Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
URGENT PPE shortages
Submit your request through the
Ontario Health West Portal
to your local PPE Hub -- select your region and then 'primary care' in the appropriate drop-down box. A three-day supply of PPE will be provided based on availability of supply. The Ministry of Health supply of PPE is available to all providers.
If you receive a response saying "request declined"
: this is for internal inventory communication that allows the central virtual warehouse to track inventory that needs to be sent to the Hub.
Since our Hub is also storing a limited supply of Donated PPE, the Hub volunteers will contact you immediately if
Donated Supply
is available.
Please note: PPE Hub Volunteers will do their best to ensure that you do not run out of PPE.
Non-Urgent PPE needs
(i.e., running low but not critical)
- Go through usual vendors to attain
- Access local donations. If unable to attain then...
- Submit a request to the Ontario Health West Portal
Reminder: Mandatory Reporting of PPE Inventory to MOHLTC
Anyone providing health care or social services requiring PPE must report their inventory levels daily to the Ministry of Health by completing the
Ontario PPE Survey
(password: PPEsurvey2020). Please follow these
instructions
.
Reporting of PPE to the OMA
The OMA asks you to respond regularly to the
OMA PPE Survey
so they can continue to effectively advocate on your behalf to access PPE for community-based physicians.
Using PPE
Community Donations of PPE
Please direct any donated PPE supplies to Janet Dang, Transformation Lead at
janet.dang@thamesvalleyfht.ca
to ensure it becomes part of the "Donated PPE Supply" for community providers
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COVID-19 TESTING
London COVID-19 Assessment Centres
Please feel free to send people to the Centres for a
ssessment AND testing. The swabbing criteria is as follows:
Symptomatic
patients are considered individuals with the following:
- Fever (Temperature of 37.8°C or greater); OR
- Any new/worsening acute respiratory illness symptom (e.g. cough, shortness of breath (dyspnea), sore throat, runny nose or sneezing, nasal congestion, hoarse voice, difficulty swallowing); OR
- Clinical or radiological evidence of pneumonia.
Atypical symptoms/signs
of COVID-19
- Unexplained fatigue/malaise
- Delirium (acutely altered mental status and inattention)
- Falls
- Acute functional decline
- Exacerbation of chronic conditions
- Digestive symptoms, including nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain
- Chills
- Headaches
- Croup
- Unexplained tachycardia, including age specific tachycardia for children
- Decrease in blood pressure
- Unexplained hypoxia (even if mild, i.e., O2 sat <90%)
- Lethargy, difficulty feeding in infants (if no other diagnosis)
- For patients with suspected COVID-19 but who cannot get to the Assessment Centres such as - congregate living (long term care, retirement homes, group homes) or in home, we have a mobile testing option from the Middlesex London Health Unit.
Clinical Information
- Southwest Musculoskeletal Rapid Access Clinic (Low Back Pain): Emergent and urgent referrals should be directed to the emergency department and/or a surgeons’ office for further screening and evaluation. RAC appropriate individuals can be referred through the usual process, as the central intake office is fully staffed and functioning. Read more here.
- Here are two patient handouts for low back pain:
- low back pain with extension
- low back pain with flexion
- Pharmacotherapy - includes drug substitutions in case of shortages -- inhalers, salbutamol back order (from Thames Valley FHT pharmacists).
- Canadian Thoracic Society (CTS)
- Position statements on asthma and COPD address therapeutic questions to help you optimize the management of your patients during COVID-19.
- COVID-19 resource website gives you free access to information, guidelines, position statements, education and training materials, wellness resources and more.
- Need timely answers to your COVID-related questions from a reliable source? The Centre for Effective Practice (CEP) is launching virtual academic detailing appointments with a trained clinical pharmacist. Content is being updated regularly and includes subtopics such as primary care operations, assessment and testing, PPE, provider mental health, and emerging evidence for treatment. Appointments with your local detailer Nicole can be booked here.
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Billing
- You can now bill the Virtual COVID-19 Fee Codes and for work in an Assessment Centre!
- Claims for services using these fee codes (K080A, K081A, K082A, K083A, H409A and H410A) can now be submitted for services provided on or after March 14, 2020. Please note that physicians rendering services at the Designated Assessment Centres are required to submit their claims (H409A, H410A) in conjunction with the group number that can be obtained from their assessment centre administrator.
- For more information please see the OHIP Info Bulletin
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Patient Resources
- The Southwest Self Management Program has moved all its patient programs and groups online. Patients can browser and self register at www.swselfmanagement.ca
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Self-Care for Family Physicians
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Long Term Care Homes