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This week’s Vitals is 1,271 words or a 4.5 minute read. If you only have 1 minute, here are the highlights:
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Prepare for Possible Dynacare Strike Tuesday: New guidance is available for physicians on how to adapt lab-ordering in anticipation of a possible closure of Dynacare labs starting Tuesday. We raised concerns about the potential strike, including how patients will be impacted, and we hope the strike can be averted. We will be monitoring closely over the weekend and posting updates if there are any.
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Dauphin ER Re-opening Monday: The facility will use temporary power, water and other infrastructure while restoration work continues in other areas of the hospital. The efforts follow recommendations from physicians that have had a direct impact on the re-opening.
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Sick Notes Limits Start October 1: In the coming weeks, we’ll send packages to clinics with posters and other materials you can use to prepare patients and help change employer practices.
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Respiratory Illness Season Webinar: We’re hosting a webinar with Public Health on September 10 to provide you with forecasts and updates for the upcoming season. Register here.
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| 🏈 Don’t forget, your Doctors Manitoba annual membership fee is due by September 30, but it pays to renew early! If you submit your payment by September 9, you will be entered to win two tickets to see the Blue Bombers in the Banjo Bowl on September 12! Renew today! | | | | |
Prepare for a Possible Dynacare Strike Tuesday
All Dynacare labs may close starting this Tuesday, September 8, if a lab worker strike goes ahead.
📢 Stay up to date: We are monitoring this situation closely and will post updates over the weekend on this Dynacare Strike Watch page and on social media.
🚨 Effective immediately: New lab-ordering guidelines are available to help for both non-urgent and time-sensitive testing.
- Prioritize testing that cannot safely be delayed and redirect patients to labs that will remain open. Do not send patients to the ER.
- Defer non-urgent, lower-risk testing for approximately two weeks or when it is deemed medically safe to do so based on clinical assessment. This could mean still providing a requisition, but with clear instructions to the patient about the possible closures.
Read our full coverage, including the full Shared Health guidelines.
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Dauphin ER Re-opening Monday
A new temporary ER will open on Monday in Dauphin as the hospital remains closed after severe flooding earlier this summer.
What's happening: While most hospital services remain closed and temporarily offered in nearby communities, physicians identified basic testing and the ER as top priorities for restoration in Dauphin, even in some interim manner.
- The facility will use temporary power, water and other infrastructure while restoration work continues in other areas of the hospital.
- Crews have been at work inside and outside the hospital to ensure the target opening date is reached.
- The temporary outpatient assessment clinic in the Dauphin Community Health Services building will remain open.
Premier Wab Kinew said the government’s efforts follow advice from doctors, and that physicians’ “wish is our command.” These efforts follow a Doctors Manitoba report submitted following the closure, based on feedback from physicians in the region.
Thank you. To the many dedicated physicians in Dauphin and across the entire region who have been working under very challenging circumstances, we extend our deepest gratitude for your tireless efforts and advocacy on behalf of your patients to ensure safe care and swift restoration of services. Thank you.
For more details, visit Prairie Mountain Health’s Staff Update page.
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Sick Notes Limits Start October 1
It’s official! Starting October 1, Manitoba employers will no longer be permitted to ask workers for a sick note simply to verify most short-term absences, which means fewer appointments that take time away from patients who need medical care.
📬 Watch your mail and email: In the coming weeks, we’ll send packages to clinics with posters and other materials you can use to prepare patients and help change employer practices.
Read our full coverage.
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Get Ready for Respiratory Illness Season
Join Doctors Manitoba and Manitoba Public Health for a practical lunchtime webinar covering the respiratory season outlook, influenza and COVID-19 immunization programs, vaccine ordering and distribution, clinical updates, billing information, and more.
🗓️ September 10, noon to 1 p.m.
👩🏻💻 The session will feature Dr. Brent Roussin, Dr. Davinder Singh, Dr. Natalie Casaclang, and other public health experts, with time for questions and answers. Physicians, clinic managers, and staff are welcome. If you can't attend live, a recording will be available.
Register today.
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Backpacks On, Futures Ahead
After receiving their first white coats at a ceremony in Winnipeg, now comes the other rite of passage for medical students: the backpack.
🩺 For more than 25 years, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) and provincial medical associations have handed every incoming Canadian medical student the same colorful backpack.
🎒Backpack Day marks who’s just starting out, it links this year’s class to every class before it, and around campus, it’s a walking hello to a stranger who’s about to become a colleague.
We were there! Read our full coverage, including a special story about how Backpack Day played a significant role in why Doctors Manitoba President Dr. Alon Altman chose to practice here.
| | SPECIALTY FOCUS - UROLOGY | | |
Behind every referral for a urologic concern may be a bigger health story.
Why it matters: Manitoba urologists Dr. Premal Patel and Dr. Sabeer Rehsia say demand is growing, workforce pressures are mounting, and new models of care are needed to keep pace.
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What you'll learn: Practical insights for physicians across specialties, including opportunities for earlier intervention, better referrals, and more effective patient care.
Read more: Read the full story in the latest issue of Rounds here.
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Are You Missing Thousands in SR&ED Tax Credits?
Find out at our upcoming SR&ED webinar on October 8th.
Doctors Manitoba members are invited to learn how incorporated physicians may qualify for $25,000–$200,000 in annual SR&ED tax refunds for eligible medical studies, research, and other qualifying activities.
Bond Consulting Group will explain what qualifies, how physicians can identify eligible work, and how to determine whether your corporation may have money to recover —including from previous years.
📅 Thursday, October 8, 2026
🕒 7 p.m. CDT
Register today and discover whether your practice qualifies.
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Possible Hepatitis A Exposure in Winnipeg
Manitoba Health is notifying the public of a possible recent exposure of hepatitis A at East Gate Inn Beer Vendor and Bar (Kyoto Kat Club) on Westminster Ave. in Winnipeg.
If you have a patient who was in contact with someone infected with hepatitis A within the past 14 days, they may be eligible for a free vaccine.
View vaccine eligibility criteria for the outbreak here.
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RF Testing at HSC Resumes
Shared Health advises the temporary service interruption for Rheumatoid Factor (RF) testing at the Health Sciences Centre Immunology Laboratory has been resolved. This interruption was due to an issue affecting the test kit manufacturing process which has been corrected by the vendor.
Read the memo to health care providers.
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Last Call for SummerToba!
There’s still time to take part in the Getting Healthy SummerToba Challenge. Members are eligible to make a pledge and enter to win $2,500 in free groceries.
☀️ Don’t miss your chance to participate before the challenge wraps up on September 7! Enter here! And encourage your patients to join too!
One more reason to head outdoors: Manitoba is offering free entry to provincial parks over the Labour Day long weekend, making it the perfect time for a hike, paddle, or family outing.
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Physician Health and Wellness Resources
Transitions can be challenging, whether they're personal or professional. If you're starting a new role in medical school or residency, facing a professional transition, or navigating a life change, Doctors Manitoba is here to help. Visit Doc360 for wellbeing information and supports for you and your family members.
For further opportunities to connect:
We’re here to help! If you have any questions, please reach out to us at via the online intake form or call us at 204−237−8320 or 844−433−3762 (toll free).
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We’re Hiring an Advocacy and Issues Manager!
Doctors Manitoba is strengthening the way we press for the changes you need by hiring an Advocacy and Issues Manager. This new role will be wholly dedicated to identifying emerging issues affecting physicians, developing advocacy strategies, building relationships with key partners, and working collaboratively with you to influence positive change across Manitoba’s health system.
Check out the job description and share!
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Doctors Manitoba’s job board has 4 new practice opportunities for physicians at many locations, including Sunshine Medical Clinics, Sunshine Medical + Rossmere Medical, Portage Clinic, and Klinic Community Health Centre, along with dozens more opportunities previously listed. Check it out!
Placing a job ad on our site is free – add one here.
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Here are the most-read and important recent stories, in case you missed them:
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Renew Membership & Create Your DocDir Profile: Our new Doctor Directory (DocDir) will launch later this fall, making it easier for physicians to find the right colleagues for referrals and consultations! Create your profile when you renew your membership. Renew today! (Portal log-in required)
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Your feedback is requested! Shared Health’s ECHO team is conducting a learning needs assessment until September 11. Learn more.
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Enhancements to eConsult: The current Store and Forward and BASE eConsult services will be consolidated into a single platform, eConsultCX, accessible through an upgraded, cloud-based iScheduler system. Check out last week’s newsletter!
| | We feature events planned by Doctors Manitoba, as well as other events submitted by the medical community to share and connect with their peers. | | |
30th Annual Bug Day 2026, October 22, 7:55 a.m. - 4 p.m. Virtual. Join the 30th Annual Bug Day, a free, virtual, fully accredited continuing professional development event hosted by Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg in collaboration with the University of Manitoba CPD Medicine Program. Hear from leading experts on infectious diseases, public health, and communicable disease prevention. Important: To receive continuing professional credits for attending the daylong program.
Learn more and view the agenda.
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Lipedema Canada Conference (LipCanCon) 2026, September 10 – 12, Winnipeg. This inaugural event will feature leading research, hands-on clinical learning, and collaborative discussions aimed at advancing lipedema care and shaping the future of healthcare in Canada. Learn more and register today!
Dignity in Care Online Training 2026, September 11, 18, and 25, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Virtual. Designed to enhance the human side of healthcare, this 3 day workshop focuses on the role and application of dignity in all aspects of clinical practice. Learn more and register.
3rd Annual Paul Wawryko Memorial Run, September 19, 6 p.m., Winnipeg. Since 2024, this event has raised over $38,000 for Biome Conservation and approximately $50,000 for the Paul Wawryko Memorial Scholarship. Learn more and register.
Advancing Indigenous Mental Health and Addictions Care September 24, Virtual This Shared Health webinar will highlight how Indigenous-led, relationship-based approaches are supporting culturally safe care, system navigation, advocacy, care coordination, discharge planning, and stronger connections between Mental Health and Addictions services, First Nations communities, and Indigenous service providers across Manitoba. Learn more and register today!
AHE-MB (Advances in Hematology) 2026, September 26, 8:15 – 12 p.m., Victoria Inn Hotel & Conference Centre in Winnipeg. This inaugural meeting will provide practical, evidence-based updates on rapidly evolving areas of malignant hematology, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia, multiple myeloma, aggressive lymphomas, and bispecific antibodies. Learn more and register.
63rd Annual Manitoba Orthopaedic Symposium, October 2, St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg. The topics are designed to appeal to a broad audience and to include all aspects of non-operative and operative musculoskeletal care and rehabilitation. Learn more and register.
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We are here to support the whole physician.
Every step of the way.
Your health & well-being are important to us.
Visit DRMB.ca/HELP to connect to support services or call 1.844.433.3762
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For all other support, including benefits and insurance support,
career resources or practice advice please
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