March 2021 Newsletter
March Newsletter Highlights:
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Signed
Supporting Physician Workload: Keeping Doors Open Survey
Help us Streamline Communication and Specialist Referrals- March 10th 6pm
COVID-19 Vaccination Updates
Health Care Workers/Family Practitioners
Over age 80 Homebound Seniors - Starting March 11/12th - we need numbers
NEW - Immunization Q+A
EasT-FPN COVID-19 Response Forums
Practice Supports and Patient Resources
COVID-19 Assessment Centre
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Signed
We are pleased to announce that the EasT-FPN has signed a MOU with Toronto East Health Network (TEHN). Thank you to our East Toronto Health Partners (ETHP) for interim funding for Fiscal Years 2020-21 and 2021-22. This enables our family practice voice to be heard through our EasT FPN structure. We can continue to work with all our ETHP colleagues co-designing our healthcare system and improving care in our community.
Keeping Doors Open Survey
In the next few days, you will receive an invitation to complete a survey being sent to all family doctors in Toronto. This important survey is being done as part of the Keeping Doors Open project in collaboration with regional primary care leaders from across Toronto. It aims to understand how the work of family doctors has changed and what supports are needed for future practice. Results will be used to advocate for the needs of family doctors regionally and provincially. We hope you’ll take a few minutes of your time to complete!
Streamlining Communication and Specialist Referrals in East Toronto - March 10th 6:00-7:00pm Forum and Survey
The EasT- FPN was created to help family practice have a voice in system change. A common thread when we meet together is the need to improve communication and streamlining referrals to specialists. We have identified common pain points and have proposed strategies but we need input from different practice models to make sure we have captured your challenges correctly and know that we are on the right track when making changes! For example: MGH’s Emergency Department has opened an e-booking portal allowing patients with minor injuries (e.g. fracture or sprain) to book a same-day or next-day appointment. Click here for further information or to access the booking portal page.
Would you like to have a separate family practice portal to refer patients to the minor acuity emergency department? (e.g blood transfusions, rhogam injections, etc.).
Please join us on Wednesday, March 10th starting at 6 pm to provide your much needed opinion and expertise and/or fill out the survey here. This is the link for Wednesday’s forum.
COVID-19 Vaccination Updates
MOH Guidance for Prioritizing HCWs for Vaccine
The Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 vaccine prioritization directive places community healthcare workers with a high-risk exposure in the Highest Priority Level. MGH has begun 1st dose vaccination for healthcare workers that fall within this category and will be followed by those that are designated in the Very High, High and Moderate priority once more vaccines become available. Further information on the Ministry of Health Directive is located at Guidance for Prioritizing HCWs for COVID-19 Vaccination.
Pre-registration for Vaccine Clinics - for Family Practice Clinicians
The EasT-FPN is assisting MGH in the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out to ensure that family practice providers and their staff receive the vaccine as soon as they are eligible and as supplies permit. As such MGH, through the ETHP has requested that the EasT-FPN collect staff level information from family practices for the purpose of scheduling vaccination appointments in upcoming vaccine clinics.
Please complete the pre-registration form for family practice, in order to facilitate the clinic operations and to secure an appointment at the earliest opportunity. We ask that information provided be accurate (such as legal spelling of names) when submitting as it will be used to prioritize scheduled appointments and ensure efficient administration. The information provided to EasT-FPN will be utilized for this purpose solely and will not be held by EasT-FPN post distribution to the Hospital Team and/or used for any other purpose while in our care.
Healthcare workers such as dentists, optometry, midwifery in East Toronto who are not in family practice can pre-register for vaccination via our ETHP partner using this link.
Vaccination of Homebound Seniors - This March 11th and 12th
As you might have heard, East Toronto is the very first area in all of Toronto to pilot having Primary Care vaccinating our 80+ year old patients in, our regular clinics. We are still in testing mode, so please be patient as we get to you and your patients shortly.
For your homebound 80+ patients, please read the following:
We are planning a vaccination rollout on March 11th and March 12th from approximately 12:00-4:00 pm (flexible on time), for those East Toronto homebound patients that meet the following criteria:
80 years of age or older (born 1941 and before) plus their main caregiver, if also 80+
Do not reside in one of East Toronto Community Housing congregate living buildings
DO NOT receive LHIN homecare services (this is important since EMS and homecare nurses will get to all those very soon, age independent)
In an effort to coordinate this vaccine rollout, we ask that you please complete the following form as soon as possible.
Please ensure that all eligible patients reside in East Toronto areas with the following postal codes only: M4C, M4E, M4H, M4J, M4K, M4L and M4M.
If you are able to participate in vaccinating your eligible patients, please let us know and you will be contacted by Dr. Tia Pham, to arrange vaccine rollout logistics on Tuesday, March 9th. For questions, please feel free to contact Dr. Tia Pham directly.
Pre-registration of over 80 population
ETHP has opened a public pre-registration site. As stated on their website: ETHP is working with community physicians to offer COVID-19 vaccines to adults who are 80 years of age or older in East Toronto. This may include dedicated pop-up vaccination clinics at community health centres and physician offices or dedicated hours at ETHP’s COVID-19 Immunization Clinics.
Adults 80 years of age or older living in East Toronto who would like to express their interest in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine may complete this pre-registration form. Eligible individuals who complete the form will be contacted to book their appointment at a local COVID-19 Immunization Clinic when vaccine supply is available. ETHP will help facilitate support for individuals who indicate that they need help getting to an immunization clinic.
Vaccinating High Risk Seniors in Congregate Settings in Partnership with UHN/NYGH
Three Ontario Health Teams (OHT) – ETHP, Mid-West Toronto OHT and NYTHP started a mobile vaccination pilot administering vaccines to high-risk seniors in congregate settings. To date, 10 congregate living sites have been vaccinated, with the most recent site in Thorncliffe Park.
To work at the congregate vaccination sites, you must be credentialed at MGH. Please complete the credentialing process and contact the EasT-FPN to be put on the mailing list.
EasT-FPN COVID-19 Response Forums
Upcoming Events:
For the month of March, the Primary Care COVID-19 Open Forum will be consolidated with the ETHP Q&A on the COVID-19 Vaccine that will take place weekly on Tuesdays Mar 9, 16, 23 and Mar 30th from 6:00-7:00pm. During these calls, Dr. Jeff Powis, Medical Director of IPAC at MGH, will share the latest updates on the COVID-19 vaccine and answer your vaccine-related questions in real-time. Please email Phillip Anthony to submit questions ahead of time. Click here for additional information and meeting link.
Retirement home (RH) Support Discussion Forum – Mar 16, 2021 5:00-5:30pm
Long-term Care (LTC) Support Discussion Forum – Mar 18, 2021 4:30-5:00pm
Both forums occur bi-weekly, connecting medical directors of East Toronto LTC facilities and RH physicians to MGH specialists, including Dr. Jarred Rosenberg, MGH’s Nurse Led Outreach Team, Ontario Health’s Home and Community Care leads, TPH and RHRA representatives. Please see the Feb 16th RH summary and Feb 18th LTC summary.
Toronto East School Support (TESS) – Mar 11, 2021 5:00-6:00pm (Tentative)
Monthly with TPH and Dr. Janine McCready, Associate Director of IPAC, MGH to provide a supportive network for East Toronto schools. Read more about the forum on the EasT-FPN website. Click here to submit questions.
School Take Home Kits
MGH is distributing new COVID-19 take home kits to the schools to help make testing as low-barrier as possible. Please inform your patients that these kits may be available at their children’s school. Parents swab their children at home and bring the kits back to the CAC or pop-up sites. Click here for more details on the kits and how the swab is done. We received word just before sending this newsletter out that we are going to pilot these swabs in primary care- details to be finalized. Please email contact@eastfpn.org and put “School Take Home Kit” in the subject line so we can reach out once more details are known.
Practice Supports and Patient Resources
TNO/Hotline for COVID+
The Neighbourhood Organization (TNO) and its partners have created a hotline that supports individuals or families that tested positive for COVID-19 with rent, income assistance, groceries, childcare, isolation and any other support they may require. Please call the hotline at 647-477-1640 or for pandemic caseworkers at 647-236-3873 or 647-293-5264. Please share the TNO flyer with your colleagues and patients.
OCFP and DFCM’s COVID-19 Vaccination Modules Series
The Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP) and U of T’s Department of Family & Community Medicine (DFCM) have created a self-learning series that provides primary care professionals with information and skills to support the COVID-19 vaccination. Please visit the DFCM website for more information and to register.
Medical Grand Rounds and Family Practice Rounds
Virtual MGH’s Medical Grand Rounds and Family Practice Rounds are continuing monthly, offering interesting topics and a chance to connect with your colleagues! Please email to get on the list for Family Practice Rounds and email for the next Medical Grand Rounds.
SCOPE
The Seamless Care Optimizing Patient Experience (SCOPE) is a one point of contact program to allow primary care rapid access to nurse navigation, general internal medicine, diagnostic imaging, psychiatry and more! To register for SCOPE, please complete the SCOPE Registration Form and email SCOPE@tehn.ca with any feedback/suggestions for services you would like to see added.
Digital Solutions
In partnership with our ETHP partners, the EasT-FPN is working to ensure the appropriate IT and digital technologies are in place to provide the infrastructure that enables a connected and integrated health system. Hypercare, an application that can be downloaded on a mobile device, allows for easy and secure communication amongst community primary care providers and hospital care providers. SCOPE can also be accessed via Hypercare. For more information on digital solutions and registering for Hypercare, please visit the EasT-FPN website or download Hypercare.
Ocean eReferral
Ocean eReferral is available in East Toronto - enhancing communication between primary care providers and specialists/organizations. With almost 150 primary care providers engaged, take a look at the various benefits eReferral has to offer. For more information and to register, please visit the EasT-FPN website.
Becoming an EasT-FPN Member
The EasT-FPN encourages you, if you have not already, to become a member to receive clinical and practice support and opportunities to engage with the East Toronto community. Please fill out the application form to become a member.
COVID-19 Assessment Centre
COVID-19 Assessment Centre Sites and Hours – both Drop-in and Booked Appointments Available
The EasT-FPN, in partnership with MGH have created the MGH COVID-19 Assessment Centre (CAC) and 9 pop-up sites. Below is a list of the temporary 9 CAC pop up sites and their hours.
East York - East York Community Centre (1081 ½ Pape Avenue)
Flemingdon Park - Dennis R. Timbrell Resource Centre (29 St. Dennis Drive) and Angela James Arena (165 Grenoble Drive)
Oakridge (Scarborough) - Oakridge Community Recreation Centre (63 Pharmacy Avenue)
South Riverdale – South Riverdale Community Health Centre (955 Queen Street East)
Taylor Massey (Crescent Town) - Crescent Town Health Centre (4 The Market Place)
Thorncliffe Park – Thorncliffe Neighbourhood office (45 Overlea Blvd) and Jenner Jean-Marie Community Centre (48 Thorncliffe Park Dr.)
Warden Woods – The Hub at Warden Woods Community Centre (76 Firvalley Court)
To work in the CAC and/or MGH vaccination sites, you have to be credentialed at MGH. Once you have completed the credentialing process, contact the EasT-FPN to be added to the mailing list.