To: Family physicians and nurse practitioners
10-16-2020
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Colon Cancer Home Screening Resumes
Home screening kits for colon cancer are being mailed again to Nova Scotians after a six-month program suspension that began in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The schedule for the mail out coincides with an individual’s birthday. Nova Scotians born in an even year (eg: 1968) automatically receive their test in an even year close to their birthday (eg: 2020). Nova Scotians born in an odd year (ie: 1957), automatically receive their test in an odd year (2021).
Individuals who were due to receive a kit between March and September of this year can call to request a kit. Those the program does not hear from will automatically receive their next kit in 2022. Individuals who have a screening test at home that has not expired may now complete it and send it to the lab.
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COVID-19 Testing for Essential Work and Travel
Nova Scotia Health has reached an agreement with PRAXES Medical Group to support COVID-19 testing for people who require proof that they do not have the COVID-19 virus for work or travel. The testing costs $250 plus HST
Testing will only be provided for:
- Urgent, work-related travel that requires a negative COVID-19 test before departure.
- Students or migrant workers who require a negative COVID-19 test before returning to their home countries.
- Travel to visit a vulnerable, ill or elderly relative, attend a funeral or for other events on compassionate grounds when required by other provinces or countries.
PRAXES will not provide COVID-19 testing for non-essential travel or business-related purposes including vacations or business travel when virtual meetings are possible.
To request this service please visit praxes.ca/covidtest at least five days prior to your travel date. Those determined eligible will receive a link to book an appointment online within one business day.
Testing is available at the PRAXES location in Dartmouth and will be available in other areas across Nova Scotia at a later date. Test results will be available within 36 to 60 hours, depending on the number of tests being processed by Nova Scotia Health’s laboratory.
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COVID Alert App Available in Nova Scotia
When installed, the app communicates using Bluetooth with nearby phones which also have the app installed. An app user who tests positive for COVID-19, is given a unique code by the Nova Scotia Health Authority to input into COVID Alert. If any other user with the app, whose phone was within two metres/six feet for at least 15 minutes of the infected person's phone, will be notified that they may have been exposed to COVID 19.
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Expanded Online Appointment Booking Service
Nova Scotia Health continues to expand its online booking system. Online booking of appointments is now available for these locations:
- Cumberland Regional Health Care Centre blood collection
- New Waterford Consolidated Hospital blood collection
- Western Kings Memorial Health Centre blood collection
- Sutherland Harris Memorial Hospital blood collection
- Inverness Consolidated Memorial Hospital blood collection
This is in addition to the ability to book appointments online for:
- Aberdeen Blood Collection in New Glasgow
- Bayers Road Blood Collection in Halifax
- Cape Breton Regional Hospital blood collection
- Cobequid Community Health Centre blood collection and X-ray
- Colchester East Hants Health Centre in Truro
- Dartmouth General Hospital in Dartmouth
- Eastern Kings Memorial Community Health Centre Blood Collection in Wolfville
- Glace Bay Hospital blood collection and X-ray
- Hants Community Hospital blood collection and X-ray
- Lloyd E. Matheson Centre in Elmsdale
- QEII Halifax Infirmary blood collection
- Spryfield Blood Collection in Halifax
- St. Margaret’s Bay Blood Collection
- St. Martha’s Regional Hospital blood collection
- South Shore Regional Hospital blood collection
- Valley Regional Hospital blood collection
- Woodlawn Medical Centre in Dartmouth
- Yarmouth Regional Hospital blood collection
Patients without internet access will continue to be able to make blood collection or X-ray appointments by phone. Phone numbers can be found by location on the NS Health blood collection web page.
The expansion of online appointment booking will continue in phases, with a few locations being introduced at a time. Additional locations will continue to be added to the online booking service over the coming weeks and months.
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Northern Zone: ILI Clinic Closures
The ILI Clinics operating in Northern Zone are now closed.
ILI clinics were set up across the zone and province as a temporary measure for patients to be able to access a provider if needed with all infection control and safety procedures in place within the clinic.
As volumes have decreased significantly across the Northern Zone, all ILI clinics will be closed effective October 16, 2020. Should the need arise to stand up the ILI clinic model again, it will be readdressed at that time.
We would like to thank all of our physician partners who have volunteered to work in these clinics these past months.
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Free online wellness sessions for Nova Scotians – Fall 2020 schedule
Primary Health Care is offering a variety of online wellness programs this fall for adults of all ages on healthy eating, physical activity, mental wellness, parenting, and reducing one’s health risks. The wellness sessions are offered online in a friendly group setting using Zoom for Healthcare, and are facilitated by health care professionals, including dietitians, physiotherapists, social workers, and occupational therapists.
Anyone with a valid Nova Scotia health card can participate in these online sessions. To learn more and to register, patients can visit HealthyNovaScotia.ca, or view the complete fall wellness schedule. Available sessions include:
- Building better sleep
- Understanding pain (3-week program)
- For the health of it (7-week program)
- Take charge of your stress
- Self-compassion (4-week program)
- Time management and well-being
- Free time and you
- Key assertiveness skills (2-week program)
- Nutrition: fact or fiction
- Making the most of your food dollar
- Why am I still hungry?
- Food and mood (2-week program)
- Beyond weight (2-week program)
- Sit less, move more
- Finding an online exercise program
- Pregnancy and exercise
- Mindful movement
- Self-compassion for parents
- My child is anxious (2-week program)
- An introduction to parenting your teenager
- Screen time and your family
- And many more!
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Your Way to Wellness
Your Way to Wellness is a six-week program for people living with a chronic condition such as arthritis, chronic pain, or diabetes. Led by trained volunteers who have chronic conditions themselves, participants will learn current information about healthy living, share ways to manage, and take charge of their life – all in a relaxed, supportive, social environment online. To learn more and to register, visit yourwaytowellness.ca.
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Family Physician Opportunities |
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Restructuring Nova Scotia Health's Executive Team - Clinical Operations Council and Clinical Networks (Expressions of Interest)
The intent of NS Health's leadership restructuring is to provide a more local focus on the management of zone operations, and to ensure there is a clear link between provincial planning, standards and evaluation and the priorities of operations within the zone.
During restructuring planning it was evident that there needs to be an approach to bring information from multiple service areas through to zone operations and to identify priorities in each zone that can be supported provincially. As such, the health authority is developing a Clinical Operations Council and Clinical Networks.
The combination of these two approaches, the Clinical Operational Council and the Clinical Networks, is intended to help address how we work, which is to continue to have a provincial approach to standards and planning and further enable zones to operationally implement and make decisions at a local level.
There is a call for expressions of interest from staff and physicians interested in participating in the following clinical networks:
NOTE: The deadline for submission has been extended to October 23. Please forward your CV to Caroline Gates and indicate which position you are interested in. |
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Physician Assessors - Practice Ready Assessment Program
The Nova Scotia Practice Ready Assessment Program (NSPRAP) is an assessment program to ensure that international medical graduates who wish to practice family medicine in Nova Scotia possess appropriate clinical skills and knowledge to provide quality patient care. NSPRAP operates within the Dalhousie Department of Family Medicine with the financial support of the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness, in collaboration with Nova Scotia Health recruitment process and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia.
How long is the commitment?
As a physician assessor, you will work alongside and supervise these candidates in family practice settings for a 6-week period to help determine whether they are ready to practice independently with defined licenses in Nova Scotia.
What’s in it for me?
Many physicians view the NSPRAP as a unique recruitment tool to attract physicians who are committed to practicing in communities with acute physician shortages. Others see the role as a chance to give back to their profession by participating in a program which will provide medical care to under-serviced areas. Finally, many see this as an opportunity to gain valuable skills that they can apply to other teaching roles.
How can I get more information about the NSPRAP?
For more information about being an assessor please see the PRAP website
How do I sign up?
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Upcoming Webinars & Learning Opportunities |
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Supporting You and Your Practice: Enhancing Access to Primary Health Care Workshop Series
To support primary care providers and teams, Nova Scotia Health Primary Health Care is offering an interactive virtual workshop series to support the practical application of access and efficiency concepts and strategies highlighted during the summer webinar series. This Workshop Series is aimed at primary health care providers and teams, as well as staff and leadership supporting providers and teams.
More information can be found in this one-pager. Registration links are included below.
Questions can be directed to [email protected] or to a Primary Health Care leader in your area.
This Group Learning program has been certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Nova Scotia Chapter for up to 4 Mainpro+ credits.
Workshop 2: Improving office efficiency
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Thursday, October 22, 2020 8:00 – 9:00 am Register
Workshop 3: Strategies to enhance scheduling
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Thursday, November 5, 2020 8:00 – 9:00 am Register
Workshop 4: QI approach for enhancing access
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Thursday, November 19, 2020 8:00 – 9:00 am Register
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Doctors Nova Scotia Webinar: Family medicine in the new normal – October 27
Reopening a family practice safely can be daunting. In this session, infectious disease experts Drs. Lynn Johnston and Jeannette Comeau will discuss what is known about COVID-19 in both adults and children, how COVID-19 is the new normal and considerations for safe care of patients in person.
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COVID, Simulation and the Second Wave: What you need to know to prepare – October 29
The Simulation Education Network Collaborative (SimEd Network) is hosting this webinar as part of the Faculty of Medicine FacDev Thursday Seminar Series.
Date: October 29, 2020
Time: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. via Adobe Connect
Objectives: By the end of this session participants will be able to:
- Understand current epidemiology of COVID and public health planning,
- Understand accuracy of testing methods for COVID,
- Understand the evidence behind best practices for infection prevention and control,
- Understand best practices, evidence and available resources for simulation training during COVID.
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Opioid Use Disorder Practice Support Program
Primary Health Care's Opioid Use Disorder Practice Support Program provides training and support for primary care providers and teams to build competencies for the care of patients with opioid use disorder.
The program uses a quality improvement approach delivered during three, half day interactive workshop sessions interspersed by two 6-8 week implementation action periods. Participation is limited.
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Prescribing Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV Online Training Course
A free training to provide education for physicians, nurse practitioners, and other health care workers to meet the needs of patients seeking support regarding HIV prevention. This course also hopes to address the gap in PrEP prescribing capacity in Nova Scotia.
There are several stages to this program. Participants will…
- watch a recorded presentation titled “HIV Prevention, Treatment, & Advocacy” by Garry Dart of the AIDS Coalition of Nova Scotia (approximately 50 minutes)
- watch a recorded presentation titled “Prescribing PrEP” by Dr. Glenn Andrea, MD (approximately 20 minutes)
- watch a recorded Q&A and discussion with Garry Dart and Dr. Andrea (50 minutes)
- complete an online quiz to demonstrate learning (approximately 10 minutes)
- complete a training evaluation (approximately 5 minutes)
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Gender Affirming Hormone Prescription Training – Free Online Training
Are you a primary care provider in Nova Scotia who wants to learn more about prescribing gender-affirming hormones for trans and gender diverse patients?
This training is completed independently, using recorded presentations and interactive quizzes. The time to complete the course is approximately 3 hours. While all healthcare providers are welcomed to take this course, the focus is for doctors, residents, and nurse practitioners who have the capacity to prescribe.
The course is currently scheduled to be available online until August 2021 (when the Mainpro certification ends).
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Working with Transgender Patients - Free Online Training
30 minute course: this course is intended to offer basic information for staff working directly or indirectly with gender diverse clients within health care, mental health, and social work services.
60 minute course: this course is for those interested in a more in-depth cultural competency training, which further explores gender diversity.
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Surveys for Family Practice |
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Physicians’ use of social media during the time of COVID-19
COVID-19 has impacted physicians’ use of social media, specifically how they cross boundaries virtually. This study aims to better understand how COVID-19-initiated changes are impacting physicians’ practices and their use of social media tools and platforms.
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Physician Resilience COVID-19 Survey
Dr. Jackie Kinley (NSH mental health and addictions) and Dr. John Chiasson (DNS peer support program) and their colleagues ran daily open Zoom sessions, skills training sessions, delivered live and recorded webinars, and other custom initiatives to prepare Nova Scotia physicians for the pandemic.
They need your feedback to guide their preparation for the next wave. Your input is vital to this process and you are invited to complete this brief survey to help them serve you better.
Note: There is a request for consent at the beginning of the survey (that is to protect your safety and privacy). Please take a few minutes to complete this questionnaire.
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