We often hear about programs,
new and old, that can help our patients and ourselves but don’t
always have the contact information right at hand. Here is a
collection of numbers you can call to find out more about everything
from privacy legislation to mental health services.
- If you haven’t heard of PIPEDA
(the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents
Act, which came into effect for the health care sector on
January 1, 2004) or have put it on the back burner because other
pots are boiling over, give it some attention. It’s a pot that
can explode right in your face at any minute. The CMA mailed
physicians a booklet and a poster for the office. Can’t find it
or know nothing about it? Check the CMA’s web site at cma.ca or
call 1-888-855-2555, ext 2307 for copies. This is important
information for all physicians. Check it out today.
- Do you have an arthritis
patient who needs support? Suggest that they call the Arthritis
Society at 1-800-321-1433, or if you’re in the St. John’s area,
the local number is 579-8190.
- We sometimes forget to check
the feet of our patients with diabetes. The best devise is a 10g
monofilament. It won’t injure and if it can’t be felt it means
the patient has lost protective sensation ability, important
information that we need to know.
- There are a number of mental
health programs and services now available for patients who need
them. The Bridges program is a pilot project for youths aged 16
to 19 and their families who are experiencing a serious, urgent
mental illness/health problem or crisis. Bridges is a brief
intervention/outpatient mental health service. Call 777-7715.
- In February of this year, the
Health Care Corporation of St. John’s made some changes to its
program and opened a short-stay facility at the Waterford
Hospital. The short-stay unit was developed to better serve
patients who require a brief period of stabilization plus
intensive needs assessment to ensure rapid reconnection with the
community. Call 777-3660 for information on the short-stay unit
and to find out more about the Corporation’s mental health
program.
- Don’t forget the 24-hour Mental
Health Crisis Line. That number is 1-888-737-4668.
I’d like to conclude with this
thought from Dr. Ken Nedd: So many people, patients and doctors
alike, report no time for exercise. Tell your patients (and yourself
if necessary) that if they have no time for exercise, they had
better have time to be sick.
Have a rejuvenating if not
restful summer and send in your tips!
Dr. Susan King is a family
physician in St. John’s. |
