Breaking news about support for opioid management

Help is coming soon for teams interested in doing more for their patients with pain and/or addictions and, at the same time, managing opioid use. See recent investment by MOHLTC in a project led by CAMH, which acknowledges the crucial role that primary care providers play in addressing the opioid challenge. This investment builds on the successful model of support for smoking cessation that is well established in over 80% of FHTs.

Public Health within an Integrated Health System - Primary Care & Public Health Collaboration

Expert Panel Report: Public Health Within an Integrated Health System

Patients First legislation includes a requirement for the public health sector and the province’s local health integration networks (LHINs) to work together to reduce health disparities and improve access to health care services. The Government of Ontario established the Expert Panel on Public Health (“Expert Panel") in January 2017. Their report, “Public Health within an Integrated Health System” was released on July 20, 2017.

META-PHI program helping more patients with opioid addiction thanks to to ARTIC

More Ontarians are filling opioid prescriptions now than ever before according to a recent report by Health Quality Ontario. Nearly two out of every 1,000 Ontarians visited an emergency department within a week of being dispensed an opioid and the death rate from opioid overdoses has nearly quadrupled in Ontario in the last 25 years.

Expression of Interest to establish Indigenous Interprofessional Primary Care Teams

On May 25, 2016, the Government of Ontario launched the Ontario First Nations Health Action Plan (OFNHAP), a multi-year initiative to improve health care for Indigenous peoples in Ontario. A key part of this Plan is the creation or expansion of new primary care teams; community-based models of primary health care that are designed based on the needs and cultures of the communities they will serve. We are pleased to inform you that the Expression of Interest (EOI) process for this important initiative has now opened.

Implementing Choosing Wisely Canada Recommendations in Ontario to Improve Quality of Care: HQO Report

Ontario clinicians deliver quality care by reducing unnecessary care: new report When it comes to medical tests and procedures, less can sometimes be better. According to a new report released this week, Ontario health care providers are successfully working to provide and improve quality care by reducing unnecessary care to patients across Ontario.

Volunteers for Ontario’s Patient and Family Advisory Council Needed

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) is inviting patients, families, and caregivers to apply to be a member of the new provincial Patient and Family Advisory Council. No experience is necessary — you simply need to be 18 years of age or older and live in Ontario. Over the course of 18 months, the Council will advise on:

AFHTO’s 2017 Pre-Budget Submission

AFHTO submitted its recommendations to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs as part of the 2017 Ontario Pre-Budget Consultations on Jan. 20, 2017. In this upcoming provincial budget, we call on the government to strengthen primary care so that it can deliver on its commitments outlined in the Patients First Act and ensure all Ontarians receive access to high quality, comprehensive, interprofessional team-based care.