London Middlesex Primary Care -
COVID-19 Update
December 10, 2020
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Update: London COVID-19 Assessment Centres
Same day/next day testing available
We continue to hold same day/next day appointment slots for symptomatic people who require an urgent COVID-19 test. Your patients can book these appointments through telephone booking:
- Carling – 519-685-8500, ext. 75503, Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
- Oakridge – 519-667-6886, Monday to Friday, starting at 9:00 am. NOTE: Phone lines will close when same day/next day appointments are full.
We also hold daily appointments for Middlesex-London Health Unit so anyone contacted by Public Health as a close contact can be tested as soon as possible.
We encourage anyone who needs a test for reasons other than the above (e.g., planned surgery, LTC visit, etc.) to continue booking online.
Increasing testing capacity at Carling
Starting December 12, additional daily appointment slots will become available at Carling. This will continue as long as we have staffing available.
Hours of operation will remain the same: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm, Monday to Friday, and 11:00 am to 7:00 pm, Saturday and Sunday.
Holiday hours
We are currently finalizing testing operations over the holidays. Please look for another email late next week with holiday hours.
Testing for international travel
The Ministry of Health recently directed Assessment Centres to stop testing for international travel as of December 11. London's Assessment Centres will continue to test for international travel for now but will actively phase out this service shortly. More information to come at a later date.
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CME: COVID-19 VACCINE FOUNDATIONS FOR HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS |
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is providing a free Zoom webinar Dec. 14 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. to inform Canadian health-care providers about the COVID-19 vaccines and to increase their knowledge of and confidence in the vaccines.
Agenda:
Opening remarks by Dr. Howard Njoo, Deputy Chief Public Health Officer
Module 1 - Health Canada COVID-19 Vaccine Approval and the Role of NACI in COVID-19 Vaccine Planning
Speakers: Dr. Megan Bettle, Health Canada and Dr. Caroline Quach, Chair of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI)
Module 2 - COVID-19 Vaccines in Canada
Speakers: Dr. April Killikelly and Dr. Marina Salvadori, the Public Health Agency of Canada
Module 3 - COVID-19 Vaccine Administration and Immunization Clinic Planning
Speakers: Dr. Bryna Warshawsky, the Public Health Agency of Canada
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Urgent COVID-19 Care Clinic
The Urgent COVID-19 Care Clinic will provide coordinated, comprehensive care for patients with COVID-19 to decrease the need of emergency department (ED) assessments, unscheduled ED visits, and ICU consultations in the ED for COVID-19 patients by providing rapid assessment, provision of home oxygen monitoring and longitudinal follow-up.
Please find more information about the clinic here and information about the referral form here
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Resource: COVID Financial Poster
Please see attached a poster outlining some COVID Financial supports available you can post in your office. |
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Community-Based Primary Care COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Support Survey
Special Request from:
Dr. Noah Ivers MD CCFP PhD
Family Physician and Scientist, Women’s College Hospital
Associate Professor, University of Toronto
Canada Research Chair (tier 2) Implementation of Evidence-based Practice
Dear friends and colleagues,
In the not-too-distant future, community-based primary care providers (including family physicians, NPs, pharmacists) will be invited to receive the vaccine. Already, these trusted members of the public's healthcare team are being asked questions about the vaccine. PHAC and others are preparing education, but they may not be quite suited to all the needs of primary care.
I believe strongly that when primary care providers (eventually) tell their patients that they took the vaccine, and when they are armed with an efficient approach to counter vaccine hesitancy, we will accelerate population vaccine uptake… and save lives. Not only that, but primary care providers will have a role to play at some point in vaccinating their patients. If we work together to ensure this happens as efficiently as possible, we can end the pandemic sooner.
This form is to collate the people, places, and things currently planned to educate primary care about the COVID-19 vaccines in ways that work for primary care, help them effectively counsel their patients, and support them in delivering the vaccine efficiently in their communities.
If you have relevant plans (or are willing to contribute your skills), please click here and take 2 minutes to fill out this form:
This is a starting point - we will be in touch to build on this data, to do a deeper dive in some areas, and to help coordinate our efforts.
Thanks in advance,
Noah
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Special Request to Complete and Important Survey from the Public Health Agency of Canada from:
Alliance for Healthier Communities
Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario
Indigenous Primary Health Care Council
Nurse Practitioners' Association of Ontario
Ontario College of Family Physicians
Ontario College of Pharmacists
Ontario Medical Association Section of General and Family Practice
Ontario’s Academic Chairs of Family Medicine
Dear members/colleagues/friends,
This week, the Public Health Agency of Canada released Canada’s COVID-19 immunization plan, and Health Canada approved our first COVID-19 vaccine. Both represent monumentous progress in our COVID-19 efforts, and are a testament to our scientific community worldwide and the power of unity.
As provinces look to deploy vaccines, your voice and the role of primary care will be critical. We have shared challenges ahead before hopefully moving to a post-pandemic era, among them logistics, vaccine hesitancy, and more. We know there is no greater antidote to vaccine hesitancy than advice from someone we trust; for most Ontarians, that means a community’s primary care professional.
Like you, we were disappointed to see no primary care (or public health) representation on Ontario’s Ministers' COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force. However, we are working hard to influence and connect with the Task Force for the benefit of Ontarians. Partnering with our primary care associations and representatives, we will ensure your community’s needs are heard and that they inform the Task Force’s decisions.
The Task Force is yet to release details regarding its COVID-19 vaccination plan. What we understand is that healthcare workers will be in the first priority group, along with the highest risk members of the population. It is likely that the long-term care sector will be prioritized ahead of community-based primary care settings, but we know that availability of vaccines will increase substantially over the coming months.
We believe it is critical that all of us get vaccinated for at least three reasons:
- to protect ourselves and our loved ones
- to protect our patients, as well as their families and caregivers
- to act as role models for our communities
The details on how you will access the vaccine for yourselves and your practices is still to be determined. As you have likely heard, there are challenges related to availability and logistics. We understand that the details will be available soon. We are connected with relevant stakeholders and members of the Task Force, and we will share details as soon as we have them.
In the meantime, working collaboratively, we are creating educational materials to understand the vaccine, and to help you have these discussions in your communities. We are also working with stakeholders across Ontario and Canada to ensure you have the resources and support you need to care for your patients.
Our ask: To help us prepare, we ask you to please complete this important survey from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) below so that we can fully understand your needs, unique challenges, and opportunities as they relate to undertaking the most important vaccine program in our recent history. Please also reach out to us if you have ideas beyond the survey
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If there are non-hospital COVID-19 related issues/solutions in your region, please escalate them to your
Regional Pandemic Clinical Lead
(tasked by Ontario Health West to facilitate, coordinate, and engage with stakeholders for the pandemic response within the SW LHIN area RE: primary care/vulnerable populations)...structure HERE.
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Dr. Gordon Schacter
London-Middlesex
Co-Chair, SW Prim Care/Vulnerable Pop'n Response
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