Ontario Health Hantavirus Communication

As you may be aware, a cluster of confirmed and suspected Andes hantavirus (ANDV) infections, including fatalities, has been identified among passengers of the MV Hondius cruise ship. As of May 7, 2026, 8 cases have been reported, including 5 laboratory confirmed infections, and 3 deaths. The current hypothesis is that some passengers may have been exposed to ANDV in Argentina (where the virus is endemic) prior to embarking, with potential subsequent transmission occurring onboard the vessel. At this time, all known Ontario contacts associated with this cluster have been identified and are in contact with public health. These individuals are currently self-isolating […]

Welcoming Dr. Justin Kutzko as CW OHT Palliative Care Primary Care Lead

The Central West Ontario Health Team (CW OHT) is pleased to announce that Dr. Justin Kutzko has been selected as the new Palliative Care Primary Care Lead. About Dr. Justin Kutzko Dr. Kutzko graduated from the University of Queensland Medical School in 2011 and he completed his postgraduate clinical fellowship training in general practice as well as palliative medicine in Australia. After moving to Canada with his family in 2022 he held positions as a Palliative Care Specialist at Sunnybrook Hospital, and then William Osler Health System from 2023 to the present. Dr. Kutzko has a strong interest in health […]

Updates to Osler’s Diagnostic Imaging Requisitions

Please see the below memo from William Osler Health System: Dear Referring Providers We would like to inform you of important updates to our Diagnostic Imaging requisitions following recent changes to the OHIP Schedule of Benefits. Effective May 15, 2026, revised requisitions for Bone Mineral Density (BMD) and Nuclear Medicine studies will be implemented. These revisions are required to ensure compliance with current billing and ordering requirements. Patients previously  designated as High-Risk and booked at 12 month intervals will be contacted by DI and rescheduled to 36  months from their last examination, in accordance with the updated guidelines. Action Required: […]

Invitation to Participate: Ontario Health’s OHT Primary Care Provider Experience Survey

As part of our commitment to building a more connected health care system, the CW OHT and PCN invite you to participate in Ontario Health’s 2026 OHT Primary Care Provider Experience Survey. Your input will help our OHT and PCN assess and report on our progress building a strong PCN that engages and supports family physicians and other primary care providers, as well as our collective efforts to build a more connected and integrated health care system. As this survey is being distributed province-wide, we will also be able to compare our progress to our peers.    Ontario Health developed this […]

Osler Collaboration Survey

William Osler Health System has asked the CW PCN to share this message with family physicians and NPs who provide comprehensive longitudinal primary care on their behalf: Strengthening Collaboration between Community Physicians and Osler Dear Colleagues, I would like to take this opportunity to ask for your input on how we can create a more seamless, connected system—one that supports you to deliver timely, coordinated and convenient care to your patients in partnership with William Osler Health System (Osler). At Osler, the health and wellbeing of our community guide everything we do Strong and integrated connections between our hospital and […]

Peel Public Health Respiratory Illness Season Updates [March 8 – March 14]

Please find below Peel Public Health’s respiratory illness season key messages and data highlights for the period of March 8 to March 14. This summary includes relevant details related to Peel’s respiratory illness landscape. The information is intended to help streamline public health messaging across our Peel system partners. Please reference this material as needed for any respiratory illness status updates and share the information with your respective staff and partners as relevant. Peel Public Health asks that our content not be changed. If supplemented, please indicate which portions are your own and which originate from Peel Public Health. As […]

PPH Respiratory Illness Season Updates [February 1 – February 7]

Please find below Peel Public Health’s respiratory illness season key messages and data highlights for the period of February 1 – February 7. This summary includes relevant details related to Peel’s respiratory illness landscape. The information is intended to help streamline public health messaging across our Peel system partners. Please reference this material as needed for any respiratory illness status updates and share the information with your respective staff and partners as relevant. Peel Public Health asks that our content not be changed. If supplemented, please indicate which portions are your own and which originate from Peel Public Health. As […]

Vaccine Updates – Peel

Key messages  Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) Suspension orders are being mailed to students in Grades 2 to 6 and Grades 9 to 12 who have not submitted updated immunization records as outlined in the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA). These orders will be issued from January through April 2026. Immunization requirements align with the Publicly Funded Immunization Schedules in Ontario. The minimum age and spacing between doses must be followed to meet the ISPA requirements. If a student presents with a suspension order Vaccines received out of Ontario should be considered valid if there is written documentation of administration of vaccine at ages and intervals […]

eReferral Ontario Now Available for Onboarding

eReferral Ontario is the updated provincial platform designed to streamline and optimize the referral process. It launched with a limited rollout in August 2025, allowing select users and sites to onboard. Starting this month, onboarding is open to all clinicians and providers. eReferral Ontario will work in conjunction with Central Intake to improve coordination and efficiency across the system. As per the Operational Direction: Local Delivery Group (LDG) Expansion to Support Spread and Scale of Digital Priorities, hospitals will be working with their local LDG Lead Organization and Ontario Health regional teams to onboard providers to eReferral. All other providers are requested to visit eReferral […]

PPH Respiratory Illness Season Updates [December 28 to January 3]

Please find below Peel Public Health’s respiratory illness season key messages and data highlights for the period of December 28 – January 3. This summary includes relevant details related to Peel’s respiratory illness landscape. The information is intended to help streamline public health messaging across our Peel system partners. Please reference this material as needed for any respiratory illness status updates and share the information with your respective staff and partners as relevant. Peel Public Health asks that our content not be changed. If supplemented, please indicate which portions are your own and which originate from Peel Public Health. As […]

Welcoming Dr. David Borts as CW OHT Primary Care Specialist

The Central West Ontario Health Team (CW OHT) is pleased to announce that Dr. David Borts has been selected as the new Primary Care Specialist representative for the CW OHT Primary Care Council (PCC), following an election at the October Central West Primary Care Network (CW PCN) Annual General Meeting. About Dr. David Borts Dr. Borts graduated from McGill Medical School in 1980 and completed residency training in both internal medicine (1984) and cardiology (1986). He has been a clinical cardiologist serving the community of Brampton for 36 years. In 2007, he completed an MBA at the Schulich School of […]

PPH Respiratory Illness Season Updates [November 30 to December 6]

Please find below Peel Public Health’s respiratory illness season key messages and data highlights for the period of November 30 to December 6. This summary includes relevant details related to Peel’s respiratory illness landscape. The information is intended to help streamline public health messaging across our Peel system partners. Please reference this material as needed for any respiratory illness status updates and share the information with your respective staff and partners as relevant. Peel Public Health asks that our content not be changed. If supplemented, please indicate which portions are your own and which originate from Peel Public Health. As […]

PPH: Hepatitis Exposure & Vaccine Ordering

Key messages Alert: possible hepatitis A exposure in Peel A Peel resident has recently tested positive for hepatitis A, leading to potential exposure to hepatitis A virus in a child care centre in Peel and a workplace in Halton. The infection was likely acquired during international travel to an endemic area. The risk of transmission is low, however individuals who have been identified by Peel Public Health as close contacts have been notified and have been encouraged to: Close contacts may contact their health care provider for advice or to request vaccine for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). Hepatitis A is a […]

PPH: Respiratory Illness Season Updates [October 26 to November 1]

Please find below Peel Public Health’s respiratory illness season key messages and data highlights for the period of October 26 to November 1. This summary includes relevant details related to Peel’s respiratory illness landscape. The information is intended to help streamline public health messaging across our Peel system partners. Please reference this material as needed for any respiratory illness status updates and share the information with your respective staff and partners as relevant. Peel Public Health asks that our content not be changed. If supplemented, please indicate which portions are your own and which originate from Peel Public Health. As […]

Low Back Pain Rapid Access Clinic at Brampton Civic Hospital

Your patient with low back related symptoms may be eligible for the OHIP-funded Rapid Access Clinics for Low Back Pain (RAC LBP) program. The Rapid Access Clinic (RAC) for low back pain at Brampton Civic Hospital has shorter wait times compared to other RACs. For more information including PCP onboarding referral forms and patient flyers, see below:

Ontario Lung Screening Program (OLSP) at Osler

The following is being shared on behalf of William Osler Health System: William Osler Health System (Osler) launched the Ontario Lung Screening Program (OLSP) in March 2025. For the past 13 years, Osler has been providing life-saving lung cancer screening services through the High-Risk Lung (HRL) program. We are in the process of transitioning eligible HRL  patients into the OLSP resulting in several key advantages, including: Once a patient is referred and deemed eligible to participate in the OLSP, all recalls and diagnostic follow-up are managed by OLSP radiologists and staff at Osler. Osler is able to further grow and […]

New Hepatology Consult Clinic at Etobicoke General

Dr. Hamant Shah is opened a new Hepatology Consult Clinic at Etobicoke General. The clinic runs on most Wednesday mornings (9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.) in the Outpatient Medicine Clinic Area on the Lower Level. Dr. Shah’s primary clinical interest is viral hepatitis (HBV and HCV), though he will also see patients with other hepatology concerns, such as abnormal liver tests, fatty liver disease (MASLD), and Cirrhosis. The clinic is designed for consultation with short-term follow-up. The aim is to provide timely access to hepatology input, establish diagnosis or management plans, and then transition patients back to their primary care […]

Essential Role of Primary Care in RSV Vaccine Administration

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunization is available to the following groups for the 2025/2026 respiratory season:  Primary care plays an especially important role in administering the RSV vaccine this season, particularly for the following groups who will have limited access to the vaccine from other settings:  Billing for RSV Immunization  More Information: 

Ministry of Health Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Program for 2025/26 Season

The Ontario Ministry of Health has updated the details of the COVID-19 Vaccine Program for the 2025/2026 season.  The COVID-19 vaccines available this season are: LP. 8.1 COVID-19 Vaccine Vaccine Platform Age for use in Ontario Moderna Spikevax messenger RNA 6 months to 11 years Moderna Spikevax messenger RNA 12 years + Pfizer COMIRNATY messenger RNA 5 to 11 years Pfizer COMIRNATY messenger RNA 12 years + For detailed vaccine information see the Ministry of Health – Health Care Provider Fact Sheet: COVID-19 Vaccine. TPH Recommends Health Care Providers:  *Providers interested in enrolling should follow the steps listed on TPH’s Vaccine Ordering from Toronto […]

TPH Respiratory Vaccine Clinic for Children Under 3 Years of Age

To support early childhood immunization and reduce the burden of respiratory illness in this vulnerable population, Toronto Public Health (TPH) is launching a new Infant and Toddler Respiratory Vaccine Clinic at the Etobicoke Civic Centre, operating from October 27, 2025, to the end of March 2026. Note: A health card is not required. Children aged 36 months and under will be eligible to receive: Vaccine/Immunization Eligibility Covid-19 vaccine Children 6 to 36 months of age Influenza vaccine Children 6 to 36 months of age RSV monoclonal antibody Infants 8 months of age or younger Children up to 24 months of […]

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