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Fall Flu and COVID Vaccines

As fall officially approaches, Manitoba Health is preparing for the annual flu and COVID immunization campaign.

If your clinic is registered to offer influenza and COVID vaccines, you should have received an email from Manitoba Health on or around September 1 for your first order. The process has changed this year to align more closely with the COVID vaccine delivery program that emerged during the pandemic. This means participating clinics will order and receive regular shipments of vaccine throughout the season. Clinics have been assigned to Group 1 or Group 2. Orders for both groups will remain open until September 19 at 11:30 PM. Delivery timelines will be communicated around September 25. After this, order surveys will be sent out on a schedule, generally on Fridays and closing the following Tuesday. 

If you did not receive an order survey or have questions about ordering, contact Manitoba Health at vaccines@​gov.​mb.​ca.

Updated COVID Vaccine Approved

Earlier this week, Health Canada approved an updated COVID vaccine that targets the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant, with deliveries to provinces expected in early October. 

Moderna’s Spikevax vaccine was approved for Canadians aged six months and older. It can be used as an annual update for previously vaccinated individuals, as well as to those who were not previously vaccinated. Health Canada is also reviewing updated vaccines for this fall from Pfixer and Novavax. 

The National Advisory Council on Immunization issued guidance following the approval, which recommends a doze of the XBB.1.5 updated vaccines for individuals at least 6 months from the last COVID vaccine or infection, whichever is later. NACI notes that ​“booster vaccination using shorter intervals (i.e. 3 months to <6 months) following previous vaccination or infection has not been shown to pose a safety risk, though evidence shows that the antibody response is higher with longer intervals between infection and vaccination and with longer intervals between vaccination doses.”

NACI also strongly recommends immunization for those at increased risk of COVID ‑19 infection or severe disease, for example:

  • Adults 65 years of age or older;
  • Residents of long-term care homes and other congregate living settings;
  • Individuals with underlying medical conditions that place them at higher risk of severe COVID-19;
  • Individuals who are pregnant;
  • Individuals in or from First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities;
  • Members of racialized and other equity-deserving communities;
  • People who provide essential community services

You can view the Health Canada approval document here, and the NACI advice here.

Special Retention Payments and Membership Renewals

We will be sending out the first batch of $21,000 Special Retention Payments tomorrow to eligible physicians who have signed up for direct deposit. This one-time payment is open to all physicians holding a license with CPSM and membership with Doctors Manitoba as of ratification day (August 14). You can still claim an expedited payment by logging in to the Member Portal and adding your banking information for direct deposit. Eligible physicians who have not signed up for direct deposit will be sent a cheque in the mail at the end of September. 

If you believe you should be eligible but have not received a notice by next week, please contact us at membership@​doctorsmanitoba.​ca.

It’s also time to renew your annual Doctors Manitoba membership. Your fees have been frozen at last year’s rate to avoid an increase while our members face escalating costs and inflation from other sources. 

Physician of the Week

Dr. Sameer Kassim has been challenging the status quo to deliver care to patients at Nine Circles Community Health Centre. He has been pivotal at creating opportunities for physician learning with his outreach program, designed to help individual family physicians prevent HIV transmission through the use of PrEP. Dr. Kassim has been a passionate champion for harm reduction programs and advocated for enhanced fees with Doctors Manitoba in order to better incentivize physicians to assist in the testing, treatment and follow-up of HIV patients in their community clinics. Colleague and friend, Dr. Klevis Iliriani says Dr. Kassim exemplifies​“the best the medical profession has to offer” and is inspired by his​“passion for medicine, equality and equity”.

→ Suggest a colleague as Physician of the Week here.

→ Read Physician of the Week feature stories.

Virtual KAIROS Blanket Exercise

For Manitoba’s Physicians, Residents, and Medical Learners – Saturday, September 30th from 9:00 a.m. to Noon. Registration Now Open!

Doctors Manitoba is honoured to present the virtual KAIROS Blanket Exercise, a participatory experience and educational tool, to physicians, residents, and medical learners across the province. This event revisits the shared history of Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples of Canada and is an opportunity to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, together. Facilitated by Braving the Healing. Register Now!

QI in Family Practice Opportunity

The Model for Improvement was first developed by the Associates in Process Improvement and is a simple and useful tool in driving progress. Many healthcare organizations have used this model to implement effective change and improve healthcare processes and outcomes.

By participating in the Access Improvement Model (AIM) program, clinics will learn about the Model for Improvement and apply it in their quality improvement efforts.

We have just one spot left for this year’s awesome cohort, so it’s a race to the signup! But don’t worry, the fun’s not over – we’ve got more exciting opportunities coming your way starting in January 2024!

If you would like to explore AIM in further detail, please visit the AIM website and contact the team at aim@​umanitoba.​ca.

Canadian Conference on Physician Health — Registration now OPEN!

The 7th Canadian Conference on Physician Health (CCPH) is taking place Nov. 3 – 4, 2023 at Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth in Montréal, Quebec and virtually. CCPH showcases both research and innovative initiatives addressing issues related to physicians’ health and wellness within the medical training and practice environment, while providing a forum for learners and physicians across the career lifecycle, researchers, educators, administrators, and others to network and promote collaboration within the community. For more info and to register, click here.

ICYMI

Here are some of the most popular updates in recent newsletters, in case you missed them:

Upcoming Events

With summer winding down, the fall is filling up with events and professional development workshops and courses. Whether you’re looking to expand your knowledge, increase your awareness, or build leadership skills, we have many sessions planned!

Events can always be found on our website in the events calendar. If you have an event you’d like to share with members and have included in our calendar, forward all the information to general@​doctorsmanitoba.​ca.

Strength-based leadership: Explore the benefits of creating a strength-based culture and learn what energizes you and your team — September 21 – 22, 2023 from 9 — 4 PM CT 

  • At the end of this Physician Leadership Institute course, you will be able to:
  • Recognize the value of a strengths-based approach to leadership
  • Complete a strength-based assessment to uncover your unique strengths, talents and gifts and those of your team
  • Describe how strengths-based approaches can facilitate improved engagement of health care professionals,
    reduce burnout and lead to better team and patient outcomes
  • Examine strategies to build a strengths-based culture that values the unique gifts that everyone brings to the team and fosters a culture of engagement, diversity and inclusion
  • Create a development plan to build on your strengths, while managing around your blind spots
  • Identify and encourage strengths-based approaches in peers and teams

Cost: $250.00 Register here

Review agenda.

Unraveling the Threads of Colonization and Racism in Manitoba’s Healthcare — September 28 6:30 – 8p

Session 5 in our Leadership for Equity Series aims to empower physicians with a deeper comprehension of the intricate intersections between historical legacies, healthcare delivery, and the imperative for transformative change in support of health equity for Indigenous populations in Manitoba. It will explore the historical underpinnings of colonization and Indigenous-specific racism within the healthcare system, highlighting their enduring influence on the health of Indigenous communities. The session will emphasize the importance of physicians, as leaders in the healthcare system, learning to recognize the subtle yet impactful manifestations of these issues in healthcare and carrying this into application of practical strategies for fostering anti-racist and decolonizing practices. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Gain insight into the historical background of colonization and racism within Manitoba’s healthcare system and how this continues to impact the health of Indigenous peoples.
2. Develop the ability to identify and understand how colonization and racism manifest in healthcare practices.
3. Acquire strategies to promote anti-racist and decolonizing approaches as leaders in healthcare settings.

Register now!

Save the date for upcoming sessions in the series:

  • October 24 – Kimani Paul-Emile, PhD
  • November 30 – Dr. Nanky Rai, MD

Bug Day — Mark your calendars for the 2023 27th Annual Bug Day! — October 17 7:55am-4pm — Held Virtually.

Interested in the prevention and control of communicable diseases, and health issues in the community or healthcare setting? Bug Day is for you! Nationally and internationally recognized experts will present timely topics in infectious diseases and public health at Manitoba’s largest healthcare education event. Held every year during National Infection Prevention & Control Week, Bug Day is streamed online – it’s FREE, accredited, and you’re invited!

The program is accredited for physicians and can be used for continuing education purposes by other health care workers. There is no charge, but you must register to attend the live sessions. You can make a donation directly to the HSC Foundation Bug Day fund. Click here to visit the donation page. This donation page will automatically generate a confirmation email and a tax receipt. Register here.

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