with quick access to resources and tools to support in achieving health equity for all your patients. Other Important Resources:
UPDATE: Support for Patients with Type II Diabetes, At-risk and Pre-diabetesThree local programs in Niagara can assist you and your patients with diabetes self-management, education and support, in collaboration with your practice. Type II DM, pre-diabetes, at risk programs are available through:
All programs provide support with a Certified Diabetes Educator team consisting of an RN and RD. Programs offered include
Referrals Complete your patient referral HERE. Patient referrals are sent to a central site where patients are booked with the program closest to where they live or work. These visits are shared care model with direct collaboration with the primary care physician or nurse practitioner. REVIEW: World No Tobacco Day - Commit to QuitThe World Health Organization’s World No Tobacco Day is May 31. This year’s theme is “Commit to Quit”, which is a great time to discuss smoking cessation with your patients. There is strong evidence that even brief advice from healthcare providers has a significant impact on smoking cessation rates. It’s suggested that when healthcare providers implement minimal contact intervention and smoking cessation support, there is a reduction in the number of tobacco users, a decrease in tobacco-related diseases and a lowering of healthcare costs. In addition, regular discussions with your patients about quitting smoking can lead to increases in client awareness and motivation. We know quitting can be challenging, especially with the added social and economic stress that have come as a result of the pandemic, but there are more than 100 reasons to quit. This year, why not encourage patients to sign the pledge to 'commit to quit'! Here is some helpful information to share with patients. Benefits of quitting:
Quit smoking support:
REVIEW: Maternal Mental HealthPostpartum depression and anxiety affects 1 in 5 women in the first year after delivery but only 15% of these women will receive care. The impacts from social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic has increased postpartum depression and anxiety among new mothers. Primary care providers have an important role in asking all mothers about their mental health, discussing self-care strategies, and facilitating connection to community supports and resources. NESTS Self-care Strategies to explore with new mothers:
Support is available.
REVIEW: EMS Community Paramedicine for Long-Term Care (CPLTC) ProgramIn the March edition of this newsletter, we shared with you that Niagara EMS was awarded funding by the Ministry of Long-Term Care to participate in a CPLTC program as it aligns with EMS’s mobile integrated health approach. The goal of CPLTC is to keep individuals stabilized and in their own homes for as long as possible by providing 24/7 access, responsive, proactive and safe community paramedicine services for non-emergency procedures, as well as provide health system navigation support. This CPLTC program will replace High Intensity Supports at Home program, and will provide services for
How to refer: Contact LHIN Home & Community Care at 905-684-9441 to discuss a patient referral for CPLTC. A LHIN Care Coordinator will then contact Niagara EMS - CPLTC Program staff who will schedule a home visit. MEDICAL ADVISORIES & MEMOS
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