Happy Holidays!

Dear EYRND OHT Physicians,

As we enter the holidays, I hope all of you are taking time off for a well deserved break.

Some ideas to ensure smooth patient care over the holidays:

- Include your office hours over the holiday period, including any after-hours care options for your patients in your voicemail message and website.

- For those in smaller practices, consider making local arrangements with neighbourhood practices to provide cross coverage.

- Make sure your patients who are on critical or controlled meds have enough to cover the holiday period

The MSH Assessment Centre remains open daily through the holidays. Hours and instructions for patient self-scheduling are posted on the website: https://www.msh.on.ca/clinics-departments/covid-19-assessment-centre.

Please remind family, friends, staff and patients to follow Public Health advice this holiday season by limiting close contact to household members only, and possibly one other loved one who lives alone. Guidance available here: https://www.ontario.ca/page/guidelines-gatherings-and-winter-holiday-celebrations.

I'm also pleased to announce increased primary care representation at the OHT. Dr. Donatus Mutasingwa will join the Performance Management Committee. Stephen Ng will join the Access and Navigation Action Team. Sheri Devereaux will join Dr. Alvin Tam and Dr. Dhar Doobay on the Mental Health & Addictions Action Team. Dr. Evan Chong, Dr. Stephen Marisette and Emma Anderson will join the Dementia Action Team. We will be announcing members to the Integrated Primary Care Action Team sometime in the new year. Thank you everyone who applied!

For those of you who are not MSH affiliated, see link for latest MSH Department of Family Medicine Newsletter from Dec 13th: https://conta.cc/2WoUM4J.

Thank you everyone for your hard work and response during this pandemic. I hope everyone enjoys a safe and happy holiday season!

Em