In This Issue COVID-19 Overdose Prevention and Response Other Organizational News Wellness and More
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July 13, 2021 In this issue COVID-19 Overdose prevention and response Other organizational news Wellness and more COVID-19 NH’s COVID-19 resources • On the NH physician website: • COVID-19 information and resources • On OurNH: • COVID-19 (Coronavirus) • Pandemic Recovery Toolkit COVID-19 case counts and statements Visit the new COVID-19 surveillance dashboard from the BCCDC, to see graphs, maps, and data showing COVID-19 case rates, test positivity and vaccination coverage by local health area (LHA) and community health service area (CHSA). As of July 12, 7,803 cases have been reported in the NH region since the beginning of the pandemic. • Cases currently active: 30 • New cases: 0 • Currently in hospital: 1 o Currently in ICU level care in hospital: 2 • Deaths in the NH region since the beginning of the pandemic: 157 For the latest provincial numbers, see the BC COVID-19 dashboard, which is updated Monday-Friday. The dashboard may not work in all browsers; Chrome is suggested. Page 1 of 6 Medical Staff Digest July 13, 2021 As well, for a visual comparison of COVID-19 cases in BC by HSDA to other Canadian and global jurisdictions, see the COVID-19 Epidemiology app. It’s updated on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. • Joint statement on Province of B.C.'s COVID-19 response – July 2, 2021 • BCCDC Situation Report – July 7, 2021 Northern Health Virtual Clinic: Data on patient visits The Northern Health Virtual Clinic supports after hours access to COVID-19 and primary care services for those who cannot easily access these services in their communities. The goal is to connect people to their local primary care home wherever possible. Monday, July 5 • 47 nursing assessments • 42 primary care provider appointments from Chetwynd, Dawson Creek, Fort St. John, Kitimat, Prince George, Prince Rupert, Telkwa, Terrace, Courtenay, Wells, Pouce Coupe, Mackenzie, Tumbler Ridge, Houston, Bear Lake, and Moberly Lake Tuesday, July 6 • 45 nursing assessments • 35 primary care provider appointments from Chetwynd, Dawson Creek, Fort St. John, Hudson’s Hope, Kitimat, Mackenzie, Prince Rupert, Quesnel, Terrace, Edson (AB), Burns Lake, Houston, Sandspit, Prince George, Rose Praire, Thornhill, and Quesnel Wednesday, July 7 • 62 nursing assessments • 42 primary care provider appointments from Dawson Creek, Kimberly, Charlie Lake, Houston, Mackenzie, Prince George, Prince Rupert, Quesnel, Thornhill, Terrace, Edmonton (AB), Falkland, Fort St. John, Pouce Coupe, Quebec City, and Telkwa Thursday, July 8 • 42 nursing assessments • 42 primary care provider appointments from Chetwynd, Dawson Creek, Fort St. John, Prince George, Prince Rupert, Quesnel, Mackenzie, Fort Saskatchewan (AB), Terrace, Grimshaw (AB), Queen Charlotte, Hudson’s Hope, Rolla, Moberly Lake, and Charlie Lake Friday, July 9 • 55 nursing assessments • 36 primary care provider appointments from Fort St. John, Prince George, Mackenzie, Terrace, Chetwynd, Moberly Lake, Dawson Creek, Smithers, Prince Rupert, Thornhill, and Hudson’s Hope Saturday, July 10 • 29 nursing assessments Page 2 of 6 Medical Staff Digest July 13, 2021 • 23 primary care provider appointments from Fort St. John, Prince George, Chetwynd, Dawson Creek, Terrace, Prince Rupert, Moberly Lake, New Hazelton, Quesnel, Whitehorse, and Laxkw'alaams Sunday, July 11 • 25 nursing assessments • 11 primary care provider appointments from Prince George, Fort St. John, Airdrie (AB), Fort Nelson, Terrace, Rolla, Sylan Lake, and Dawson Creek Trusted links and resources for COVID-19 • BC Centre for Disease Control • HealthLink BC COVID-19 page • WHO FAQ • Health Canada FAQ • COVID-19 content in other languages • WorkSafe BC - COVID-19 information and resources • Northern Health Virtual Primary and Community Care Clinic: 1-844-645-7811 • Northern Health Environmental Health Officer Line: 1-250-565-7322 • Non-medical info: call 1-888-COVID19 / 1-888-268-4319 7 days, 7:30 am - 8 pm For current information on restrictions on travel, gatherings and other issues, see the Provincial Health Officer’s COVID-19 webpage. Overdose prevention and response Take Home Naloxone and the effects of extreme heat Elevated temperatures like those of British Columbia's recent record-breaking heat wave present a threat to expandable goods such as Naloxone. Naloxone can become less potent and ultimately spoil if exposed to extreme heat. The following information addresses frequently asked questions related to Naloxone and Temperature: How should naloxone be stored? Naloxone is recommended to be stored at “controlled room temperature” between 15°C- 30°C and to be kept in a dark place (away from light). What happens if naloxone is exposed to heat? Naloxone can be kept at 25°C without concern. Temperatures at 30°C, especially during the shipping process, are also acceptable as long as the average temperature does not exceed 25°C. Temporary spikes up to 40°C are permitted as long as they do not exceed 24 hours. Advice to individuals: during hot weather avoid leaving your naloxone in a car for an extended period of time. What do I do if my naloxone kit gets too hot? Research has shown naloxone can be safely used after hot and cold stresses. Drug temperatures beyond the manufacturers recommended storage ranges do not affect the Page 3 of 6 Medical Staff Digest July 13, 2021 chemical structure of naloxone. However, if the naloxone is repeatedly outside the recommended temperature range, we advise going to a THN site and replacing the ampoules. The replacement process for expired naloxone should be followed for more details see http://towardtheheart.com If the only naloxone available is known to have been outside recommended temperatures (or is past its expiry date) use it. It may not be as effective but Do Not Delay and wait for additional help to arrive. If someone is having an opioid overdose they need naloxone as soon as possible. Other organizational news Provincial Health Services Authority Communique – BC Coroner Service The BC Coroners Service has issued a reminder to acute care facilities and staff that all reports of deaths to the BC Coroners Service should be made via the following number: 1-855-207-0637. Please review site protocols regarding reporting deaths to the BC Coroners Service to ensure they accurately reflect the phone number above. Surgical patient optimization project update! Calling for physicians for ongoing support Since 2019, Northern Health has been part of an exciting new pre-habilitation project led by the Doctors of BC’s Specialist Services Committee (SSC), in partnership with the Shared Care Committee (SCC), the General Practitioners Services Committee (GPSC), and health authorities. Fourteen hospitals across the province are participating in the Surgical Patient Optimization Collaborative (SPOC). In Northern Health, there are two pilot sites: Prince Rupert Regional Hospital (PRRH) and the University Hospital of Northern British Columbia (UHNBC) in Prince George. The main aim of the project is to help patients optimize their health prior to surgery and to improve health outcomes after surgery. Background The teams plan to accomplish this by considering many components of patient optimization, specifically: glycemic control, smoking cessation, social supports, frailty, physical activity, anemia, cardiac dsease, pain, sleep apnea, alcohol/drug anxiety, and nutrition. DVT prophylaxis was initially a designated optimization component but has been removed. At UHNBC, initial focus comprised four components: glycemic control, smoking cessation, social supports, and frailty and the target populations were patients undergoing urologic and gynecologic surgeries. UHNBC has since expanded to all other pathways as well as broadened their target population to include general and orthopedic surgeries. At PRRH, the initial focus was on social supports, anemia, and sleep apnea. PRRH is a surgical site with three surgeons, therefore all elective general surgeries, obstetric and Page 4 of 6 Medical Staff Digest July 13, 2021 gynecologic, and orthopedic procedures requiring anesthesia were screened. PRRH plans to add glycemic control, smoking cessation, and nutrition to their pre-habilitation portfolio in the fall of 2021. SPOC continues to capture process measures data at UHNBC, and process and outcomes measures data elsewhere for surgical patients undergoing major elective surgeries. The data collected will be used for the development of a long-term pre-surgical screening optimization program in Northern Health, and will contribute to further quality improvement initiatives in BC’s surgical programs. Physician Involvement Your participation is vital to the success of this program and to our collective ability to provide excellent care to surgical patients in our health authority. The Pre-Surgical Optimization Nurse at your site may connect with you or your office via referrals to request your involvement with the medical management of the patients involved in the optimization process. Additionally, members of the SPOC team may be contacting you or your office staff to retrieve information on the surgical patients. Updated SPOC poster for distribution For more information, visit the Surgical Patient Optimization Collaborative website or the pre-surgical optimization page on OurNH. If you have any question, please contact: [email protected]. Get the latest research and knowledge translation highlights! The research and knowledge translation newsletter is now available The new research and knowledge translation newsletter highlights knowledge translation