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Ontario Primary Care

COVID-19 Vaccination Action Council (PC-VAC)

Week of January 15, 2021

Purpose

To advocate for the voice of primary care and the need for primary care partnership in Ontario's COVID-19 vaccine distribution. To provide consistent, clear, accurate, and timely information to primary care professionals in Ontario.

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Ontario’s Academic Chairs of Family Practice

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About us

We are a coalition of primary care organizations representing 14,000 family doctors, 4,100 nurse practitioners, 220 primary care teams, 28 Indigenous primary care teams, including northern, rural, and remote teams. We are committed to partnering with government and health authorities to develop the infrastructure needed to ensure an efficient, equitable, and effective health system.

January 15, 2021

Ontario Primary Care COVID-19 Vaccination Action Council

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January 15, 2021

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Distribution mobilization

• 20K PCPs ready to support rapid and mobile efforts
• Community of Practice has 1,000+ participants
• Developing priority recipient lists
• Shared learnings across high-performing hospital-public health-primary care mobile teams that are ready to scale and spread

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Influence & vaccine confidence

• IPHCC is developing anti-racism and cultural safety training on working with Indigenous populations; developing toolkit to prepare providers
• Centre for Effective Practice maintaining a vaccine knowledge hub for PCPs

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Partnerships

• Primary care associations are working in unity with the Ontario Hospital Association, the Council of Ontario Medical Officers of Health, and other provincial public health leaders
• Provincial primary care associations are sharing consistent and common messaging with members, with combined reach of 20K health professionals across Ontario

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Primary care is prepared to support efficient and equitable vaccinations

Ontario Primary Care COVID-19 Vaccination Action Council

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What does primary care need to support an efficient, equitable, effective vaccination plan?

Collaboration

• Role clarity for public health, hospitals, and primary care, with dedicated local public health and primary care partnerships
• Support for community-led outreach and equity-informed materials to address vaccine confidence and unique local needs

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Preparation for Phase 2 & 3

• Primary care expects to play a key role in identifying and vaccinating priority patient populations
• Immediate training and preparation, including COVAX or other comprehensive IT
• Direction around consent, i.e. implied vs. written, retirement homes and congregate settings

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Communication

• Clear, transparent, and consistent weekly communication to health organizations
• Specifics around forthcoming vaccine supply, distribution, and unknowns to allow for primary care planning
• Clarity around health professional vaccination timeline and prioritization

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Logistical transition

• Commitment to transition from hospitals to collaborative partnerships (public health unit, hospital, primary care, community care)
• Scaling of teams to vaccinate retirement homes and other congregate settings represent opportunity to transition from hospital teams to primary care teams

January 15, 2021

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Ontario Primary Care COVID-19 Vaccination Action Council

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In addition to office-based and pharmacy settings, what are potential primary care models for phase 3 of vaccine rollout?

Community-tailored programs with a health equity lens

• Several communities will need tailored responses, similar to testing centres in areas with high rates of transmission
• Serving groups who may not otherwise have equitable vaccination rates or protection from COVID-19
• Examples include culturally-tailored sites, workers at outbreak sites

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Efficient mass vaccination hubs

• As hospitals anticipate second wave needs, transition staffing of hospital hubs to public health & community partnerships
• Delivered by doctors, nurses, pharmacists, health professionals, in venues like arenas and convention centres, to all Ontarians regardless of health system attachment status
• Pre-booked, drop-in, drive-through

Mobile teams for priority populations

• Mobile health professional teams will reach people who have barriers accessing vaccine hubs
• Will reach homebound older adults, shelters, & other congregate settings
• Successful examples can be scaled & shifted including existing community-based COVID-19 mobile testing initiatives and effective LTC & RH vaccine strategies underway

January 15, 2021

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Ontario Primary Care COVID-19 Vaccination Action Council