October 2024
OCTOBER NEWSLETTER HIGHLIGHTS
EasT-FPN’s Annual General Meeting - Register Today!
Health Care Unburdened Grant
Ontario Health Updates
Immunization Resources & Vaccine Information
ADAPT-M Project
Webinars + CMEs
Peers for Joy in Work - Ontario Family Physicians Supporting each other
Practice Resources
Register Today!!
EasT-FPN 5TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Thursday, October 24th, 2024
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Balmy Beach Club - 360 Lake Front, Toronto, M4E 1A7
Join your fellow EasT-FPN members at the 5th Annual General Meeting (AGM). Attendees will approve the EasT-FPN board slate, network with primary care colleagues and participate in an engagement session.
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Melanie Henry, Vice Chair, Community & Partnerships, Department of Family & Community Medicine, UofT.
Primary Care: Collaborating into the Future.
Attendees will also participate in an Engagement Session regarding
AI Tools & Updates to Help Your Practice Today & Tools for the Future.
If you are unable to attend the Annual General Meeting, we would greatly appreciate if you could complete this proxy form. Please return the signed proxy form to contact@eastfpn.org or fax to:1 (855) 951-0189 by October 22nd, 2024.
Health Care Unburdened Grant
The East Toronto Family Practice Network and the Department of Family and Community Medicine’s (DFCM) Office of Health System Partnerships, together with health system partners, have been awarded a $997,000 Health Care Unburdened Grant to support the implementation and evaluation of AutoScribe, a Canadian AI scribe technology for transcribing patient-physician conversations in real time and enhancing medical record documentation. Funded by the Canadian Medical Association, MD Financial Management Inc. and Scotiabank, the $10 million grant program supports innovative solutions to help reduce the administrative burden facing physicians. Learn more about this initiative here.
This two-year initiative is led by DFCM’s Office of Health System Partnershipsin collaboration with East Toronto Health Partners, East Toronto Family Practice Network, North York Toronto Health Partners, North York Toronto Primary Care Network, Scarborough Ontario Health Team, Scarborough Family Physicians Network, KW4 Ontario Health Team, eHealth Centre of Excellence and Mutuo Health Solutions.
Ontario Health Updates
Ontario Breast Screening Program Expansion to Ages 40-49
Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) is pleased to announce that effective on October 8, 2024, people in Ontario ages 40 to 49 will be able to self-refer for breast cancer screening in the Ontario Breast Screening Program (OBSP). To support this change, the OBSP has developed resources for primary care providers and the public through the OBSP website and provincial primary care associations.
Immunization Resources & Vaccine Information
RSV
EasT-FPN is working with ETHP & MGH on getting primary care providers & clinics access to FLU, COVID & RSV vaccination supply
Some vaccine supply is available to be ordered through Toronto Public Healthhere
RSV Vaccine Guidelines: The guidelines & recommendations have been changing. Currently, the guidelines recommend that mothers can get the RSV vaccine in their pregnancy via prescription (from their Obstetrician-Gynecologist or Family MD) and administered by the pharmacist or Family MD. Alternatively, it will be offered to their newborn, if they are born at Michael Garron Hospital.
If you have any barriers accessing OHIP covered RSV vaccination supply, please fill out the form here.
Please click here to access the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) website
& click here for a list of resources to support primary care with their role in the delivery of the 2024/25 Infant and High-Risk Children RSV Prevention Program.
COVID -19
Click here to view the memorandum regarding rapid antigen testing ordering.
Information regarding vaccination, treatment and testing are available in this COVID-19 summary.
Invasive Pneumococcal Disease
A reminder that Ontario’s publicly funded pneumococcal vaccine program has transitioned to two new pneumococcal vaccines – Pneu-C-15 (Vaxneuvance®) and Pneu-C-20 (Prevnar 20®).
A summary of changes and a reminder of the dosing schedule for eligible groups is available here.
Vaccine Clinics for Children & Youth (18 years & under)
Click here to view more information about clinic dates & venues.
Avoiding Diabetes After Pregnancy Together with Moms (ADAPT-M) Project
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. In this program, registered dietitians who are certified in health coaching provide diet and physical activity counselling to women postpartum. 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
Continuous Medical Education
Primary Care Open Forum
The Primary Care Virtual Open Forum is back with an exciting new format. The forum will now be held quarterly, featuring a different MGH department each time. The upcoming Open Forum is featuring MGH's Infectious Disease Division. The forum, hosted by Dr. Jeff Powis has been scheduled for Wednesday, November 13th, 2024, from 6:00 – 7:00 PM on Microsoft Teams. Dr. Powis will discuss COVID-19 updates, surge planning, and more. Please submit your questions to Dr. Jeff Powis ahead of time, as they will be addressed during the meeting.
To view the Infectious Diseases One-Pager, click here
To learn more about the SCOPE Infectious Diseases pathway, click here
SCOPE OBGYN CME - The abnormal pap and funny looking cervix; now what?
Please join us for a SCOPE CME on the abnormal pap and funny looking cervix with Dr. Meghan Brown, Obstetrician and Gynecologist at Michael Garron Hospital.
WHEN: Thursday, November 28, 2024, 6:00 - 7:00 pm
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.
Click here to register for the CME!
RSV Resources
1.Click here to see the flyer for an ongoing virtual webinar series to help communicate and educate family physicians and pediatricians on the Infant RSV program. This series is hosted by Sanofi. Speaker: Dr. Saul Greenberg
Tuesday, October 15, 7-8:30 PM EST; Registration link: Webinar Registration - Zoom
Tuesday, October 22, 7-8:30 PM EST; Registration link: Webinar Registration - Zoom
Thursday, October 24, 7-8:30 PM EST; Registration link: Webinar Registration - Zoom
2.Click here for more information and to register for a virtual presentation on RSV Vaccination which will be hosted by Pfizer.
Primary Care Oncology Day
On Tuesday, October 29, 2024, from 4:00 to 9:00 pm, the Central East Regional Cancer Program, in collaboration with the Durham Regional Cancer Centre oncology team, is offering an in-person Primary Care Oncology Day.The event will take place at the Durham Regional Cancer Centre (1 Hospital Court, Oshawa). Attendees will be provided with dinner and an optional tour of the cancer centre/treatment rooms at the end of the session.
To register, click here.
eHealth Centre of Excellence - Improving Access and Experience of Care for Patients, Ideal Primary Care Practice Model (IPCPM)
When: Tuesday, October 22 at 12:30 pm EST
Who: Co-hosted by Dr. Daniel Pepe and Kindra Murphy, Change Management Specialist
Peers for Joy in Work - Ontario Family Physicians Supporting each other
What if being a family physician who appreciates – rather than resents – their clinical work is within reach? If you could, more often, be the kind of doctor you hoped to be?
The Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto has launched an Ontario-wide program to help family physicians mitigate burnout and facilitate finding joy in practice. The program matches you with a trained "Peer Guide" who helps you remember what drove you to become a family physician, and identify ways to create joy in your clinical work again. You will receive three 1:1, 30-minute sessions. With support from the Ontario Medical Association, we are pleased to provide an honorarium of $150 for participating and 4.5 Mainpro+ CPD credits. Learn more and register HERE.
Practice Support and Patient Resources
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.