November 2024
November Newsletter Highlights
EasT-FPN's 5th Annual General Meeting - Thank You!
Immunization Resources
Toronto Public Health Updates
Digital Health Updates
SCOPE Updates
Ontario Health Updates
Regional Geriatric Program
Adapt - M Project
Continuing Medical Education
Practice Support & Patient Resources
5th Annual General Meeting- Thank you
Thank you to everyone who attended our 5th Annual General Meeting & engagement session on October 24th, 2024. We were delighted to be joined by 49 attendees which included EasT-FPN members, Board Members & partners.
If you have any feedback for us, please let us know here.
Click here to read the AGM summary
Immunization Resources
Ontario Respiratory Virus Tool
The Ontario Respiratory Virus Tool provides comprehensive epidemiological information on respiratory virus activity in Ontario, including COVID-19, influenza, RSV, and other respiratory viruses. Click here for more information.
Vaccination Clinics at HATP & HATM
Click here for flyer for RSV vaccine clinics at Health Access Thorncliffe Park.
Click here for flyer for vaccine clinics at Health Access Taylor Massey.
Need to Order Vaccines?
Primary care providers can now order RSV & Flu vaccines through Pharmacy at Michael Garron Hospital.
Toronto Public Health Updates
Initial shipments of the RSV vaccine, Beyfortus®, both 50 mg and 100 mg, have arrived, with more product expected in the next 1-2 weeks. Continue to use the Toronto Provider RSV Vaccine Formfor ordering and only order what you can administer in the next 2 weeks. For questions contact TPH at vaccineorder@toronto.ca or 416-338-7600, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
TPH – Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Information for Health Professionals
Public Health Agency of Canada - RSV: Canadian Immunization Guide
MOH - Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) prevention programs (information for health care providers)
MOH – Guidance Documents:
Centre for Effective Practice – 2024-2025 RSV Prevention Program for infants in Ontario
RSV program guidance for primary care providers including how to implement in practice, and EMR search tools
OMA - RSV immunization program
NEW: Vaccination Reminder Letters to High School Students in Toronto
Starting November 21, TPH is sending letters to Toronto high school students born in 2008 who are not up-to-date with their vaccines according to TPH's records.
If a student brings you this letter from TPH, please follow these steps:
Check your records for the student's immunization history. If the student has already received the vaccine(s) listed in the letter, skip to step 3.
Administer the vaccines that are missing, according to Ontario’s Publicly Funded Immunization Schedule. Many of these students need their adolescent Tdap booster.
If the student is missing the Meningococcal Disease vaccine, they require a MenACYW quadrivalent vaccine. Please order this free vaccine from TPH or have students book an appointment at a TPH clinic (tphbookings.ca).
Parents/students need to update the student’s record with TPH by visiting www.toronto.ca/studentvaccines. If the vaccination record with TPH is not updated, the student will still be showing outstanding and can be suspended.
REMINDER: COVID-19 Vaccine Ordering in Toronto
TPH would like to remind Toronto providers of the following ordering details for COVID-19 vaccine:
Health care providers enrolled in the COVID-19 Vaccine Immunization Program can order COVID-19 vaccine through the online portal.
Note: COVID-19 vaccine is not available from OGPMSS.
Toronto providers interested in enrolling with the COVID-19 Vaccine Immunization Program should:
Review the eligibility criteria, and
If eligible, complete the Enrollment for Health Care Providers Form
DIGITAL HEALTH UPDATES
Ocean eReferral Updates
The following clinics are now actively accepting referrals via eReferral:
The Fracture Clinic at UHN specializes in acute fractures and ligament injuries. Providers registered with SCOPE are encouraged to use eReferrals to connect patients with our team for timely care.
UHN Toronto Western Hospital (TWH) - Schroeder Arthritis Institute Orthopaedic Clinic provides primary and revision joint replacements, complex foot and ankle surgeries, and minimally invasive reconstructive procedures. Catering to patients across Ontario, including elite athletes and those in under-serviced northern regions.
North York General Hospital (NYGH) Family Medicine Obstetricsis currently accepting obstetrical patients! This team of 17 Family Doctors in the North York community provides full scope Maternity Care.
MGH continues to accept referrals via eReferral across all specialties and departments, including referrals for their Fracture Clinic and Rapid Access Clinic (RAC) for Hip and Knee Arthritis; search the Healthmap here for “MGH” to see all the services available!
AI Scribe Evaluation Report
Recently, eHealth Centre of Excellence co-led an evaluation alongside OntarioMD (OMD) and the Women’s College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care (WIHV) in which participants (family doctors and nurse practitioners) noted a 69.5% average reduction of documentation time when using AI scribes, freeing up an average of 3 to 4 hours per week for direct patient care!
Take a look at the case study here!
SCOPE Updates
Exciting News: SCOPE is Now on WhatsApp!
We’re thrilled to announce that SCOPE is now available on WhatsAppto support registered Family Physicians and Nurse Practitioners in navigating access to care and resources!
As a SCOPE member, you can now quickly reach out to our Nurse Navigator for assistance with:
Access to care
Referrals to specialists
Resources for patients, including those outside East Toronto
How to Connect:
Save our WhatsApp number: 647-825-9519 to your contacts.
Open WhatsApp, search for SCOPE, and start a conversation.
Important Reminder:
Please do not include any personal health information (PHI) in your messages. If you're not yet registered with SCOPE, click here to register now and start accessing valuable resources for your practice.
We’re here to help—connect with us today!
Information from the Canadian Cancer Society on Radon
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month and the Canadian Cancer Society, in partnership with the Canadian Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists (CARST) are asking that you help spread the word about radon.
It’s important to know how to reduce your and your family's cancer risk. For more information go to knowvember.ca and takeactiononradon.ca.
Regional Geriatric Program (RGP)
RGP of Toronto has been working with specialised geriatric service (SGS) providers across the Toronto region to look at ways of addressing wait times for out-patient geriatrics clinics and programs. The program is seeking the primary care provider's input through a short interview as users of the system to understand where SGS is meeting their needs, and where they see areas for improvement and innovation. Please let us know at contact@eastfpn.org if you are interested in participating.
The Avoiding Diabetes After Pregnancy Together with Moms (ADAPT-M), is a lifestyle modification program aimed at reducing the risk of future type 2 diabetes after GDM. This program is being implemented in 3 Ontario health care settings in April 2025. In preparation, the ADAPT-M team wants to explore the perspectives of primary care providers regarding their roles and responsibilities related to postpartum GDM care and their input on a transition pathway between prenatal and postpartum care. The total time commitment expected is a 1 hour zoom with the research staff. A stipend will be provided for your time commitment. If you are interested in participating, please reach out to us at contact@eastfpn.org.
For more information about the program, click here
Continuing Medical Education
SCOPE CME - Introduction of HPV Ontario Cervical Screening Program 2025 and Funny Looking Cervix - Now what?
Please join us for a SCOPE CME with Dr. Meghan Brown, Obstetrician and Gynecologist at Michael Garron Hospital.
When: Thursday, November 28, 2024 , 6:00 - 7:00 pm
Where: via Zoom
Meeting ID: 811 3330 0128
Passcode: 519820
This program has been certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada for up to 1 Mainpro+credit
Cancer Education Day: Lung Cancer
On December 13, 2024, from 8:00 am to 12:30 pm, Windsor Regional Hospital is hosting Cancer Education Day, a virtual event via Zoom. This year’s topic is focused on lung cancer.
Please see the website for more information with the accompanying registration link.
2024 Primary Care Cancer Connection Lunch and Learn Series
The Champlain Regional Cancer Program is continuing their lunch and learn series into 2024. Each session is CME accredited and 30 minutes in length. The series will cover key cancer care topics from a family physician perspective. Sign up here.
Nov 28: Transitioning to HPV screening
Contact – Anna Wilkinson, anwilkinson@toh.ca
Webinar Recording
In case you missed it, the second session of eHealth centre of excellence Ideal Primary Care Practice Model (IPCPM) webinar series took place on October 22. Family Physician Dr. Daniel Pepe and Kindra Murphy, Clinic Office Manager and eCE Change Management Specialist, came together to share ways their teams have enhanced access and created a calmer work environment within their practices.
Click here for the webinar recording.
Practice Support & Patient Resources
1. The Preventative Care for Elder People (PCOP) tool is a reminder tool designed to simplify preventive care and evidence based screening in older adults. It is available on the CEP website as a download for PSS/Telus and as a PDF (attached). If you have PSS as your EMR, this is the preferred way to view the tool as you can use all of the built-in decision support features.
Click here to access the PCOP tool.
2. Please find below links to electronic copies of posters to assist when guiding parents/caregivers to report children's vaccines - in relation to the Ontario Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA)
Become an EasT-FPN member to receive clinical and practice support, and opportunities to engage with the East Toronto community. Please fill out the Membership application form to become a member.