In This Issue - July 2024

Updates and Review:

UPDATE: Niagara Health RAAM clinics have transitioned to walk-in model
Swabs for Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Testing
NEW IPAC Resource for Clinical Office Practice
Tips for Vaccine Storage
World Hepatitis Day

UPDATE: Niagara Health RAAM clinics have transitioned to walk-in model

Effective immediately, Niagara Health’s Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) Clinics have transitioned to a walk-in model, eliminating the need for referral forms. This change aims to provide more timely and accessible support for individuals seeking help for substance use disorders. RAAM clinics now operate on a walk-in basis across multiple locations, offering a convenient way for individuals to receive the care they need without the pressure of scheduled appointments.

The RAAM clinical team, which includes doctors, nurse practitioners, social workers, addiction counsellors, and peer support workers, is dedicated to providing comprehensive support including assessment, counselling, and medication.

Walk-in clinics are available at the following locations and times:

Marotta Family Hospital – Outpatient Mental Health Unit: Thursdays 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Niagara Falls Hospital – Outpatient Mental Health Unit: Wednesdays 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Welland Hospital – MacLean Building: Fridays 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Mental Health and Addictions Services Site, Partnership with Canadian Mental Health Association, 264 Welland Avenue, St. Catharines: Mondays 9 to 11 a.m and Wednesdays 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Virtual appointments are also available through Community Addiction Services of Niagara (CASON).

For any questions, clients can call 905-378-4647 ext. 49463 between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. More information about RAAM and other mental health and addiction services at Niagara Health can be found on their website or by contacting Brenda Yeandle at Brenda.Yeandle@niagarahealth.on.ca.

Swabs for Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Testing

A practical guide to STI risk assessment was recently shared to help STI testing in your practice. For Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonnorrhoeae (NG) testing by Nucleic acid amplification testing, Public Health Ontario and LifeLabs® accept clinician-collected endocervical specimens as well as clinician or patient-collected vaginal, rectal, and pharyngeal specimens.

When discharge is present, please use a swab to collect a gonorrhea culture. A test of cure is recommended for all NG positive sites.

Discussing the types/route of intercourse your patients engage in can assist decision making for optimal testing. Some testing routes may be more invasive, and patients may benefit from a discussion on the importance of location specific testing.

For people who are uncomfortable with provider collected swabs, self-swabbing is a valid alternative. This may increase STI testing uptake in some cases. One meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found that people were three times more likely to be tested for when they were able to self-swab (Ogale et al., 2019).

Using common Public Health Ontario and LifeLabs® swabs, we created a visual guide to help you determine which swabs to use as well as storage area labels for easy identification. These resources will be delivered to clinics around the region. Be on the look-out for their arrival soon. If you would like earlier delivery or have any questions, please contact our Sexual Health Program at 905-688-3817.

Resources:

NEW IPAC Resource for Clinical Office Practice

Public Health Ontario (PHO) has a new resource available called At a Glance: Infection Prevention and Control Organizational Risk Assessment for Clinical Office Practice. This resource provides a step-by-step approach for identifying and managing Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) organizational risks in clinical office practices. Effective organizational risk assessments (ORA) can help improve safety for both patients and staff in clinical office practices. You can use this accompanying form to perform your ORA.

Earlier this year, PHO also released an updated IPAC Checklist for Clinical Office Practice: Core Elements. This resource is designed to help clinical office practices examine, evaluate (e.g., through self-assessment), and benchmark their current IPAC practices against provincial recommendations. Both resources are designed to be used in tandem to effectively manage risks and inform implementation strategies.

If you have questions about these resources, please contact IPAC@oahpp.ca or visit PHO’s Clinical Office Practice webpage.

Tips for Vaccine Storage

Vaccine wastages can be attributed to the over-stocking of vaccines that results in products being involved in potential temperature excursions or reaching expiry dates before administration.

To help maximize vaccine fridge storage space and prevent vaccine wastages:

Place smaller vaccine orders more frequently. Niagara Region Public Health can deliver to your facility twice per month.
Plan ahead and only order vaccines your facility will use prior to your next vaccine delivery date
Rotate vaccine inventory, using the shortest expiry dates first
Consider installing a data logger, which can help reduce wastage in the event of a power failure or thermometer malfunction

As a reminder, upon discovery of any vaccine storage temperature below +2.0°C and/or above +8.0°C, stop administering your vaccines and immediately contact Public Health at 905-688-8248 ext. 7396 for next steps.

World Hepatitis Day

World Hepatitis Day is observed annually on July 28. In 2024, the theme is "It's time for action," urging healthcare providers to "accelerate action on better prevention, diagnosis, and treatment to save lives and improve health outcomes."

Join us in helping achieve this goal by assessing patients for hepatitis risk and recommending vaccinations in accordance with PHAC guidelines:

For local data about hepatitis, visit our Infectious Disease Health Story of Niagara. Provincial-level data and guidance for Hepatitis A, and Hepatitis B and C are available from Public Health Ontario.

Please visit our website to order vaccines. Hepatitis A and B vaccinations have high-risk eligibility criteria. For more information, refer to Ontario's Publicly Funded Immunization Schedule.

Locally, the Niagara Health Hepatitis C Care Clinic provides outreach services across Niagara, ensuring residents have access to Hepatitis C testing, treatment, and support. Patients can self-refer, or you can access their referral form here. They are also hosting an annual awareness event in Montebello Park, St. Catharines, on July 26 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

With your help, we can achieve the WHO goal of eliminating hepatitis by 2030.