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Call to action: Primary care provider support needed for routine immunization services

Advisory Alert

November 29 2021

*Cette information est seulement disponible en anglais.

To: Primary Care Providers

FOR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION

Public Health needs your support to provide routine immunization services

Public Health Sudbury & Districts would like to thank you for your ongoing implementation of Ontario’s Publicly Funded Immunization Program and ensuring the routine vaccine needs of your patients are prioritized during the COVID-19 pandemic. Enhanced and collaborative efforts are required to get patients caught up on all the required and recommended vaccines for which they are eligible as we continue to respond to the demands COVID-19.

Increasing pressures on Public Health

The COVID-19 response continues to have a significant impact on Public Health programming.

With the recent inclusion of additional age groups eligible for vaccination, additional dose recommendations for select populations, and the ongoing mitigation efforts required locally due to surging case counts, there are increasing pressures on our services within the community. As we scale up to provide additional COVID-19 vaccination clinics and respond to surging case counts, some routine Public Health services will be temporarily reduced. This includes routine vaccination services, for which primary care support will be more important than ever.

At this time and until further notice, Public Health Sudbury & Districts is asking primary care providers to create and provide opportunities for your patients to receive all of the publicly funded immunizations for which they are eligible. This includes providing point-of-care review of immunization records and offering all vaccines for eligible persons during any visit to a primary care provider’s office. It may include recalling persons who are overdue for recommended doses, sending reminders for vaccinations when patients are due for vaccines, and administering vaccines that have traditionally been provided by public health.

Resources are available to provide routine immunizations

During this period of reduced service, Public Health Sudbury & Districts will be prioritizing immunization services for infants and toddlers who require primary vaccination series, and eligible pregnant women 27 to 32 weeks gestation requiring Tdap vaccine, who are without a primary health care provider. Other individuals who are requesting vaccines will be referred back to their primary health care provider or to a walk-in clinic.

Additionally, we are looking for local primary health care providers who would be willing to assist in vaccinating persons beyond their rostered patients to help fill the gap that will be created by a reduction in public health vaccination services.

Should you have questions or require consultation on patient specific vaccination needs or require an immunization record please contact the immunization program at 705.522.9200. ext. 458.

If you are able to assist in providing immunization services to un-rostered patients, please contact the VPD program manager Megan Touchette at 705.522.9200, ext. 3162.

Sincerely,

Original Signed By

Dr. Penny Sutcliffe
Medical Officer of Health and Chief Executive Officer

Please note that email addresses of some recipients were provided to Public Health Sudbury & Districts by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) for the purpose of communications related to COVID-19. If you prefer to no longer receive Advisory Alerts from Public Health, please reply to this email requesting to be removed from our distribution list.

NOTE: All Advisory Alerts are found on our website.

This item was last modified on November 29, 2021