DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE UPDATE | JANUARY 7, 2021
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The SHORT Report
Welcome & Farewell
Change in Division Heads
- Clinical Dermatology & Cutaneous Science
- General Internal Medicine
- Geriatric Medicine
Congratulations
- Chief Medical Information Officer for Nova Scotia Health and IWK Health
- Awards
Internal Medicine eConsult Service
Education
- Teach the Teachers – February 16, 2021
- DoM Grand Rounds – New Evaluation Link
- Core Internal Medicine Chief Residents
Research
- Call for Abstracts – DoM Research Week 2021
- DoM Research Week – April 26 – 30, 2021
- Congratulations Dr. Leah Cahill
Nova Scotia Health
- Privacy and Cybersecurity Learning Course – New & Mandatory
- Acceptable Use Policy – NEW
- Privacy and E-Messaging
- Award category announced
- Human Organ and Tissue Donation Act – January 18, 2021
- Let’s Talk Informatics Series
Faculty of Medicine
- Mini Medical School
- Diversity and Inclusion
COVID-19
- Nova Scotia Cases
- Vaccines and Nova Scotia's Immunization Plan
- Auto-call Added for Negative COVID-19 Results
- Virtual Care Options Extended
- Getting to Know Dr. Lisa Barrett
Quick Reference / Recurring Content
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Happy New Year everyone!
As I reflect on the year that has passed and the one ahead of us I came across a quote - “Tough times don’t last…Tough teams do.” I think it sums up 2020 well as our tough teams in the DoM have not only risen above all the challenges of 2020 but also managed to grow and find many new opportunities.
Welcome to our first Newsletter of 2021!
There is much to be hopeful for. Our COVID epidemiology continues to be favorable because of all the hard work that we have been doing. Thanks to so many of our department members for the continued planning and a particular shout out to our Division of Infectious Diseases for supporting the lab, clinical planning and surveillance (Lisa Barrett and the pop-up rapid assessment clinic teams)! Nova Scotia Health and the Department of Health and Wellness have started to roll out our vaccine program and phase zero (the initial roll out) is almost complete. I want to thank Shelly McNeil (Division of Infectious Diseases), the Vaccine Task Force and the Province for the tremendous work they have put into the logistics planning of this role out. All of the health care workers identified as highest priority in phase zero will have completed their vaccinations by the end of January. About 140,000 doses are expected in the province by the end of March for the first phase of a three-phase immunization plan, and another million doses are expected to be delivered between April and June. We are now entering phase one of a three phase plan. Many of our department members have already received vaccine in phase zero and phase one will see most of our department members vaccinated by April, with many occurring in January and February. Within each phase the task force will continue to prioritize sub groups of health care workers and people at highest risk to help facilitate the quickest and most effective use of the vaccine. Dr. Boutilier shared an excellent outline of the three-phase rollout in her provincial physician update this week.
Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion working group will have its first meeting in January and our wellness champions are developing some opportunities with Dalhousie and other partners. I am excited to see what new learnings and opportunities these activities will bring to our department.
We will soon release our annual report, which reflects on the many accomplishments we have made together as a department and with our stakeholders in the 2019-2020 year.
I want to take this opportunity to thank Paula Bond for her amazing work as VP Operations for the Central Zone. She has been a great support to our department and all of Central Zone during her over 10 years with Nova Scotia Health and we will miss her greatly in this role. I am excited that we will be able to continue to collaborate with her, in advancing patient care and research, as she embarks on her new role as Associate Deputy Minister Clinical at the Department of Health and Wellness in February.
Enjoy the newsletter and don’t hesitate to contact us with stories and items for next month.
Keep well,
Christine
Christine Short, MD, FRCP(C), FACP
Associate Professor & Head/Chief, Department of Medicine
Dalhousie University / Central Zone, Nova Scotia Health
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We welcome the following staff to their new positions:
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Kim Pritchard joined the Department on January 4 as the new Billing Manager. She will replace Connie Tone upon her retirement in March 2021.
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Dr. Erin Morgan, currently with the Division of Medical Oncology, will join our AFP as a full time member on January 1.
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Dr. Joffre Munro will locum for the Division of General Internal Medicine from January 1 – March 31, 2021.
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Sue West is moving from Hematology to Endocrinology in January.
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Shelbie Stacey Allen is coming from Cardiology to Hematology as education assistant.
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Anna Gonsalves joined Medical Oncology as an Administrative Assistant.
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Kelly Watson will be leaving Hematology to join the Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.
We say farewell and best wishes to:
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Laura MacPherson is leaving Infectious Diseases to take a role with the Research Department.
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Cheryl Peever has left Palliative Medicine and taken a role with the ambulatory clinics at the HI site.
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Dr. Drew Bethune, Senior Medical Director of the Nova Scotia Health Cancer Care Program and Medical Director of the QEII Cancer Centre, retired on December 31 after 38 years of service.
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Paula Bond, Vice-President, Integrated Health Services, QEII New Generation Project, Cape Breton Redevelopment Project, will be leaving Nova Scotia Health and joining Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness as Associate Deputy Minister Clinical, effective February 1, 2021. Paula has also been Vice President, Clinical with Nova Scotia Lands, the organization with responsibility for oversight of all provincial health projects. In addition to her work in Nova Scotia, Paula has worked in various jurisdictions in Canada and abroad, including time as an Assistant Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Health in British Columbia. Paula has an extensive network of relationships and a vast clinical knowledge of all aspects of our health system. She will work across DHW to assist in advancing the priorities, strategies, initiatives and ongoing COVID-19 response.
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Division of Clinical Dermatology & Cutaneous Science
Effective January 1, 2021, Dr. Kerri Purdy is the Interim Division Head, Clinical Dermatology & Cutaneous Science. Dr. Peter R. Hull served as Division Head since 2015.
Division of General Internal Medicine
Effective January 4, 2021, Dr. Nabha Shetty is the Interim Division Head, General Internal Medicine. Dr. Ashley Miller served as Interim Division Head since April 2020.
Division of Geriatric Medicine
Effective January 4, 2021, Dr. Paige Moorhouse is the Interim Division Head, Geriatric Medicine. Dr. Chris MacKnight served as Division Head since 2015.
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Chief Medical Information Officer for Nova Scotia Health and IWK
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Congratulations to Dr. Ashley Miller (Division of General Internal Medicine) in her new leadership role as Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO) for Nova Scotia Health and IWK Health, effective January 1, 2021.
This is a joint provincial medical leadership role within Nova Scotia Health and IWK Health. The Chief Medical Information Officer will report to the NSH VP Medicine and the IWK VP Medicine, Quality and Patient Safety. Dr. Miller will serve as a member of the provincial medical leadership team with a seat on the Health Authority Medical Advisory Committee (HAMAC) and NSH Senior Leadership Team.
The CMIO will work as a leadership triad with Chief Nursing Information Officer (CNIO) and Senior Director One Person, One Record to lead clinical transformation enabled by technology. This role will lead the clinical practice standardization for physicians across the province.
The Chief Medical Information Officer is a key enabler to Nova Scotia’s One Person, One Record (OPOR) Strategy. This strategy involves multiple initiatives and projects which aim to standardize clinical practice, enable access to information and streamline our IT infrastructure and systems.
It is imperative for the success of information system projects to have a practicing physician working with our province's physicians to help design and implement these strategies.
Dr. Ashley Miller graduated from University of Ottawa's Medical School in 2012 and went on to complete her Residency in Internal Medicine and General Internal Medicine at Memorial University in 2017. She also completed a Masters of Science in Health Policy, Planning and Financing from the London School of Economics in 2017.
In 2017, Dr. Miller joined Dalhousie University's Department of Medicine as Assistant Professor. Dr. Miller has quickly risen among the ranks of young physicians to watch with her work on virtual care, leading the first provincial eConsult pilot and remote home monitoring program as part of the COVID Community Virtual Care Team. She recently led an initiative to reduce non-urgent ambulatory wait lists for General Internal Medicine. The work of this project reduced wait lists down from one year to two months.
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"This is an important senior leadership role in our health system and as a Department we are honored to have the quality and expertise of one of our members recognized in this way."
~ Dr. Christine Short
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Dr. Martin Gardner, Professor, Division of Cardiology was named the 2020 recipient of the Mentor of the Year Award (Region 5).
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INTERNAL MEDICINE eCONSULT SERVICE
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The Division of General Internal Medicine at the Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University in Halifax, is now offering an eConsult service through the Med Access/MedDialog platform.
This project was initially offered as a pilot through MyHealthNS. In the pilot feedback, providers requested a solution that is integrated into their EMRs and, as a result, Med Access was chosen for this next phase of eConsult.
What is eConsult?
eConsult is a form of asynchronous virtual care that occurs between providers, it offers:
- a secure, web-based tool that providers can use to submit patient-specific questions for scenarios that don't require an in person assessment
- is a timely option for specialist advice
Some common examples of issues for internal medicine eConsult might include:
- mild or chronic and stable laboratory abnormalities (abnormal blood counts, electrolytes, ferritin, etc)
- diagnostic testing interpretation (serum protein, electrophoresis, ECG, diagnostic imaging, etc)
- medication optimization questions (eg. hypertension, diabetes, etc)
- advice for appropriate next steps for investigating undifferentiated symptoms (elevated CRP, weight loss, fatigue, etc)
Who can access?
- Referrals are welcome from any Med Access / MedDialog user in Nova Scotia.
- If the eConsult results in recommendation for the patient to be seen in-person, the provider will be asked to refer to an internist in their own zone.
- Providers are asked to not use eConsult when they suspect a patient requires an in-person assessment but to use the routine process for a specialist referral in your zone.
If you have a referral for Halifax General Internal Medicine that requires direct patient contact then we ask you to please fax the referral to 902-473-8430 rather than using MedDialog.
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What is eConsult?
eConsult is a form of asynchronous virtual care that occurs between providers.
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Teach the Teachers - February 16, 2021
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Teaching Across Different Environments and Populations
Plenary by: Dr. Gaynor Watson-Creed
"Recognizing and mitigating bias in medical education"
Small group sessions:
- inclusivity
- teaching large groups
- virtual teaching.
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Tuesday, February 16
12:30 - 4:15 pm
(via Zoom)
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DoM Grand Rounds - new evaluation link
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Fill out your evaluation for your Maintenance of Certification credits. Each session is equivalent to one hour.
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Core Internal Medicine Chief Residents
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January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021
Halifax
- Dr. Peter Gregory and Suzanne Boursalie
Saint John
MTU (Halifax)
A heartfelt thank you goes to Drs. Matt Nunn, Rachel Sullivan, Nicole Beckett and Elizabeth Simms for leading us through what might be the most challenging curveball in residency leadership to date.
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Call for Abstracts - DoM Research Week 2021
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Open to all:
DoM Faculty, Residents, Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students, Research Fellows, and Research Staff
The DoM Research Committee invites you to submit an abstract for consideration for DoM Research Week 2021.
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Deadline:
Monday, February 1
Late submissions will not be accepted
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DoM Research Week - April 26 - 30, 2021
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ORAL PRESENTATIONS
(via Zoom)
Tuesday, April 27
8 - 9:30am
AND
Thursday, April 29
12:30 - 3pm
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RESEARCH DAY CONTENT AND POSTER PRESENTATIONS
Website available: April 26-30
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Congratulations Dr. Leah Cahill
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Researchers with affiliations to Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia Health and the IWK Health Centre are the recipients of over $1.3 million in funding from Research Nova Scotia.
The funding has been provided by the New Health Investigator Grant, which supports new health researchers who are engaged in work that aligns with the province’s health research priorities. The grant aims to provide two years of support of up to $100,000 for researchers who are within the first five years of their academic appointment in Nova Scotia, or who are new to the field of health research.
Dr. Leah Cahill
Does a simple blood test predict who needs strict blood sugar control to prevent heart disease?
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Privacy and Cybersecurity Learning Course - New & Mandatory
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In January 2021, the Privacy and Confidentiality Mandatory Learning Course will be replaced by a new and improved version titled Privacy and Cybersecurity. This new course includes updated information on cybersecurity and phishing.
This module is a part of mandatory learning that all staff must complete annually by December 31.
Have you completed the annual mandatory eLearning courses?
- Using Internet Explorer*, sign into LMS (https://elearning.nshealth.ca/)
- Click My Learning.
- Complete the courses assigned to you.
* To get credit for completing the assigned courses, you must use Internet Explorer.
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Acceptable Use Policy - NEW
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We are introducing a new Acceptable Use of Information Technology Policy AD-IT-005 effective January 4, 2021. This policy replaces twenty-two former District Health Authority policies, all of which will be archived.
The policy defines acceptable use of information technology resources, owned or controlled by Nova Scotia Health, which includes but is not limited to laptops, desktops, cellphones and network.
Policy Highlights
- Nova Scotia Health owns all electronic communications stored, transmitted or accessed using its resources and may monitor them at any time.
- Reasonable personal use of IT resources is permitted as long as it does not interfere with operational requirements.
- Nova Scotia Health prohibits activities using its IT resources that may put the organization at risk. Disciplinary action, up to and including termination, may occur for violations.
- A declaration of understanding of this policy will be included in the mandatory LMS Privacy training.
Social Media Site Unblocking
As part of the rollout of this policy, social media sites that are currently blocked for use will be unblocked. This includes, but is not limited to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. This will enable our organization to better connect with the many communities that we serve, benefit our employees and align us with similar organizations.
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Effective January 4, 2021
OP3 represents:
One Province,
One Process,
One Policy
Looking for a policy?
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Karen Hornberger, Provincial Director of Privacy, gave a great privacy presentation around e-messaging of patient health information at our December DoM Meeting.
Here are some helpful links (on the NSHA Intranet):
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In recognition of the efforts across the organization to create a more welcoming and diverse environment, a new category has been added to the Making Waves Awards program (12 awards in total).
The Diversity Award, in the Employee and Physician Category, will honor a team or individual for their contributions that support building an inclusive and respectful culture that celebrates our differences.
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Nomination deadline extended to
February 28, 2021
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Human Organ and Tissue Donation Act - January 18, 2021
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The legislation surrounding organ and tissue donation (Human Organ and Tissue Donation Act) is changing in Nova Scotia.
Effective January 18, 2021, this legislation (first in North America) is based on the premise of deemed consent.
If you don’t register a decision or have not told your family you do not want to be a donor - and a donation opportunity occurs - you will be considered as if you consented to donation after death.
Record your decision:
902-496-7008
More info:
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1 donor can save or improve the lives of over 80 people.
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Let's Talk Informatics Series
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Nova Scotia Health Information Management & Technology (IM/IT) is pleased to host:
Dr. David Clarke
Head of the Division of Neurosurgery, Dalhousie University and Nova Scotia Health in Halifax, Nova Scotia
"Computational Systems in Nova Scotia Health Neurosurgery"
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Next Let's Talk Informatics webinar - January 28, 2021
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This is the 15th year of Mini Medical School.
- Virtual presentations
- No cost
- No registration
Featuring:
- Dr. Peter Green
- Dr. Gordon Gubitz
- Dr. TJ Murray
For more information and session details:
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Wednesdays 7 - 8:30 pm
January 13
January 20
January 27
February 3
February 10
February 17
MS Teams link
- available shortly before Jan 13
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Why does it matter in medicine? Why is it so important in the medical profession?
- Webinar with Michael Bach includes interactive opportunities.
- Presented in partnership with DMSS and Doctors Nova Scotia
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Saturday, January 9
12 noon (Atlantic time)
Registration required
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0
currently in hospital
due to COVID-19
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245,830
total completed tests *
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> 11,000
Rapid tests at pop-up locations
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2,720
Vaccine doses administered
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As of January 7, 2021
* December 4, 2020 - total negative tests changed to total completed tests (includes both positive and negative tests). If a person has been tested four times, their four tests will be included in the total number of completed tests.
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Vaccines and Nova Scotia's Immunization Plan
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Nova Scotia received its first allotment of 1,950 doses of the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine. Due to strict transportation, handling and storage requirements (-70°C), the first vaccinations were administered in Halifax. https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20201215003
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First immunization clinic for HCWs at Nova Scotia Health.
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Phase 0 of the vaccine rollout is almost complete
2,720 doses administered since December 16
The province will continue to receive small weekly shipments of vaccine until the end of March 2021, when the supply is expected to increase. Both vaccines require that each individual must receive two doses (scheduled 21 days apart) for vaccine effectiveness.
View the January 5 news release
https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20210105003
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Auto-call added for negative COVID-19 results
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Starting Dec. 22, Nova Scotians who provide a phone number will be able to receive an auto-call for negative COVID-19 test results.
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Email notification continues as well.
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Virtual Care Options Extended
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The Nova Scotia government is further extending access to virtual care options like telephone and videoconferencing for doctors to connect with patients. Physicians' payment codes for virtual visits will be available until March 31.
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More than 1,207,900 services provided virtually by physicians between March 1 and December 1.
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Getting to Know Dr. Lisa Barrett
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Over the past year, Dr. Lisa Barrett has been the public face of all things COVID-19 since mid-March, sharing her knowledge and advice with Maritimers eager to understand the implications and potential devastation of this pandemic. But who is the woman behind the mask?
Read more
November 23, 2020
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"While many people tend to instinctively run in the other direction when a reporter calls, especially if it involves interacting with people through a call-in segment, Barrett embraces it."
- "Brendan Elliot"
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QUICK REFERENCE /
RECURRING CONTENT
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Nova Scotia Health / Dr. Lynn Johnston
Uploaded: March 13, 2020
Video: 10 min
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Nova Scotia Health / Dr. Glenn Patriquin
Uploaded: April 3, 2020
Video: 3 min
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Canada.ca
Uploaded: June 15, 2020
Video: 1 min 25 seconds
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Canada.ca
Uploaded: July 20, 2020
PDF – 8.5" x 14" poster
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Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia
Complete online then download or email document. Once signed and witnessed, it is valid.
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Spectrum MD
(Antimicrobial Stewardship)
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Nova Scotia Health logo needs to be visible in the upper left corner of the home screen to ensure you are accessing local content.
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Nova Scotia Health staff and physicians experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, contact Occupational Health:
1-833-750-0632
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Potential COVID Exposures
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Helping Healthcare Heroes
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FEATURED OFFER (current as of January 7, 2021)
Free ride (or $25 off total fare). Download the Uber app and enter promo code: "NOVASCOTIAHEROES". May be required to present NSHA ID badge. One time use.
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"Tough times don't last...Tough teams do!"
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