Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Online Bulletin for Health Care Providers

May 11, 2023

From:
Dr. Ian Gemmill
Acting Medical Officer of Health and CEO
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health

In this Issue:

1. New Program: The Nurse-Family Partnership
2. PHO Rounds: The 2023 HIV Testing Guidelines

News & Updates

NEW PROGRAM: The Nurse-Family Partnership ® (NFP)

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (HPEPH) is proud to announce the launch of a new home-visiting program called the Nurse-Family Partnership® (NFP). NFP is a free, voluntary program delivered by a public health nurse who will support young, first-time mothers starting in pregnancy until their child turns two years old. NFP is an evidence-based program that has been rigorously evaluated over the last 40 years and demonstrates significant positive outcomes for program graduates.

The referral process is simple, quick and easy (see referral information below). With each prenatal referral we receive, it gives your patient the chance to benefit from additional support that will result in better health outcomes for both the parent and child. Together, we can change lives.

The three main goals of the program are:

1. Improve pregnancy outcomes
2. Improve infant/child health and development
3. Improve the economic self-sufficiency of the family

A Snapshot of RCT NFP Program Outcomes (not an exclusive list):

• 67% less likely to experience behavioural and intellectual problems by age six
• 48% reduction in child abuse and neglect
• 82% increase in maternal months employed
• 79% reduction in preterm delivery among women who smoke cigarettes
• 72% fewer convictions of mothers (measured when the child is 15 years of age)
• 35% fewer cases of pregnancy-induced hypertension
• 31% reduction in closely spaced (<6 months) subsequent pregnancies
• 18% fewer preterm births.

Who can participate in the NFP Program?

NFP participants must be:

• 24 years of age or younger
• Less than 28 weeks pregnant
• Preparing to parent for the first time
• Experiencing financial hardship and/or limited resources
• Living in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties

Those who are referred for prenatal support and are not eligible for NFP may be enrolled in our other home-visiting program, Healthy Babies Healthy Children.

How to refer

We’ve worked hard to make our referral process quick and easy for you. There is now one universal form that includes all Healthy Families programs. Once a referral is submitted, a nurse will contact your patient and will determine their eligibility and offer enrolment in the appropriate program. To make a referral, simply fill out the Healthy Families Referral Form here or download a PDF version that will support embedding a convenient form into your EMR.

Promotion material for Home Visiting Programs

If you’re interested in printing a poster and/or rack cards for your office, you can do so by simply downloading the printable files on our website. As part of the promotional launch for this program, we are offering a one-time physical mail out for posters and rack cards by request. To submit a request for your mail out, please send your contact information and mailing address to this email: FHFax1@hpeph.ca

PHO Rounds: The 2023 HIV Testing Guidelines

In light of decreasing but ongoing new HIV infections in Ontario each year, the updated Ontario HIV testing guidelines introduces a four-pronged approach to testing that aims to help reach persons with undiagnosed HIV infection. The updated guidelines will be discussed in this session.

The first prong is to find new/recent infections by recognizing the signs/symptoms of acute HIV infection and to make providers aware of recent advances in HIV testing technology that reduces the HIV testing window of six weeks. The second prong is to find chronic infections by recognizing indicator conditions commonly overlooked in people with HIV. The third prong is to offer testing to at-risk members of populations with higher rates of HIV, including gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, trans men, African, Caribbean, and Black populations, Indigenous Peoples, people who use drugs, particularly if their drug use involves injection, and cis and trans women, especially those who face systemic and social inequities. The fourth prong is to identify people in other care situations.

Intended audience: Public health physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, STBBI case managers, supervisors, Medical Officers of Health overseeing public health units, front-line physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners in public health sexual health clinics.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Identify population groups that should be tested for HIV according to the new Ontario HIV testing guidelines
• Describe scenarios and conditions where it is appropriate to test (and retest) people for HIV
• List additional HIV prevention interventions and when to recommend them.

Online webinar details:

Date: Tuesday, May 23, 2023 from 12 to 1 p.m.

Topics: Infectious Diseases; Public Health Practice

Type: CME accredited; PHO Rounds

Presenters: Patrick O’Byrne, NP, PhD and Dr. Austin Zygmunt, MSc, MD, CCFP, FRCPC

Sign Up

You will receive details on how to join the webinar after registering for this event.

Back to Summary

Contact Information: 

To report communicable diseases:613-966-5500 x349

To report AEFI or DOPHS: Online / Fax: 613-966-1813 or CDCFAX1@hpeph.ca

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health is situated and provides services on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Huron-Wendat and Haudenosaunee people.

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