Good morning, TeamUHN!
It is a pleasure to connect with you across care, research, and education through this weekly CEO update – all in service of A Healthier World.
Key reminders and updates
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This past Thursday was Canada Day. Recent events have highlighted the shameful and dark parts of Canada's nation-building process, and forced us all to face the difficult truth that Canada was built on the colonization of Indigenous peoples and land. I hope many took time for reflection on the historic and ongoing harm to Indigenous communities, which includes staggering healthcare inequity for Indigenous peoples. As healthcare providers, we must work to dismantle these barriers and work with Indigenous communities to provide the best care possible. We're committed to working with the Indigenous Health Program at UHN and Indigenous communities to advance Indigenous health equity at UHN and beyond. As this was a statutory holiday, I also want to thank all members of TeamUHN who worked in service of patients, colleagues, and the community.
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Expanded access for Essential Care Partners (ECPs) and visitors: As of June 30, and in alignment with Step 2 of the province of Ontario's reopening framework, UHN has expanded access for visitors across the organization. This is welcome news, and we are pleased that more of our patients can now have loved ones visit and offer support during difficult times. Full details of the changes to our
Visitor Policy are available here.
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Summer hiatus for UHN's Virtual Open Forum on COVID-19: Thank you for joining us last week for the 49th edition of UHN's Virtual Open Forum on COVID-19. If you weren't able to join live, the recording is available here. Given our COVID activity is currently stable, we are taking an extended break for the summer. Should our situation change in any way, we will revisit this.
What happened at the Executive COVID-19 IMS Table
In response to COVID-19, UHN activated its Executive COVID-19 IMS (Incident Management System) table. Membership includes our Executive Leadership Forum and other members of COVID-19 work streams. The group meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This is a snapshot of the discussion.
State of COVID-19 across the GTA
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Background: The number of COVID-19 cases in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), the number of active COVID-19 cases at UHN, and the fact that the outbreak on Toronto Western's 6A Fell unit is holding steady with no new cases, is very encouraging. Results from ongoing international studies looking at the mixing of vaccines, length of time that initial vaccination continues to protect recipients, and the overall rate of vaccination of eligible Torontonians and Canadians continue to be optimistic.
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Who presented? Susy Hota (Medical Director, Infection Prevention and Control)
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What do I need to know? As a result of the small number of active COVID-19 cases at our sites, UHN has closed its COVID units. To best serve the needs of patients, going forward, UHN will resume the placement of patients as per our
admissions policy, with some exceptions in the transplant and oncology programs. This means the primary reason for admission will guide the patient's placement and any COVID positive patients will be cared for on regular wards with appropriate precautions. Everyone is encouraged to continue with all public health measures and hospital policies regardless of being vaccinated.
Update on Vaccination Clinics at UHN, closing Vaccination Registries
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Background: UHN has been operating and supporting vaccination clinics since December of 2020. By July 9, all individuals who registered with UHN will have been offered second doses and the clinic at MaRS will cease operations. The clinic at the University of Toronto (UofT) will continue to run throughout the summer months. UHN will close its online Vaccination Registries as of July 7. Members of the public should be directed to the
provincial booking system for vaccination going forward.
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Who presented? Emily Musing (Vice President, Clinical; Chief Patient Safety Officer) and Tamara Dus (Director, Health Services)
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What do I need to know? New employees at UHN will be able to access COVID-19 vaccines through Health Services after July 9, for both their first dose and second dose.
Closing notes
UHN is currently hiring for the Joint Department of Medical Imaging (JDMI) and Laboratory Medicine Program (LMP). We are requesting your support and asking for employee referrals. For JDMI, we are looking for General Radiography, CT, MRI and Interventional Technologists, as well as Sonographers. For LMP we are looking for Medical Laboratory Technologists and Pathologist Assistants. Please share these job openings with any connections you have and send the contact information of interested individuals to Veronica Deally, (Sourcing Specialist).
July 5th is National Injury Prevention Day: Often preventable, unintentional injury is the number one cause of death for Canadians aged 1 to 34, and accounts for 75 per cent of all injury-related deaths. UHN has many programs focused on injury-prevention, fueled by top-tier-talent in the areas of research, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation.
- Toronto Rehab's 10-week Falls Prevention Program helps patients prevent falls – a leading cause of injury and hospitalization for seniors.
- At the KITE Research Institute, researchers are discovering the science behind falls to prevent injury and promote independence: working to make building codes safer, test the best winter boots on ice and help adults age safely in their own homes.
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Altum Health has been providing quality care for over 30 years in the areas of injury rehabilitation and prevention; serving over 5,000 clients each year across 11 clinic locations in southern Ontario. The dedicated team of allied health professionals guide recovery from injury through specialized programs for musculoskeletal injuries, concussion, mental health, medical rehabilitation, and work-focused rehabilitation, to not only empower clients in their recovery, but also help them avoid further injury wherever possible.
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Have a good week,
Kevin
