TAIBU Community Health Centre's Proportionate Response to a Disproportionate Pandemic.

Data from the City of Toronto indicate that the majority of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations as of December 2021 were among individuals who identified with a racialized group. In this paper, we summarize how TAIBU Community Health Centre, an organization mandated to serve the Black and Francophone communities in the Greater Toronto Area, prioritized and embedded race-based data collection in order to highlight the specific experiences of Black and racialized communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lessons learned from this work can be used to help support race-based data collection.

Using the quadruple aim to understand the impact of virtual delivery of care within Ontario community health centres: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and introduction of various restrictions resulted in drastic changes to 'traditional' primary healthcare service delivery modalities. AIM: To understand the impact of virtual care on healthcare system performance within the context of Ontario community health centres (CHCs). DESIGN & SETTING: Thematic analysis of qualitative interviews with 36 providers and 31 patients. METHOD: Semi-structured phone interviews were conducted in the autumn of 2020. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed thematically using the quadruple aim framework. RESULTS: The transition to virtual delivery of services has had both positive and negative impacts on care. Virtual care removed certain barriers to care such as access. However, patients and providers found that phone visits impacted quality of care owing to the inability to read body language and having to rely solely on patient descriptions. Video visits allowed for a similar experience to in-person visits but technical issues constrained this interaction. Depending on the service provided, some providers felt they were not providing the same quality of care. However, providers reported reductions in no-show rates and highlighted the efficiency of virtual appointments. Providers also found they were able to collaborate at a similar level before the pandemic and saw improvements in work-life balance. Overall, patients and providers alike preferred virtual visits with those known to them, and for less complex or transactional aspects of care. CONCLUSION: The study described positive and negative impacts on patient care, population health, health system costs, and provider experience. These results will be useful for primary care organisations in post-pandemic planning; however, future research is needed for a deeper exploration of the impact on quality of care specifically for more complex health concerns.

Using Trusted Relationships and Community-Led Approaches to Promote COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence and Uptake across Ontario.

Data underscore how challenging it can be for populations that experience systemic and historical barriers to access necessary health information and services, including COVID-19 vaccinations and testing. In this paper, we describe the initiatives used by member centres of Alliance for Healthier Communities to promote vaccine confidence and uptake, highlight specific examples that applied a health equity lens, describe some of the challenges that centres faced and explore the key enablers for these initiatives. Lessons learned here can be used to engage in other health promoting activities including population health efforts currently under way across the country.

Virtual care in Ontario community health centres: a cross-sectional study to understand changes in care delivery.

BACKGROUND: There has been a large-scale adoption of virtual delivery of primary care as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. AIM: In this descriptive study, an equity lens is used to explore the impact of transitioning to greater use of virtual care in community health centres (CHCs) across Ontario, Canada. DESIGN & SETTING: A cross-sectional survey was administered and electronic medical record (EMR) data were extracted from 36 CHCs. METHOD: The survey captured CHCs' experiences with the increased adoption of virtual care. A longitudinal analysis of the EMR data was conducted to evaluate changes in health service delivery. EMR data were extracted monthly for a period of time before the pandemic (April 2019-February 2020) and during (April 2020-February 2021). RESULTS: In comparison with the pre-pandemic period, CHCs experienced a moderate decline in visits made (11%), patients seen (9%), issues addressed (9%), and services provided (15%). During the pandemic period, an average of 54% of visits were conducted virtually, with telephone as the leading virtual modality (96%). Drops in service types ranged from 28%-82%. The distribution of virtual modalities varied according to the provider type. Access to in-person and virtual care did not vary across patient characteristics. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate a large shift towards virtual delivery while maintaining in-person care. No meaningful differences were found in virtual versus in-person care related to patient characteristics or rurality of centres. Future studies are needed to explore how to best select the appropriate modality for patients and service types.

A Rapid Primary Healthcare Response to COVID-19: An Equity-Based and Systems-Thinking Approach to Care Ensuring that No One Is Left Behind.

Recent data from across the globe show that COVID-19 is disproportionately affecting those who are already adversely impacted by social determinants of health. In this paper, we explore how members of the Alliance for Healthier Communities - comprehensive, salary-based primary care organizations in Ontario - anticipated the same and rapidly responded by adapting their services to ensure continued equitable access to primary care services. Lessons from this project could be adapted in other primary care team-based models or partnerships to ensure ongoing support for populations that are most at risk from COVID-19 and the consequences of restricted access to services.