Campbellford Doctor Retires After 45 Years Of Caring For The Community

Doctor Bob Henderson began his career in Trent Hills in 1977, and officially retired on March 31.

Henderson was congratulated on his retirement at the Board of Directors meeting on March 30. Photo courtesy of Campbellford memorial Hospital.

Henderson knew that he wanted to become a doctor when he was about 13 years old, and he never seriously considered doing anything else, he says.

“Medicine is the ultimately flexible profession,” explained Dr. Henderson. “You can do anything – you can be an administrator, you can be a clinician, you can be a researcher, you can be a businessperson. You can set your own schedule and you can do it anywhere you want – rural, urban, remote. It’s really one of the few professions where you can set your own goals and achieve them over time. It’s been wonderful.”

Henderson grew up in Winnipeg, studied medicine at the University of Manitoba and did his residency at McMaster University. Following graduation, he and his family relocated to northern Ontario for a couple of years.

“Just before that and during that time we had a couple of daughters and decided that we wanted to be a little more central. A few years before, my father-in-law purchased a vacation farm property outside of Warkworth, which brought us into the community. We fell in love with it and decided to move.”

Since Henderson settled in the Trent Hills community in 1977, he has helped shape and improve rural health care through his involvement in the early development of the Family Health Network model, as past Medical Director at the Trent Hills Family Health Team, former Board Chair of The Bridge Hospice, Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto and numerous medical and leadership positions held at Campbellford Memorial Hospital including Chief of Staff for multiple appointment periods.

A long-time focus for Dr. Henderson has been physician recruitment to the community and he started to take residents into his family practice in the early 1980s.

“One of the things that hasn’t changed is the difficulty in recruiting physicians to rural areas,” he shared. “It is something I’ve been committed to through the development of rural family medicine and the process of introducing learners into the rural community to do part of their training and help them to see what a great place it is to work. The hope has been that it helps them decide to work and move into rural community practice.”

When Henderson reflects on his hope for the future of medicine in the Trent Hills community, top of mind is the stability of health human resources, the continuing presence of a good community hospital and that the Family Health Team continues to provide a broad range of primary care to the community.

“A large number of community patients put their trust in me as a family physician to guide them through the healthcare system and help them through various health crises. At the end of the day that’s really what it is all about.”

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COVID-19 Fourth Dose Eligibility Expanded to Additional Residents

Expanded eligibility for COVID-19 fourth doses to adults 60 years of age or older and First Nation, Inuit and Metis Adults 18 years of age or older was announced by the provincial government on Wednesday.

Booster doses were available in Ontario for everyone since late December last year. Stock photo.

The following residents can book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment for a date that is 140 days (five months) after a third dose (booster dose) of the COVID-19 vaccine was received:

• Residents 60 years of age or older

• First Nations, Inuit, and Métis adults and their non-Indigenous household members

“This vaccine will provide additional protection and we ask that you book an appointment for this vaccine. If you haven't had your third dose that continues to be very important as a precaution against COVID-19,” said Dr. Thomas Piggott, Medical Officer of Health.

Online bookings must wait 140 days (or five months) after their third dose to book an appointment. Residents who call the provincial vaccine booking call centre can book an appointment three months after their third dose.

The expanded eligibility allows an additional 35,000 eligible residents to receive another dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Peterborough Public Health (PPH) is asking all residents to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment for any dose they receive starting this Friday.

“To better serve our residents, Peterborough Public Health will be temporarily suspending walk-in availability at COVID-19 vaccine clinics and is asking everyone to book an appointment,” said Dr. Piggott. “We anticipate a large demand for fourth doses over the next few weeks and want to make the process fair and comfortable for our residents.”

Anyone with an immunocompromising health condition or who are on an immunocompromising medication and are 18 years of age or older is still eligible for a fourth dose.

Proof of eligibility at their COVID-19 vaccine appointment for immunocompromised individuals. A referral form from a health care provider or proof of prescription medication can be accepted as proof of eligibility.

A full list of eligibility can be found on the Ontario Third Dose Guidance Document.

“Indicators across the province and in Peterborough region continue to show increasing transmission of COVID-19 and our COVID-19 Community Risk Index is currently HIGH risk,” said Dr. Piggott. “The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recognizes that the high level of transmission increases the risk for moderate to severe symptoms related to a COVID-19 infection for eligible residents. We are strongly encouraging all eligible residents to book an appointment for all doses they are eligible for at the earliest date to protect themselves during the 6th wave.”

PPH says vaccination is the most important tool in multi-layer prevention against COVID-19. They encourage everyone to continue wearing a tightly fitting (KN95/N95 style) mask, staying home when sick, seeking testing/treatment as eligible, improving the ventilation of indoor air spaces and spending time outdoors.

Appointments can be booked through the provincial vaccine booking system over the phone by calling 1-833-943-3900 or online.

For more information about COVID-19 vaccine eligibility, upcoming vaccine clinics, and booking a vaccine appointment, please visit PPH’s website for vaccine clinics.

To see the PPH Community Risk Index, click here.

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Peterborough Public Health Urges Residents To Take Precautionary Measures To Prevent COVID 19 Transmission Levels From Growing

Dr. Thomas Piggott, Peterborough’s Medical Officer of Health, urges that residents take caution as the COVID-19 Community Risk Index suggests high COVID transmissions in the area, he said in a virtual press conference on Wednesday.

Dr. Thomas Piggott became Peterborough's medical officer of health on Dec. 1 last year. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

According to Piggott, Peterborough has surpassed the level of transmission seen in January and is now in the sixth wave of the COVID pandemic.

“I am concerned by what I am seeing, I am concerned with what I am hearing,” said Piggott.

He urges community members to continue wearing masks ‘at least for a bit longer’ he says.

With Easter approaching, Piggott urged people to take caution when gathering with friends and family.

Screenshot.

The COVID-19 Community Risk Index incorporates data such as wastewater surveillance signals, number of hospitalizations and deaths, percentage positivity of PCR tests and community-reported rapid-antigen tests (through Peterborough Public Health’s online survey), and the local case incidence rate per 100,000.

“It hasn’t yet pushed us into a ‘Very High Risk’ rating, but we are close and I am very concerned if the trend that we’re observing continues that very soon we will be into that position,” he said.

Piggott says that the increase in transmission Peterborough is seeing is on trend with the rest of Ontario.

“If we all come together and take precautionary measures now we can avoid the situation from getting worse, and potentially having a very negative impact not only on our healthcare system but on our communities,” he said.

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Avian Flu Confirmed In Local Flock Of Birds

Peterborough Public Health (PPH) is currently investigating a confirmed report of avian influenza (H5N1) discovered in a local flock located in Selwyn Township. This is the fifth confirmed report of avian influenza on an Ontario farm over the past few weeks.

Stock Photo.

“The risk to human health remains low and we are not aware of any local human cases at this time,” said Dr. Thomas Piggott, Medical Officer of Health. “The virus does not easily cross from birds to humans, and the current strain is listed as being of ‘lower than normal’ concern for spreading to humans.”

PPH is working closely with provincial and federal partners, including the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on the investigation, says Piggott.

In March 2022, HPAI H5N1 virus was detected in Ontario in wild and commercial poultry. Its spread has been primarily attributed to the migration of infected waterfowl.

Avian influenza is a viral disease that affects mostly domestic poultry and wild birds such as geese, ducks, and shore birds. Wild birds, especially waterfowl, are a natural reservoir for mild strains of avian influenza. The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) strain H5N1 is known to kill both wild birds and commercial poultry.

Residents should not touch a wild bird, including waterfowl, that is sick, injured or dead. Report any sick or dead birds (including waterfowl), to the Ontario Regional Centre of the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative at (866) 673-4781.

Those with backyard chickens or other domestic birds can get more information related to prevention and detection of disease in backyard flocks and pet birds that is available here or by calling the CFIA at 226-217- 8022.

Transmission of avian influenza to people from the consumption of undercooked eggs or poultry is unlikely. As a general practice, food safety measures should always be practiced when handling poultry and egg products such as washing hands before and after food handling, keeping products separate to prevent cross contamination, cleaning and sanitizing all surfaces and fully cooking poultry products.

For more information visit peterboroughpublichealth.ca and search for “avian influenza”.

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Peterborough Public Library Lending Free Carbon Dioxide Monitoring Devices

The Peterborough Public Library has been donated 10 carbon dioxide detectors available for rent for free beginning Friday.

CO2 monitoring devices are not the same thing as carbon monoxide detectors as they involve two different gasses. The main source of CO2 is from human exhalation.Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless, tasteless gas produced by burning gasoline, wood, propane, charcoal or other fuel. Photo by Luke Best.

The detectors were donated by Prescientx and CO2 Check. Peterborough is allegedly the first municipality in North America to lend the detectors according to their press release.

“We are excited to offer this new service so anyone with a library card can borrow a device to measure the carbon dioxide levels in their home for a period of time,” said Jennifer Jones, Peterborough Public Library CEO. “We hope widespread access to this tool empowers local residents to take the steps needed to improve their indoor air quality, which ultimately benefits everyone’s health.”

The carbon dioxide detector comes with a fact sheet with operating instructions and how to improve the air quality in people’s homes.

The sheet was created by the library after a collaboration of air quality experts worldwide including the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health, Yale University, University of Colorado, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Prescientx.

Dr. Thomas Piggott, Peterborough Public Health’s Medical Officer of Health worked with the library to create the initiative.

“Measuring CO2 is the first step to addressing indoor air quality and it’s easy to correct if levels are elevated by taking simple actions such as increasing air circulation, using air filtration, reducing the number of people in a room, removing the source of any potential pollutants,” said Piggott.

For more information, please visit www.ptbolibrary.ca and www.peterboroughpublichealth.ca.

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Peterborough Public Health Pilots Local COVID-19 Community Risk Index

Peterborough Public Health released a beta-version of its new online COVID19 Community Risk Index on Wednesday to help residents protect themselves and others when local transmission levels are high.

Stock photo.

The COVID-19 Community Risk Index incorporates data such as wastewater surveillance signals, number of hospitalizations and deaths, percentage positivity of PCR tests and community-reported rapid-antigen tests (through Peterborough Public Health’s online survey), and the local case incidence rate per 100,000.

The Index provides a risk level for each data point based on current values, which is then used to inform the overall risk level for the community. The Index will be updated weekly each Wednesday by 4 p.m. The Index can be found at www.peterboroughpublichealth.ca/covid-risk-index.

“Our goal with the COVID-19 Community Risk Index is to make our community’s virus transmission status as transparent as possible by integrating several indicators into one easy-to-understand five-point scale,” said Dr. Thomas Piggott, Medical Officer of Health. “Each level corresponds to specific public health guidance both for the general population, and for those residents who are at high-risk of serious health outcomes if they get infected.”

Peterborough Public Health is one of the first health units in Ontario to produce a local COVID-19 Community Risk Index. Dr. Piggott noted the Index is still in its pilot phase and wants to hear from residents how useful this tool is for them as we all learn to live with COVID-19 while the pandemic continues. Residents are encouraged to complete the online survey that can be found on the same webpage as the Index itself, or by clicking on this link.

The COVID-19 Community Risk Index will continue being refined in the coming weeks, including through the addition of granular data in a ‘business intelligence dashboard’, and will ultimately replace the Local COVID-19 Tracker.

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COVID-19 Prevention And Treatment Support Available For Immunocompromised Residents

Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) and Peterborough Public Health (PPH) would like to remind residents who are immunocompromised or on immunosuppressive medication that additional support is available for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

Residents who are immunocompromised due to a health condition or medication side effect are at increased risk for moderate to severe symptoms due to COVID-19 infection.

“The COVID-19 Assessment Centre at PRHC is available to all residents who have moderate symptoms of COVID-19, such as a more troublesome cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing,” said Dr. Lynn Mikula, EVP, Chief of Staff and Chief Medical Executive at PRHC.

Mikula says if residents are experiencing modarate symptoms they should contact their family practitioner or call the Assessment Centre at 705-876-5086 and be clear about the symptoms. Depending on symptoms patients may be eligible for PCR testing and treatment for COVID-19.

“Anyone who is experiencing severe, potentially life-threatening symptoms, such as extreme shortness of breath, chest pain, new confusion, inability to wake up or stay awake, should call 911 or go to the nearest Emergency Department,” she said.

Patients who are immunocompromised due to a health condition or medication and who are experiencing moderate symptoms of COVID-19 are eligible for PCR testing and treatment – such as Paxlovid – and antiviral medication. Antiviral medications are administered to patients with confirmed, positive cases of COVID-19 as a way to reduce the spread of the virus post-infection.

“Eligibility for COVID-19 treatment is expanding, and some individuals may not know they are eligible for treatment,” said Dr. Mikula. “We recommend that any resident with moderate symptoms of COVID-19 reach out to their family practitioner or the PRHC Assessment Centre to see if they are eligible.”

Additional criteria for COVID-19 testing can be found on PRHC’s website. Appointments at the COVID-19 Assessment Centre are available seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and must be booked by calling 705-876-5086.

In addition, residents who are immunocompromised or on immunosuppressive medication are eligible for a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Residents who are eligible for a fourth dose can bring their referral form to receive a fourth dose at any Peterborough Public Health COVID-19 vaccine clinic.

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Masks No Longer Mandatory In Most Public Settings

Face masks in Ontario will no longer be mandatory in schools, retail settings, gyms and most indoor spaces, as of Monday.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Settings including public transit, healthcare facilities and long-term care homes will require face masks until the end of April when the province plans to remove all restrictions.

Individual business owners may choose to still require masks.

In a release from Peterborough Public Health, Dr. Thomas Piggot recommends local residents continue wearing masks after mandates are lifted.

“We recommend wearing a mask while indoors and around others for at least a few more weeks until we better understand the context of COVID-19 transmission in our region,” said Piggott. “There are still thousands of local residents who remain at risk of serious disease if they get infected, and only 55 per cent of eligible area residents are fully vaccinated with all three doses of COVID-19 vaccine.”

I also strongly recommend individuals continue to wear their mask indoors around others beyond the 21st of March.

— Dr Thomas Piggott (He/Him) (@twpiggott) March 12, 2022

Piggot notes that wearing a mask does not have to be “all or nothing.” Those that choose not to wear a mask may still choose to wear it in small indoor areas that are not well ventilated.

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Fairhaven Long-Term Care Receives Over $2 Million to Hire 44 New Staff

Fairhaven Long-Term Care Home is receiving up to $2,232,672 to hire 44 additional staff this year to increase the hours of direct care for residents announced on Friday.

(left to right) Lionel Towns, Fairhaven executive director; Coun. Keith Riel; MPP Dave Smith and Coun. Karl Moher in front of Fairhaven Homes on 881 Dutton Rd. In 2021-22, Ontario invested $200 million to train up to 16,200 additional personal support workers through publicly-assisted colleges, private career colleges and district school boards. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Fairhaven is part of the $7,212,576 investment from the Ontario Government for long-term care homes in Peterborough-Kawartha.

The Dutton Road long-term care home can hire 25 full-time and 19 part-time positions. The funding will boost benefit packages for both full-time and part-time employees.

“Our region has one of the highest seniors populations in Canada and the demand for long-term care in our region will continue to grow,” said Coun. Karl Moher. “It is our jobs as representatives to ensure that our residents receive the additional care and support that this funding will provide for.”

These funds will increase care for residents at other long-term care homes such as:

• Extendicare Inc., in Lakefield, will receive up to $872,136 for additional staffing this year to increase the hours of direct care for residents.

• Extendicare Inc, in Peterborough, will receive up to $1,517,520 for additional staffing this year to increase the hours of direct care for residents.

• Riverview Manor Nursing Home, in Peterborough, will receive up to $845,976 for additional staffing this year to increase the hours of direct care for residents.

• St. Joseph’s at Fleming, in Peterborough, will receive up to $1,744,272 for additional staffing this year to increase the hours of direct care for residents.

“Our seniors deserve the best care possible. Full stop. This $7.2 million investment takes us one step further in delivering the care loved ones in our community rightfully expect,” said MPP Dave Smith. “We have made significant progress towards fixing the broken system we inherited just a few short years ago.”

Over the span of four years, the funding will increase direct hours of care by 1 hour and 21 minutes for seniors according to the Ontario Government.

The government is investing $4.9 billion over four years to boost direct resident care to an average of four hours daily by increasing care staff by more than 27,000 people.

Hiring thousands of new staff at long-term homes and increasing the amount of care they deliver each year will be made possible by annual funding increases to homes:

•  $270 million in 2021-22

•  $673 million in 2022-23

•  $1.25 billion in 2023-24

•  $1.82 billion in 2024-25

Fairhaven is seeking applications for new employees as a result of the funding announcement.

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Hometown PTBO: Jordan Barrie On His 17 Tenure at PRHC and His Father Being an Iconic Lacrosse Goaltender

This week on Hometown PTBO, we talk with PRHC patient transfer attendant Jordan "Jordie" Barrie about his 17 years with the hospital and his close friendship with Mark Hubble.

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