News

OPH Accredited CME: 2019 Suggestions Welcome, 2018 Highlights

Ottawa Public Health will be hosting our 2nd annual accredited CME event in Fall 2019, in partnership with the University of Ottawa’s Office on Continuing Professional Development. We would like to hear your suggestions for topics and speakers.

You may also consider joining the planning committee, which is largely consultative. The commitment involves 2-3 short meetings for which you can call-in or join in person at our 100 Constellation Crescent location.

Looking back on our first annual CME event...

Troubleshooting Immunization visits : Common Scenarios

Troubleshooting Immunization visits

Do you have patients coming in because of Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) suspension notices, but your records have them as up to date?

While we encourage parents to call OPH if they are unsure why they have received a suspension notice, patients may arrive at your office without calling us first.

Here are some common scenarios:

• Your records show that the child is up to date for age, but the parents received a suspension notice. This is likely because...

Influenza season predicted to peak between late December and mid-January

To: Ottawa Healthcare ProvidersFrom: Dr. Geneviève Cadieux, Associate Medical Officer of HealthSubject: Influenza season predicted to peak between late December and mid-January

2018-2019 influenza season predicted to peak between late December and mid-January

• Current influenza surveillance data, combined with experience from past years, indicates that influenza activity will peak between late December and mid January.
• Peak influenza activity is typically associated with increased demand for...

Free Exercise Program for Older Adults to Prevent Falls

Better Strength, Better Balance! is a beginner level fall prevention exercise and education program for people aged 65 years and older. Improving strength and balance helps reduce the risk of falling, which is one of the leading causes of injury among older adults. Patients must register to attend; first time participants are given priority. This program is funded by the Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) through the Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre. It is a...

Hepatitis C Point of Care Tests Now available in Ontario! How To Report Positive Results to OPH

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody point of care (POC) tests are now available for rapid, in-office detection of HCV antibodies. HCV POC tests may be beneficial to high-risk and hard to reach patients as the tests can be used in medical or non-medical settings and provide a result in 20-40 minutes.

Patients receiving an HCV POC rapid test could benefit from pre and post-test counselling including the meaning of the Hepatitis C test result and the follow-up testing required, the disease process and...