On Wednesday, we shared a significant milestone in the QEII Halifax Infirmary Expansion Project – the financial close and project signing agreement for the new Acute Care Tower. This marks a major step forward in our mission to enhance patient care and support our healthcare teams.

The new Acute Care Tower represents a key part of our efforts to modernize healthcare infrastructure, improve access to services, and elevate the standard of care for patients and healthcare professionals. With its innovative design and advanced technology, this facility will make a lasting impact on our hospital, our patients, and our communities.

To hear more details, we invite all QEII staff and physicians to a special event to learn more on how the new Acute Care Tower will shape the future of patient care. We will have two viewing locations available; we encourage all staff and physicians to attend—either in person at the Halifax Infirmary Royal Bank Theatre or in-person via livestream at the Victoria General Bethune Ballroom. If you can’t make it in person, we have a livestream link. 

Event Details:

Date: Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Three viewing options:

Location: Royal Bank Theatre, QEII Halifax Infirmary

Live Stream Location: Victoria General Bethune Ballroom

Livestream Link: https://vimeo.com/event/4910362/d8afc18383

During this event, you’ll hear from project leaders, watch a video presentation showcasing the vision, design, and impact of the new tower, and gain deeper insight on the timeline and what to expect as we build the tower and how the project supports the province’s healthcare system. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions and engage in discussions with the project team. A recording will be made available for those unable to attend or watch the livestream. 

To ensure we address your questions, we invite staff and physicians to submit questions in advance. Please send your questions to QEII.Redevelopment@nshealth.ca by Monday, February 24, at noon.

We encourage staff and physicians to stay informed about the project by visiting www.QE2Renew.ca which features information about the project, including answers to frequently asked questions and videos.

We hope you’ll join us on Tuesday, February 25 at noon as we take another step toward advancing patient care for Nova Scotians.

We look forward to seeing you,

Central Zone Leadership

Randi Monroe, Eileen MacGibbon, Dr. Christy Bussey, Alyson Lamb, Lori Sanderson, Tanya Penney

QEII Renew Leadership

Stephanie Walsh, Dorothy MacLeod, Dr. Christine Short

Public Health’s Transformation, in response to Action for Health, prioritizes increasing access to immunization to better protect Nova Scotians from vaccine-preventable illnesses which put additional strain on the healthcare system. To support this initiative, Public Health is embarking on two immunization awareness marketing campaigns over the next several months.

The first will be a general immunization marketing campaign targeting all Nova Scotians. This campaign will focus on the following key messages:

• Vaccines are safe, effective and save lives.
• Vaccines are available across the province through various healthcare providers
•  Make sure your vaccines are up to date.

The second campaign will be focused on the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Public Health has been awarded funding through the Urban Public Health Network to help increase the uptake of HPV vaccine among youth as part of a national campaign.

This HPV campaign will be two-fold – one that includes strategic advertising to youth and another that provides direct education, awareness and an opportunity to be immunized, to Grade 12 students attending schools that have been identified as having barriers to accessing immunization. As this is a new project, two to three high schools will be selected in each zone this year.

The HPV vaccine campaign, that will run from mid-February to the end of April, will be directing youth and their parents to www.nshealth.ca/HPV for more information about the disease, why the vaccine is important and how they can get immunized.

The general awareness campaign, running from the end of March through the end of May, will direct Nova Scotians to www.nshealth.ca/immunizations.

You can also find more immunization documents and forms on the Information and Wellness Portal here: https://physicians.nshealth.ca/topics/public-health/immunizations

Public Health anticipates that this may increase questions for our healthcare partners, and we encourage you to reach out to your zone Public Health team to help answer any questions.

*Click to enlarge image.

Attention: QHR Accuro EMR users

Many QHR Accuro EMR users are unaware they are not sharing their immunizations with Public Health. Please confirm your EMR is opted-in to share records by reaching out to panorama@novascotia.ca with your clinic name.

Reporting immunizations to Public Health is the only way to have these records uploaded into Panorama (Nova Scotia’s immunization repository) and YourHealthNS; providing your patients with their full immunization history and supporting providers in accessing this information for clinical care and decision making.

The latest episode of Coaching Physicians: A Prescription for Leadership, hosted by Physician Executive Leadership Coaches Lorie Campbell and Verna MacDonald, explores key strategies for building strong, trust-based working relationships. They discuss how proactive relationship-building fosters greater collaboration and leads to more successful outcomes.

Join Lorie and Verna as they cover:

• How to build effective working relationships from the ground up.
• Practical strategies for creating strong alliances and high trust.
• Powerful questions to steer you team toward impactful collaboration.

Listen to episode here: Spotify, SoundCloud, and Apple Podcasts. Stay tuned for new episodes released every two weeks!

Make sure you catch up on previous episodes:

• Demystifying Physician Leadership Coaching with Dr. Aaron Smith
• Is Your Leadership Style Working for Others?
• Mindfulness Matters in Medicine with Dr. Jennifer Jones

Over the past year, we have been sharing information on the One Person One Record Clinical Information System (OPOR-CIS), developed through a robust design process with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), OPOR Program team members, and our vendor, Oracle Health.

A CIS is a comprehensive, integrated, digital platform designed to improve the quality of healthcare by digitizing and streamlining patient data management. Across IWK Health and Nova Scotia Health the system will replace traditional paper-based records or fragmented electronic health records (EHRs), with a unified, provincial, real-time digital system.



The OPOR-CIS enables clinical teams to document, access, and manage patient data securely and efficiently. For the first time, patient information will be shared electronically and seamlessly between IWK Health and Nova Scotia Health.

The OPOR-CIS is a complex system that will bring together the steps in a patient’s journey. At the centre of the system is standardized care and documentation. Every functionality within the CIS comes back to improving patient care and outcomes.

Refresh your knowledge about the OPOR-CIS, including key features such as Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE), Barcode Medication Administration (BCMA), and more, in the latest OPOR Monthly Update.

Provincial OPOR Virtual Town Hall – February 26: Register Now!

Register now for the second Provincial OPOR Virtual Town Hall happening Wednesday, February 26, 2025, from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Meeting topics include:

• OPOR Program updates
• A clinical information system (CIS) demonstration - Digital Documentation: PICC Care
• Q&A with OPOR Program leadership

The new Provincial OPOR Virtual Town Halls provide a platform for all IWK Health and Nova Scotia Health physicians, clinicians, and employees to stay informed, share insights, and collaborate as we move through this transformative journey together. 



Missed the January Provincial OPOR Town Hall? Not to worry, you can catch up anytime! All Provincial Town Hall meetings are recorded and posted to the OPOR Hub (must be on the IWK Health or Nova Scotia Health network to access) so you can watch at your convenience. 

Learn more and register now!

Nova Scotia is on an exciting journey to modernize and improve Diagnostic Imaging (DI) referrals, with the goal of providing better care and services for Nova Scotians.

We are excited to share that planning has begun for a Diagnostic Imaging central intake office that will support these requests provincially, bringing an innovative, patient-centered approach to DI referral management.

A key part of our overall transformation efforts, this provincial multidisciplinary team will launch this summer/fall and build upon our electronic referral initiative.

Think of it like a checkout line at the grocery store – but for DI referrals. Instead of patients and providers picking DI locations (checkout lanes) with varying wait times, patients join a single provincial queue and referrals will be directed based on factors like priority, type of imaging requested, and patients' travel preferences.

Learn more here:

• Diagnostic Imaging central intake office
• NEW Diagnostic Imaging Transformation TOP 3:
• Issue # 1
• Subscribe for ongoing updates.

Highlights of Trauma-Informed Care & Well-being



• Speaker: Tonya Grant, Clinical Project Lead
• Date/Time: February 26th, 2-4:30 PM
• Location: Virtual (Zoom)

Join Tonya Grant, MSW, RSW, Provincial Clinical Lead for Trauma-Informed Care, for a 2.5-hour interactive session designed to enhance your understanding of Trauma-Informed Care (TIC).

What You’ll Learn:

• The critical role of trauma awareness in healthcare and people-serving organizations.
• Core principles and practical approaches to Trauma-Informed Care (TIC).
• Strategies to navigate and thrive in stress and trauma-exposed environments.
• How to access and utilize TIC resources effectively.
• Insights from an experienced leader on creating trauma-responsive environments.

Register Here. Note: this presentation will not be recorded.

About the Speaker:

Tonya Grant, MSW, RSW, is the IWK Provincial Clinical Lead for Trauma-Informed Care working with IWK/NSH Child/Youth Mental Health & Addictions program. Tonya has over 25 years of experience in the health and family services field, specializing in Child/Youth Mental Health & Addictions, Family Therapy, Clinical Supervision, and Leadership.

This presentation is part of Medical Affairs' seminar series, "Leadership in Focus: Empowering Physicians as Change Leaders in Medicine." As our healthcare system continues to evolve, these seminars offer a chance for Physicians to gain practical tools and actionable strategies to lead with confidence. Each session will focus on timely topics to help you navigate change, drive health transformation, and make a meaningful impact in your role as a healthcare leader.

1-833-876-1724

If you're a physician seeking support for your practice or wishing to provide feedback, please reach out to our hotline. Our dedicated team is ready to assist you.

In the event we're engaged in another call, rest assured your voice message will be promptly addressed within one business day. Your concerns will be directed to the Medical Affairs team and our health system partners for resolution.

Our task force is committed to returning calls and scheduling meetings with practices at mutually convenient times.

Wellness resources for physicians have been migrated to an actively monitored page on the Physician Information Portal. You can access it here.

If you have an item to submit, please reply to this newsletter.