2023 Agenda

Many factors affect the health of a population. This session will examine global influences on the health of all populations as seen through the geopolitical lens of the last twenty years.

Health transformation for Indigenous peoples in Northern Ontario requires more than the transformed systems of healthcare delivery; it requires transformed health professions education.

Queen’s Health Sciences and the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority have partnered with the MasterCard Foundation to co-create a new, interprofessional model of health professions education, one where training is situated in community, for community, and led by health professionals from community.

The Rapid Access Addictions Medicine (RAAM) teams supports the Thunder Bay clinic, the City of Thunder Bay and Fort William First Nation. Additionally, they support the Greenstone clinic, which in turn supports Longlac, Geraldton, Long Lake 58 First Nation and Ginoogaming First Nation.

Each RAAM support team consists of RNs, NP/MDs, social workers and peer support workers.

Key Session Takeaways Include:

• Why was the partnership created and how was it developed
• What is RAAM, how did the team work together to engage the communities, including First Nations communities
• What mental health and addictions successes have been realized to date, and what are the next steps

With the flow of health information growing and becoming more digital, properly protect that information when in your custody is vital. Almost every provider out there uses an electronic medical record or similar platform to store and manage client/patient information. Many of you have resorted to cloud-based platforms and the general trend is moving in that direction for everyone.

Regardless of where or how information is stored, or the size of the organization, it is important to understand that the user is the weakest link when it comes to cyber security. Hackers have long realized that it is much easier to hack the user than to hack a system.

Providing cyber security awareness training for staff is an absolute must and is likely the cheapest and easiest to introduce safeguard for protecting the sensitive information healthcare providers hold.

In this session, Simeon Kanev, Privacy Officer and Business Lead of the Alliance for Healthier Communities will share his experience in addressing this need with over 100+ member organizations of the Alliance. The emphasis will fall on doing this for organizations that have limited funding for any cyber security initiatives and creative ways of addressing this not-so-exciting topic with staff.

Key session takeaways:

• Addressing cyber security awareness (or cyber hygiene) with front line staff
• Using different approaches to keep retention for longer
• Providing relevant examples and interactivity can make a training session that much more memorable

Land-based programming offers an important avenue through which to support the reconnection of Indigenous Peoples with the land, their culture, and with cultural approaches to healing and wellness. This type of programming offers a unique to integrate land-based activities with wholistic healing and wellness services to provide physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual benefits for participants.  

The Mamaway Wiidokdaadwin Indigenous Interprofessional Primary Care Team, part of the Barrie Area Native Advisory Circle, is implementing land-based programming as a central part of primary care services in the Simcoe Muskoka region. In addition to land-based activities, cultural gatherings and camps, and life promotion initiatives, Mamaway Wiidokdaadwin has been developing an effective Horse Support Wellness Program (HSWP). Participants in this presentation will come away with a deeper understanding of the potential of land-based programming in a community setting, as well as practical information about implementing HSWP programs.

Key Session Takeaways Include:

• Program Implementation: How did the program begin and how is it being developed; what are some key results so far
• Facilitators of Connection: How the program supports access for urban Indigenous clients to reconnect with the land and their culture
• Relationships are Medicine: How land-based programming helps with trauma recovery – and why are horses supported wellness programs are especially supportive
• Wholistic Care: How land-based programming and HSWP make up a foundational part of wholistic primary care

All hospital staff should understand what to do when an emergency occurs. And although there are various codes to denote emergencies, the response is quite similar. Understanding this response, can help you perform well under pressure, and be a vital part of the response.

Key Session Takeaways Include:

• What is an IMS and why is this model the gold standard in hospital emergency response
• What are the main critical components of an IMS, regardless of scale or complexity of the situation
• Practical examples of some of the case studies where it has been deployed, and some of the lessons learned

To support all residents of Renfrew County, a community-based, hybrid model of in-person and virtual care was launched in March 2020. This innovative initiative has improved equity in access to traditionally underserved populations.

VTAC combines virtual care with in-person care, care from family physicians with care from paramedics, and care at home with care in clinical assessment centres.

Key Session Takeaways Include:

• How was the system was introduced, promoted, and evaluated
• How did the hybrid model perform, from emergency department visits to healthcare costs
• How was the primary care role integrated, and what were patients’ responses to the hybrid model
• What are the next steps for the program, and how and where will it be expanded
• What are the lessons learned over the past couple of years

Collaborative care and integrated care have become the preferred model for healthcare providers across Canada, with the goal of improving patient outcomes and experiences.

North Bay Regional Health Centre has experienced some success in this area, and continues to branch out, integrate, and innovate to provide the right care to the right patient at the right time.

Key Session Takeaways Include:

• Why we need to focus on growth with a critical thinking lens to build better collaborative care
• The importance of process improvement philosophy and working through problems
• Speeding up the decision-making process to build good will in the community
• Some of the positives and drawbacks and how to approach them to ensure long-term success

From cancer treatments to complex surgeries and even some outpatient treatments, many health services are only delivered at large urban hospitals. Patients from rural areas travel, sometimes great distances, to receive these treatments. But what happens when they return home to their rural communities? How do patients view these transitions?

Patient and Community Engagement Research (PaCER) is a novel approach to patient and family engagement in which individuals with lived experience receive formal training in patient-engaged health research methods. Supported by Alberta Health Services Strategic Clinical Networks, collaborative research was conducted by, with and for patients in Alberta on their transitions from urban hospitals back to their rural homes, including, in some cases, follow up care.

Key Session Takeaways Include:

• What matters most to patients in their transitions from urban hospital to their rural community
• What were the 4 key gaps identified by patients in the research
• What three themes emerged from the research
• What are 4 solutions could ease these gaps and improve patient experience and outcomes

Rural and northern health care providers are focused on providing the highest quality of care to all their patients. Yet there are multiple challenges due to available resources as well as cultural considerations and geographic distances.

Delve into some key insights on how to improve the indigenous patients experience with the with respect to cancer screen, treatment, and health outcomes.

Key Session Takeaways include:

• Best practices with engaging Indigenous Patients and being sensitive to traditional healing methods
• How to effectively engage with Indigenous Patients and Elders
• How to discuss screening of various cancers, differ treatment options, and outcomes, while being culturally sensitive

We know from research that as distance to health services increase, we see a corresponding decrease in use of those services. Distance to much needed services can be a contributing factor in deciding to seek treatment, in part because of the extra costs incurred on patients and their families.

As services become more centralized, as a cost concern, added costs are passed onto the patient in terms of travel. And although Provinces provide some reimbursement, it varies greatly across the country. How then, should Provinces respond to provide equal access to care for rural and northern residents?

Key Session Takeaways Include:

• How provincial travel subsidies are provided for rural patients
• The beneficial role of technology in building access to care
• Alternative needs-based models to access subsidies
• How subsidies improve access to care – and healthcare outcomes