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As physicians, we understand the importance of providing safe and inclusive spaces for care. Discrimination, in any form, has no place at the bedside, in our clinics or across Nova Scotia's healthcare landscape.
June is Pride Month, marking the 1969 Stonewall Uprising – a pivotal moment in the fight for 2SLGBTQIA+ rights and liberation. Nova Scotia Health proudly stands alongside 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. We recognize and honour Two-Spirit people, whose identities and roles have long been connected to culture, community and spirituality within Indigenous communities.
Throughout Pride Season (June to September), we’ll be sharing stories from physicians and staff in the Pride community, highlighting supports and services, and showcasing community programs and partnerships that support 2SLGBTQIA+ well-being and connection.
Through our words and actions, we'll demonstrate to all physicians, staff, patients, volunteers and communities who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ that you belong here and you matter.
Learn more about prideHealth at Nova Scotia Health.
| | Upcoming Change: Accessing Lab Test Results Earlier in YHNS | | |
Starting June 25, 2026, any laboratory test results available within the YourHealthNS (YHNS) will be accessible to patients 24 hours after results have been verified by the laboratory (replacing the current 7-day delay).
This means that any results that were verified before June 25 and have been held for more than 24 hours will be released. For example, if the lab verified a person’s blood test result on June 20, it would be released on June 25.
Read the full memo and access supporting resources here.
| | One Person One Record (OPOR) Program Updates | | |
OPOR updates at a glance:
- Wave Two physicians encouraged to keep up-to-date on the OPOR Hub
- Wave Three training information coming soon; get ready by familiarizing yourself with existing resources
- Key reminders: diet and nutrition orders
- New Tip Sheets, Change Notifications and Job Aids now available
Note: Active network credentials for Nova Scotia Health or IWK Health are required to access links above and below, unless otherwise indicated. More information beneath.
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Wave Two Reminders
Wave Two physicians are encouraged to visit the OPOR Hub regularly for the latest Tip Sheets, Job Aids and Change Notifications to support your use of the new system.
For Wave Two physicians requiring post-hyperphase training, please visit the OPOR Hub’s Training Registration Portal to view required courses by role.
Wave Three Reminders
CIS implementation for Wave Three will take place on Saturday, November 14 across Eastern, Northern and Western Zones. Information about training for Wave Three will be shared soon; now is a great time to become familiar with OPOR resources and learn more about the CIS. Visit the OPOR Hub, including Provider Corner, to explore:
Key reminders: Diet and nutrition orders
To support safe and efficient patient care, please keep the following diet and nutrition order practices in mind:
- Do not bypass diet-ordering alerts in the CIS.
- Promptly sign Registered Dietitian (RD) orders that require provider approval.
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Avoid duplicate diet orders.
For additional guidance, refer to these Job Aids: Nutrition & Diet Orders and NPO Diet Orders.
New Tip Sheets, Job Aids and Change Notifications
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How providers can select another provider in the CIS: Selecting the correct provider in the CIS is essential to ensure critical documentation, reports and test results are routed accurately. A new Tip Sheet outlines how to choose the appropriate provider.
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Accidental Discharges: Once a patient is discharged from the CIS, orders and documentation can no longer be entered against that encounter. This can create potential delays in care and patient safety risks. For more information, review the Change Notification, Tip Sheet and Job Aid.
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For Emergency Department physicians:
Updates have been made to the Emergency Department (ED) physician Message Centre to align functionality between FirstNet and PowerChart. Review the Change Notification.
Updates have also been made to orthostatic vitals which will be on view by default in ED iView bands. Review the Change Notification.
Updates have also been made to the Length of Stay (LOS) column, which will be moved to the CTAS Score column. Review the Change Notification.
An update has also been made involving the addition of the musculoskeletal (MSK) injury location to the MSK Assessment section in the Assessment mPage. Review the Change Notification.
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For Women’s Health physicians: Changes have been made involving the addition of ‘full’ alpha response to Fontanelle Descriptions for both Anterior and Posterior. Review the Change Notification.
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For all Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) providers: Instead of having multiple IVIG product orders (e.g. dermatology, hematology, etc.) there is now one single order in the CIS. Review the Change Notification.
Note: Active network credentials for Nova Scotia Health or IWK Health are required to access links above, unless otherwise indicated.
| | Sutherland Harris Memorial Hospital Added to Health Beyond Hospital Pilot | | |
Sutherland Harris Memorial Hospital in Pictou is the latest site added to the Health Beyond Hospital (HBH) pilot, effective June 1. This is the first restorative care site that has implemented the pathways and workflows of HBH. Building on lessons learned from pilots at Aberdeen Hospital, Halifax Infirmary and West Bedford Transitional Health, the Sutherland Harris pilot aims to improve how patients transition from hospital to the place they call home through standardized discharge pathways and stronger coordination between health and social care partners.
Thank you to the staff, physicians and teams who completed training and helped prepare for launch. Your work will support a smoother discharge experience for patients and families while helping ensure hospital resources are available for those who need acute care.
| | New SAFER-f Bullet Rounds Resources Added | | |
New Bullet Rounds resources have been added to the SAFER-f Library Guide under “Senior Review.” Bullet Rounds enable interdisciplinary teams to rapidly assess the progress of every patient in every bed and address any delays and barriers to treatment or discharge. These new resources are designed for physicians and clinical staff to use as references. New tools include:
- The SAFER-f Bullet Round video, “How to Have Effective Bullet Rounds,” shows how to conduct action-focused Bullet Rounds to facilitate discharging patients to the place they call home with supports.
- Bullet Rounds Standard Work Template outlines major steps and details to help interdisciplinary teams conduct efficient Bullet Rounds.
- The Bullet Round Audit Tool Guide is designed to assist with auditing Bullet Rounds to ensure efficiencies in reporting and discussion of key patient related details required to progress patients towards discharge.
| | Registration Opens June 17: CZ Quality Summit | | |
The Central Zone Quality Summit is taking place on Friday, October 2. Registration for this event opens Wednesday, June 17 at 8:00 a.m.!
Tickets will be available here.
Quality Summits are held annually across the province, bringing together employees, physicians and patient/family advisors to celebrate, inspire and learn from one another. These events showcase innovative quality improvement and patient safety initiatives that are making a meaningful difference in care across Nova Scotia.
CZ Quality Summit 2026 Storyboard Prep & Q&A Session
Storyboard presentations for oral and poster presentations in Central Zone are due July 17, 2026. Submit your storyboard through the QI Hub.
If you are considering submitting to the CZ Quality Summit 2026, or are already working on your storyboard, join one of two virtual, informal, audience-driven sessions. Whether you are exploring an idea, preparing your submission, or finalizing your presentation, these sessions offer an opportunity to ask questions and receive support. Sessions are offered on June 16 and June 24. Click on the date for more information and to register.
Reach out to CZQualitySummit@nshealth.ca for any questions.
| | NZ Quality Summit Highlights: June 10 | | |
What a great day in Springhill for the 2026 Northern Zone Quality Summit! With the sun shining outside and so many passionate people gathered inside, the day was filled with learning, connection and inspiration.☀️
Staff, physicians, leaders, and patient and family advisors came together at the Dr. Carson & Marion Murray Community Centre to share ideas, celebrate successes and showcase projects that are making a real difference in the care and services we provide.
One of the highlights of the day was recognizing the outstanding work being done across Northern Zone and the province to improve patient care, strengthen partnerships, and enhance the patient and family experience.
Congratulations to this year's award recipients and to everyone who presented their work.
🏆 Top Oral Presentation – Falls Friday: Quality Assurance Best Practices for Fall Risks – Sarah Wilkie, Director, Rehab, Ambulatory Care & Support Services, Colchester East Hants Health Centre
🏆 Top Poster Presentation – Enhancing Mental Health & Addictions Provincial Adolescent Outreach Services – Carly Taggart, Assistant Manager, Community Wellness and Support, Colchester East Hants Health Centre
🏆 People's Choice Award – Implementation of a Dietitian-Led Peri-Operative Nutrition Clinic in Elective General Surgery Patients at Colchester East Hants Health Centre – Ashley Manuel, Dietician, Clinical Nutrition and Dr. Ahmed Jad, General and Bariatric Surgeon, Colchester East Hants Health Centre
Thank you to everyone who attended, presented, volunteered, and helped make the summit such a success. Events like this remind us of the incredible talent, collaboration, and commitment to continuous improvement that exists across our health system.
| 2SLGBTQIA+ Affirming Care Conference: Recordings Now Available | |
Whether you joined us live, or are discovering it for the first time, you can now access recordings from all sessions of the 2026 2SLGBTQIA+ Affirming Care Conference.
Hosted by prideHealth in partnership with Nova Scotia Health and IWK Health, this year’s conference – Cultivating belonging: where authenticity thrives and allyship protects – brought together clinicians, researchers and advocates to share best practices, lived experiences and strategies for delivering culturally safe care to 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and communities.
View all recorded sessions here.
June is Pride Month in Nova Scotia and kicks off Pride season in Canada (June to September).
| Pop-Ups: QEII Halifax Infirmary Expansion Project and CZ Master Planning | |
Curious about the future of healthcare in the Central Zone? Stop by one of our upcoming information booths to learn more about the QEII Halifax Infirmary Expansion Project and Central Zone Master Planning. Members of the project team will be on hand to answer questions, share project updates, and provide a look at what's ahead for healthcare infrastructure.
Pop-ups will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the following locations:
- Thursday, June 18, and July 2 – Victoria General, Centennial Building main entrance (alcove near Victoria elevators)
- Thursday, July 16 and July 30 – Bayers Lake Community Outpatient Centre, across from Diagnostic Imaging and Eye Care
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Thursday, August 13, August 27 and September 10 – Halifax Infirmary, 2nd floor Summer Street foyer near the cafeteria
Everyone is welcome!
| Doctors Nova Scotia & CMA Achievement Award Winners | |
On June 5, Doctors Nova Scotia (DNS) and the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) honoured 10 physicians and one medical student for their exemplary achievement. Congratulations to this year's winners:
- Distinguished Service Award: Dr. Andrew Lynk
- Community Family Physician of the Year Award: Dr. Abir Hussein
- Community Specialist of the Year Award: Dr. Andrea Faryniuk
- Dr. William Grigor Award: Dr. Selene Etches
- Physician Health Promotion Award: Dr. Gaynor Watson-Creed
- Dr. Clement Ligoure Award: Dr. Jeannette Comeau
- Outstanding Resident Award: Dr. Marihan Farid, Internal Medicine
- Outstanding Medical Student Award: RJ Roggeveen, Class of 2027
- Doctors Nova Scotia Senior Membership Award: Dr. Lynn Johnston & Dr. Robert Merritt
- CMA Honorary Membership Award: Dr. Doug Sinclair
- Doctors Nova Scotia Senior Membership Award
Read more about the exceptional contributions of these deserving recipients. Bravo!
| AMS Physician Award Winners | | |
The inaugural Aberdeen Medical Staff Awards Gala took place on June 4, bringing colleagues together to celebrate the exceptional contributions and accomplishments of their peers. Congratulations to this year's award winners, who are having a tremendous impact on patients, learners and the community.
- HPC Welcoming Award: Dr. Whitney Lum
- Family Physician of the Year: Dr. Oseme Eriakha
- Rising Star in Medicine: Dr. Austyn Burkholder
- Community Champion: Dr. Deb Straub
- Innovation in Medicine: Dr. Andrew Neufeld
- Outstanding Preceptor: Dr. Doug Neal
- Specialist Award: Dr. Changulanda Joshi
- Lifelong Learning in Medicine: Dr. Mahsa Ghoreishi
Congratulations again and thank you for all that you do!
| | Dalhousie's Centre for Global Mental Health Conference: July 10 | | |
Dalhousie University invites you to join them virtually for the Centre for Global Mental Health’s first conference Mental Health Responses in a Changing World 2026: Innovative Responses to Humanitarian Emergencies.
Designed to engage a diverse, interdisciplinary audience, this conference will bring together practitioners, researchers, policymakers, students and community members. Through our keynote presentation, panel discussions and interactive breakout sessions, participants will explore innovative mental health responses and technological supports that strengthen community resilience across changing global contexts.
The conference will feature Professor Pamela Collins, Chair, Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health as its keynote speaker.
🗓 Date: July 10, 2026
🕚 Time: 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
💻 Location: Virtual (registration required)
Learn more and register here. Registration closes on July 8, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
Contact cgmh@dal.ca for any questions.
| | Physician Learning Opportunities | | |
AI in Medicine Webinar featuring Dr. Matthew Clarke
As we head into the summer months, now is a great time to catch up on some learning you may have missed.
"Beyond the Buzzword - A Practical Discussion of AI in Medicine," explores the fundamentals of AI and their real world application in medicine today—from enhancing diagnostic imaging to reducing administrative workloads. A recording of this presentation, featuring Dr. Matthew Clarke, an Emergency Physician and Associate Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO) for Nova Scotia Health and IWK Health, is available on the physician portal.
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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.
| | Physician Wellness Resources | | |
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.
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