As Ontario confronts a devastating third wave of COVID-19, I’d like to take a few moments to thank all of you for stepping up to make a difference.
As more and more COVID-19 patients have been transferred to hospitals across southeastern Ontario to create capacity in areas where caseloads are overwhelming the health-care system, Department of Family Medicine (DFM) faculty, residents, and staff and our many community-based partners have been stepping up.
Residents have volunteered for redeployment to support inpatient medical services and critical care in our acute-care hospitals. They, along with DFM faculty including our dean, Dr. Jane Philpott, have also been working with Dr. Ammar Rashid and his team of hospitalists at Providence Care to create capacity to take the load off of the acute-care hospitals.
You have also been critical in the efforts to flatten the curve through immunization. Southeast Ontario has some of the highest vaccination rates in the province thanks to the great partnerships and support that primary care has provided to public health units to make this happen.
Operation Remote Immunity, which provided vaccinations in northern Ontario’s remote fly-in communities, was also a huge success, and we were a core part of the Queen’s teams that participated in this initiative.
Throughout it all, we have also worked hard to continue to provide access to essential primary care services for our patients. So once again, THANK YOU for all you are doing! It is so much appreciated.
It’s truly amazing that throughout all of this, our faculty, staff, and residents continue to deliver award-winning education, mentorship, and research, as demonstrated by the impressive number of award announcements in this month’s DFM Monitor. Our success in the CaRMS match, with another year fully matched in the first round, is a testament to the level of excellence and reputation you are all a part of creating. Great job team!
I am hopeful that my next Green Room blog will see us looking forward, with the worst of the third wave behind us. Until then, stay safe, and thank you again for your service and ongoing commitment to excellence in these challenging times.
Dr. Michael Green
Department Head