Monthly Bulletin of the Alliance's Learning Health System |
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Developing New Tools
for Cancer Equity
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Recent Publications & Presentations |
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Reading List
for an EPIC Summer
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Learning Events & Opportunities |
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Get Involved: Research & Sharing |
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Mosaic Study:
Developing New Knowledge Tools
for More Equitable Cancer Outcomes
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Measuring Ontario’s Small-Area Inequalities in Cancer (MOSAIC)* is a study headed by a research team at Ontario Health which will help healthcare providers, policymakers, advocates, and others recognize and respond to local, geographical inequalities in the occurrence and survival of cancer. We chatted with investigators Todd Norwood, Laura Seliske, and Zeinab El-Masri at Ontario Health about how MOSAIC will help advance equity in cancer outcomes in Ontario.
Research has demonstrated that such geographical inequalities exist in Ontario. Recent statistical advances (using spatio-temporal analysis methods) can now help us better estimate local area cancer incidence and survival, so we can more clearly see and tackle disparities. MOSAIC uses these statistical methods to study nine cancers. They were chosen because they have organized screening programs, are more difficult to treat, or have rapidly increasing incidence. Among these nine cancers of interest, the project aims to:
- Identify which ones have spatio-temporal inequalities in incidence or relative survival.
- Identify how rurality, remoteness, and socio-economic factors influence those spatio-temporal inequalities.
- Engage knowledge users in the research process to enhance the usefulness of the study findings.
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Not everyone in Ontario has similar outcomes; nor do they have similar access to care.
MOSAIC will look at some of the disparities related to where people live, as well as social determinants of health and individual factors.
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“From existing research, we know that not everyone in Ontario has similar outcomes; nor do they have similar access to care,” Seliske notes. MOSAIC will “look at some of the disparities related to where people live, as well as social determinants of health and individual factors [like] age and sex.” Rural-remoteness, for example, is an element of variability that acts as a proxy for access to care, and it may intersect with other social determinants such as socioeconomic status.
Norwood notes that “local differences in cancer incidence or survival are those most likely to benefit from tailored interventions that best reflect the prevention and healthcare needs of the population being served.” Understanding those local inequalities is thus essential for healthcare providers and health-system planners. Depending on the type of cancer, MOSAIC will be able to identify area-based disparities as small as a census dissemination area (400-700 residents) or a census subdivision (municipality). Additionally it may shed light on how local area variation has changed over time.
El-Masri notes that it’s the local knowledge user who best understands the community and how to apply this new knowledge. To illustrate, she offers a hypothetical example: Someone working in a rural CHC learns that a community they serve has a lower-than-average survival duration following a cancer diagnosis. They theorize that a lack of access to post-diagnostic care is a key driver of this difference, so they conduct a survey with clients and residents. It turns out that transportation is the biggest barrier to accessing care, so they work with their OHT partners to develop a ride program.
In order to ensure that the findings of their study are useable, the MOSAIC team is working with an advisory committee of decision-makers, public health professionals, healthcare providers, patients, advocacy groups, and researchers. The committee will help the team decide how to share the data and how best to make it accessible to the people who need it. The MOSAIC team is also looking for “early testers” to review and help refine the knowledge products before they become widely available. El-Masri describes this as an iterative, two-way learning process.
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* To request the placemat in an accessible version, contact Ontario Health 1-877-280-8538, TTY 1-800-855-0511, info@ontariohealth.ca.
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The MOSAIC study is being conducted with the support of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research through funding provided by the Government of Ontario.
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Recent Publications & Presentations
from Alliance Staff and Research Partners
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Spring and summer have been a busy time for Alliance researchers! Here is a list of some of the most recent publications from our staff, our sector, and our system partners. By the way, you can check out all the Alliance research in our research library. If you’ve got something to add, please send it to us.
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Presentations at the North American Primary Care Research Group Practice-Based Research Network (NAPCRG PBRN): |
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Other recent publications: |
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We're Hiring!
Knowledge Mobilization Specialist Wanted
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The NSS-CoP is led by the London Intercommunity Health Centre in partnership with the Alliance and the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs (CAPUD). The NSS has emerged from the Ontario Safer Opioid Supply Community of practice, with an enlarged scope and spread, thanks to funding from Health Canada.
The successful candidate will support the development of new knowledge-sharing and communications tools, including a knowledge hub; facilitate group learning activities such as community of practice meetings, workshops, and webinars; develop mentorship opportunities; and create connections with other harm-reduction organizations across Canada. We're looking for someone with superior analytical and critical-thinking skills and at least three years' experience in a knowledge-sharing role. A commitment to harm-reduction and anti-oppressive principles is essential. The fact that this is a brand-new role supporting a newly expanded team in an emerging field makes an exciting opportunity with a real potential for impact!
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Your EPIC Summer Reading List |
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We reached out to some of the smart people we work with both within and beyond the (virtual) walls of the Alliance to create a reading list that would entertain and inspire you this summer. These readings and podcasts were chosen for their ability to inspire curiosity, inform better health care for marginalized folks, or simply help motivate you in your work towards equity. Enjoy!
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Cornwall Mayor Bernadette Clement Named to Senate (Cornwall Standard-Freeholder). The first Black, Francophone woman to be named Mayor of Cornwall is now the fourth Black woman to be named to the senate. She's an ally to our sector who spent her career working in the Clinique juridique Roy McMurtry Legal Clinic. Recommended by Debbie St. John-de Wit.
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Together, by US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy (if you prefer to listen, try this podcast). Dr. Murthy raises loneliness -- the experience of feeling unseen, unheard, and excluded -- as a major public health issue deeply intertwined with health outcomes and inequities in America, and explores ways forward together through community connection. Recommended by Kate Mulligan.
A huge "thank you!" to everyone who contributed to this reading list. If you've got a good read (or listen) you'd like to recommend to your fellow EPIC readers, please send it to us. |
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August
Harm Reduction Worker Wellness Community Day. This event is hosted by the Harm Reduction Workers Wellness Network & Breakaway Community services to celebrate community, wellness, strength, and ongoing resistance. RSVP here. If you would like to provide a wellness service, please sign up here.
August 4th, 2021 from 12-1pm at Allan Gardens, 160 Gerrard St E, Toronto.
Better outcomes for your clients with asthma. Ontario Health Quality Standards is presenting two webinars next month about supporting clients with asthma in primary health care. All primary care providers and team members, are welcome, including nurses, respiratory therapists, respiratory educators, administrators, and decision support specialists.
ACEs Coalition special Community of Practice meeting: The ACEs Coalition will be facilitating a special Community of Practice meeting. A group of University of Waterloo MPH students has been working with them as a part of their capstone project. The students agreed to share their research and support the Coalition in a discussion. Contact Kate Vetula to RSVP. August 13, 12:30-1:30pm
September - October
After the pandemic, how can we better support the health of older adults? Save the date for this free virtual conference on how to provide better, more integrated care for seniors with complex and chronic health conditions. This is particularly helpful for anyone looking to advance care integration within their community network or Ontario Health Team. Learn more here, and sign up here to be notified when registration opens. October 19-20.
Register now for the (virtual) Canadian Collaborative Mental Health Care Conference! This year’s theme is Justice, Health Equity, and Reducing the Digital Divide. New this year: A pay-it-forward registration subsidy program. Every paid registration will cover the cost of another attendee, in order to reduce barriers to attendance. Please consider inviting a person with lived experience, a student, or someone else who might otherwise experience barriers to attend with you. Introduce your guest to Sari Ackerman by email to get the promotional code that will let them attend for free. Learn more about the conference here. Register here. October 19-23.
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Get Involved: Research & Sharing Opportunities |
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Networking and Collaborative Learning
Participate in the National Safer Supply Community of Practice (NSS-CoP)! Here are some ways you can get involved. Join the advisory council, provide mentoriship to people new to safer supply, or share your skills and tools. To learn more, contact Rebecca Penn: Rebecca@LIHC.on.ca or SaferSupplyON@gmail.com.
How do adverse childhood experiences (ACES) affect health in adulthood? How can we tailor care to help people who have experienced ACES have better health outcomes? If you’re interested in exploring this or advancing ACEs-informed and trauma-informed care in your organization, consider joining the ACES community of practice. Register here for the kickoff meeting, September 23! And watch this space for an upcoming announcement about a half-day virtual workshop in October.
Share your learnings on COVID-19 and collaborate with partners to discover more. CanCOVID, a federally-funded open science network of researchers, providers, patient partners, and others, has room at the table for you! Members get access to data and a community of researchers and partners to collaborate with.
Want to learn more about practice-based research, network with peers, and nourish your curiosity? If you are a clinician or interprofessional healthcare worker at an Alliance-member agency, consider joining the EPIC PBLN and the POPLAR Network (see the flyer in French here). We know pandemic response and vaccination efforts are a priority for most of our members, so we’ve put EPIC PBLN meetings on hiatus until fall. But if you sign up now, we can all hit the ground running together when the time is right! Email Sara.Bhatti@AllianceON.org for more information.
Calls for Abstracts & Papers
Posters wanted for AFHTO 2021: Submit your application for a poster presentation at the 2021 conference of the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario (AFHTO). Key themes to explore: Expanding access to interprofessional, team-based care; primary health care leading in health system transformation; harnessing the power of relationships; building digital models of care; and equity as the foundation of care delivery. Abstracts accepted until August 3.
Call for abstracts now open for ICIC22 in 2022: Abstract submissions are now open for the 22 nd International Conference on Integrated Care, taking place next may. There are four key themes: personalized and person-centred health and care, digitized and digital support of health and care, innovative collaborations, and COVID recovery and impact on health and care systems. These four themes are organized into nine tracks, including population health needs and local context, people as partners in health and care, resilient communities, and digital solutions. Hybrid virtual/in-person from Odense, Denmark, May 23-25, 2022. Abstracts accepted until October 15.
Study Participants Wanted
Pregnancy-planning clients wanted for a study on delivering preconception care. The Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) is an international collaboration addressing chronic illness and mental health. HeLTI Canada are exploring whether technology-based care provided by specially-trained public health nurses can help people improve their health and health behaviours through preconception, pregnancy, and early childhood. Those planning to have a child in the next 2-3 years are eligible and can be referred by any health care provider in the GTA, Hamilton, Niagara Region, or Ottawa. Clients and clinicians can learn more at www.helticanada.ca or via social media @HeLTICanada.
Understanding the mental health needs and priorities of veterans. The Centre of Excellence on PTSD and Related Mental Health Conditions is connecting with service providers who have expertise and interest in providing care to Canadian armed forces and RCMP veterans and their families. By completing this 5-minute online survey, you can help the Centre identify what topics, resources, and trainings would be helpful in your work. The results will help them develop evidence-based trainings and resources for service providers.
What’s the difference between “good health” and “poor health”? Researchers at the University of Alberta are exploring this question with a survey and online interviews. Participants must be over 18 years of age and able to speak and write in English, and they will be compensated. For more information, contact Hilary Short.
Seeking input from people who use services and supports for opioid use. The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) is conducting survey to help improve access to supports for people who use opioids. Clients who live in Canada and have used or tried to access these supports are invited to complete an online survey about their experiences and opinions. Friends and family members are also welcome. The survey will take 20-25 minutes to complete, and all responses will be kept anonymous. Those who complete the survey and are eligible will receive a $20 gift card in recognition of their effort. Anyone interested in participating should start with the pre-screening questions here. For more information, please contact suic@ccsa.ca.
Study: Identifying best communications to advance COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in primary care. This research project by family physicians from the Ottawa area will involve 300 primary healthcare providers (MDs and NPs from across Canada). Participants will explore the roots of vaccine hesitancy and strategies for overcoming it while helping test a new communications platform called the Canadian Primary Care Information Network (CPIN). Participating practices and providers will receive financial compensation and free training in CPIN. Curious? Check out the recruitment brochure or email the research coordinator, Stephanie Chenail.
Survey: Nature-Based Interventions in Cities. Researchers from Carleton University are exploring the outcomes and knowledge gaps of nature-based interventions in Canadian cities. The results of their research will help improve outcomes of nature-based interventions and advance health equity for those living in cities. You can help by completing a 10-to-20-minute online survey by August 16.
Feedback wanted: Do you provide palliative care or partner with organizations that do? The Ontario Palliative Care Network (OPCN) is developing a submission to the Ministry of Health regarding palliative care frameworks for pediatric and adult clients. If interested, please review this draft palliative care framework for Ontario, and send your feedback to Matthew George at Ontario Health. Feedback should address the following:
- Whether OPCN has captured the key actions in each building block
- If there are any missing actions that need to be added
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Funding opportunity for Integrated Virtual Care. Ontario Health is accepting proposals from health care organizations working to implement or enhance pre-existing virtual care programs and services to support integrated care delivery to patients.
- OH is seeking proposals which address patient navigation and care transitions; mental health and addiction services; priority populations such as including seniors, people receiving palliative care, and clients with chronic diseases; and outreach services for unattached, underserved, or marginalized communities.
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Access the proposal template here.
- Questions? contact Rebecca Swick at Ontario Health.
Cancer screening resumes - these tools can help you get ready. Routine cancer screening is scheduled to resume after being paused in March 2020. The Alliance’s Cancer Screening Learning Collaborative is full, but there are other resources available that can help you.
FREE Specialized Training and Supplies to Help Peers Respond Opioid Poisonings: Heart to Heart CPR is offering a free Peer Support Responder training program to help people who are likely to encounter, witness, or experience opioid poisoning. Responders may include outreach workers, volunteer harm-reduction workers, family members, or friends of people who use drugs. Each responder will receive an emergency backpack that includes necessary supplies and will be trained in how to give lifesaving care to someone who is experiencing opioid poisoning while protecting themselves. For more information, contact Nick Rondinelli.
Post-Secondary Scholarship Available for LGBTQ2S+ students: The Bill 7 Award Trust provides scholarships to post-secondary students starting, or currently pursuing, their first post-secondary program of study at a college, university or post-secondary training program in Ontario. Students must demonstrate financial need and identify as LGBTQ2S+ to qualify. Full details and application here. Deadline 5 p.m. on Friday, August 6.
Even MORE summer reading: Check out Linkages for the latest in news from the Centre for Studies in Aging and Health, the Seniors Health Knowledge Network, and their collaborating partners. Their reading list, Caregivers, is full of peer-reviewed articles that can help you support your older clients’ families and support network.
Want to review your favourite plenaries and learning sessions from Power in Community? Catch the ones you missed? They're now available on the conference platform to everyone who registered. Simply log into the conference website and click on the agenda tab. Attendees will have access to the platform until August 17.
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