ABSTRACT
In the wake of COVID-19, Canadian federal and provincial governments implemented gathering restrictions to prevent or limit its spread. These restrictions significantly impacted where Canadians spend their time, how they do so and with whom. Prior to the pandemic, people living with dementia (PLWD) and the family members, friends, and neighbours who support their care already encountered physical, health, and social challenges relating to participation in private and public places. Under pandemic conditions, these challenges were magnified and contributed to differences in the ways community was understood and practiced. A rapid research project in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada, exploring COVID-19-related changes to community-based dementia care supports and services highlighted changes toward places of residence, public places, and virtual settings through interviews with unpaid caregivers of PLWD. Findings demonstrated a shift in activities and experiences associated with places during COVID-19 restrictions and lockdown measures. From what home means to community places and virtual places, this article considers the ways in which COVID-19 restrictions and measures are redefining the meanings and significance of places for unpaid caregivers of PLWD in the province of Nova Scotia in Atlantic Canada.
ABSTRACT
Access to Justice issues have shown us that our traditional adversarial dispute resolution model is slow, costly, divisive and complex - for both self represented litigants and those with lawyers. Addressing these issues through the provision of information to litigants has not been enough. Family Justice reports speak of the need for "culture change" and judicial leadership in affecting change. Judges have created options to the traditional adversarial model with processes such as Settlement Conferences, Binding Settlement Conferences, Informal Trials and Case Management. COVID19 has "forced" courts to embrace Virtual and telephone proceedings. There are now choices in Court based, Judicially-run dispute resolution processes. Nova Scotia's Supreme Court, Family Division has a process "add" - an eCourt Pilot instituting an electronic, chat-based Court process that gives litigants and Judges a new "choice" of process. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
Purpose: FoodNOW (Food to eNhance Our Wellness) engaged in assessment of simulated households that include a person living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Nova Scotia to determine if a basic nutritious diet is affordable.Methods: We used supermarket websites to cost food and beverage items listed in the National Nutritious Food Basket (NNFB) for simulated households, each with a PLWHA. Food costing methodologies were co-developed and adapted with community members in response to barriers presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.Results: We found that simulated households, each with one PLWHA, that had a potential deficit after monthly expenses were a household of four on Income Assistance (-$1,058.70), a lone mother with two children on Income Assistance (-$973.65), a lone man on Income Assistance (-$677.40), and a household of four with one minimum-wage earner (-$383.45).Conclusions: Nova Scotia households with a PLWHA living on Income Assistance or with a minimum-wage earner cannot reasonably afford a nutritious diet in addition to basic household expenses. Using these food costing data can allow dietitians to efficiently inform government action and policy change to improve the health and wellness of individuals and families.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , HIV Infections , Male , Child , Humans , Nova Scotia , Pandemics , Diet , Food SupplyABSTRACT
This article examines the experiences of the nonprofit, homeless-serving sector during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative interviews were conducted with staff and volunteers from frontline organizations in the two largest communities in Nova Scotia, Canada. Participants reported much strain on their organizations' human resources, but also the ability to adjust service delivery mechanisms quickly in order to continue offering supports. Most reported greater in-kind contributions from businesses and community members as well as more funding from the federal government in particular, albeit with administrative burdens and defined timelines. Nonprofits played a leadership role in developing responses to serve the needs of those experiencing home-lessness, including developing comfort centres, installing portable toilets in downtown locations, and moving those without housing into hotels. They also advocated to government for state-level responses to those without housing, including calls to invest in new units and enhance funding for frontline service providers. At the same time, nonprofits reported working across sectors, noting better communication and relationships with state actors as well as other nonprofit organizations as a result of their COVID-19 response.
ABSTRACT
In the Canadian Maritimes, many beekeepers rent honey bee, Apis mellifera Linnaeus (Hymenoptera: Apidae), hives to growers of lowbush blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium (Ericaceae), for pollination services. Anecdotally, hives have less vigour following pollination, potentially due to higher Nosema spp. (Nosematidae) spore loads, the microsporidian causing nosemosis. We undertook a study to determine whether sending honey bee hives to lowbush blueberry fields for pollination (blueberry hives) results in higher Nosema spp. spore loads relative to hives remaining in apiaries (home hives). Nosema spp. spore loads were quantified using light microscopy. Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae were differentiated using polymerase chain reaction and sequencing. Nosema spp. spore loads were greatest in April and May and declined to low levels from June to September. Ninety-eight per cent of Nosema detections were positive for N. ceranae. In April, blueberry hives had a lower spore load than home hives did;however, in June, spore loads were significantly higher in blueberry hives. No other differences in Nosema spp. spore loads were observed between hive types. We conclude that Nosema ceranae is the dominant Nosema species in the Canadian Maritimes and that using hives for lowbush blueberry pollination does not appear to influence long-term Nosema spp. spore loads.
ABSTRACT
Background: The global COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a dramatic re-alignment of clinical service delivery. In mid-March 2020 the Division of Digestive Care and Endoscopy at Dalhousie University leveraged eHealth technology to rapidly implemented a new referral management and triage system and established a new rapid outpatient consultation service to facilitate urgent virtual and face-to-face appointments. Standardized procedures for triaging, booking, and staffing the urgent gastroenterology consultation service were implemented. Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the implementation of a standardized triage and consultation process on access to urgent gastroenterology consultative services at a single tertiary care center during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We performed a pre- and post-implementation study comparing efficiency metrics for urgent triage and urgent consultation. The pre-implementation cohort included all patients referred and triaged to an urgent clinic appointment between April 1, 2019 to September 30, 2019. The post-implementation cohort included all patients referred and triaged to an urgent clinic appointment between April 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020. Healthcare efficiency data was extracted through electronic record review with specific dates and times for referral receipt (a), triage completion (b), appointment wait-listing (c), and clinic appointment (d). The time to triage (TT), time to visit (TV), and total time to consult (TC) were calculated (TT = c - a;TV = d - c;TC = TT + TV) for each patient. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare TT, TV, CT between patient cohorts. Results: A total of 429 patients were booked for urgent clinic consultation, 176 during the pre-implementation period and 253 in the post-implementation period. The mean TT for the pre-and post-implementation cohorts was 4.8 days and 3.3 days, respectively (U=18,149, p=0.001). Mean TV was decreased from 16.2 days for the pre-implementation cohort to 3.6 days for the post-implementation cohort (U=6095, p=0.000). The mean time from a referral being received to the patient being seen in consultation (TC) decreased by 67% from 21 days to 6.9 days, Figure 1 (U=6,419, p=0.000). Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on healthcare delivery in Nova Scotia. One positive result is that it facilitated the motivation and alignment needed to make a large health system change that may not have otherwise been possible. This study demonstrates that a standardized pathway for urgent outpatient gastroenterology assessment improves the timeliness of care delivery.
ABSTRACT
Background: The COVID-2019 pandemic continues to restrict access to endoscopy, resulting in delays or cancellation of non-urgent endoscopic procedures. A delay in the removal or exchange of plastic biliary stents may lead to stent occlusion with consensus recommendation of stent removal or exchange at three-month intervals [1-4]. We postulated that delayed plastic biliary stent removal (DPBSR) would increase complication rates. Aims: We aim to report our single-centre experience with complications arising from DPBSR. Methods: This was a retrospective, single-center, observational cohort study. All subjects who had ERCP-guided plastic biliary stent placement in Halifax, Nova Scotia between Dec 2019 and June 2020 were included in the study. DPBSR was defined as stent removal >=90 days from insertion. Four endpoints were assigned to patients: 1. Stent removed endoscopically, 2. Died with stent in-situ (measured from stent placement to documented date of death/last clinical encounter before death), 3. Pending removal (subjects clinically well, no liver enzyme elevation, not expired, endpoint 1 Nov 2020), and 4. Complication requiring urgent reintervention. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to represent duration of stent patency (Fig.1). Results: 102 (47.2%) had plastic biliary stents placed between 2/12/2019 and 29/6/2020. 49 (48%) were female, and the median age was 68 (R 16-91). Median follow-up was 167.5 days, 60 (58.8%) subjects had stent removal, 12 (11.8%) died before replacement, 21 (20.6%) were awaiting stent removal with no complications (median 230d, R 30-332), 9 (8.8%) had complications requiring urgent ERCP. Based on death reports, no deaths were related to stent-related complications. 72(70.6%) of patients had stents in-situ for >= 90 days. In this population, median time to removal was 211.5d (R 91-441d). 3 (4.2%) subjects had stent-related complications requiring urgent ERCP, mean time to complication was 218.3d (R 94-441). Stent removal >=90 days was not associated with complications such as occlusion, cholangitis, and migration (p=1.0). Days of stent in-situ was not associated with occlusion, cholangitis, and migration (p=0.57). Sex (p=0.275), cholecystectomy (p=1.0), cholangiocarcinoma (p=1.0), cholangitis (p=0.68) or pancreatitis (p=1.0) six weeks prior to ERCP, benign vs. malignant etiology (p=1.0) were not significantly associated with stent-related complications. Conclusions: Plastic biliary stent longevity may have been previously underestimated. The findings of this study agree with CAG framework recommendations [5] that stent removal be prioritized as elective (P3). Limitations include small sample size that could affect Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Despite prolonged indwelling stent time as a result of COVID-19, we did not observe an increased incidence of stent occlusion or other complications.
ABSTRACT
In the spring of 2020, African Nova Scotians were faced with two emerging pandemics: the ongoing pandemic of anti-Black racism, and the pandemic of COVID-19. The Association of Black Social Workers created a response specific to the needs of African Nova Scotians, employing the six practice principles of Africentric social work. They established a partnership with community and government partners to manage a phone line to triage based on need, and a virtual community check-in to connect about the pressing Black Lives Matter movement. This paper contextualizes the historic and current systemic racial inequities faced by African Nova Scotians within the context of the current public health emergency, and the need for an equitable, community-based emergency response. This specialized, Africentric service provision model can be used to inform the development of emergency responses for other Black communities in Canada.Alternate :Au printemps 2020, les Néo-Écossais d’origine africaine ont été confrontés à deux pandémies émergentes : la pandémie continuelle de racisme anti-Noir et la pandémie de la COVID-19. L ’Association of Black Social Workers a créé une réponse spécifique aux besoins des Néo-Écossais d’origine africaine, en utilisant les six principes d’intervention du travail social afrocentrique. Elle a établi un partenariat avec des partenaires communautaires et gouvernementaux pour gérer une ligne téléphonique de triage en fonction des besoins, et une communauté virtuelle permettant de rester connecter au sujet du mouvement « La vie des Noirs compte » (Black Lives Matter). Ce document met en contexte les inégalités raciales systémiques, historiques et actuelles, auxquelles sont confrontés les Néo-Écossais d’origine africaine dans le contexte de l’urgence sanitaire actuelle, et la nécessité de mesures d’urgence équitables et communautaires. Ce modèle de prestation de services afrocentriques spécialisés peut être utilisé pour éclairer l’élaboration de mesures d’urgence pour les autres communautés noires du Canada.
ABSTRACT
Background The COVID-19 global pandemic has been associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Rapid adaptation of approaches to clinical management as well as policy decisions in relation to implementation of vaccination programs for persons living with IBD has been required throughout the pandemic. To meet the sudden demand of large scale public health-mandated COVID-19 vaccine education for patients living with IBD in Nova Scotia a novel, evidence-based, virtualCOVID-19 vaccine educational intervention was developed, implemented, and evaluated. Methods This was a prospective, observational, cross sectional, implementation-effectiveness study conducted at the NSCIBDprogram between April-July 2021. The educational intervention consisted of a standardized email outlining evidence relating to risks and benefits of COVID-19 vaccinations. The intervention was offered to all patients contacting the NSCIBD program with questions or concerns about the vaccine. During one-on-one virtual visits, standardized and evidence-basedinformation was provided by a gastroenterologist or IBD nurse practitioner. Following the session, an anonymous questionnaire (NoviSurvey) evaluated key implementation metrics including satisfaction, appropriateness, usefulness, perceived impact on knowledge and vaccine hesitancy, willingness to participate in future sessions, and recommendations for improvement. Descriptive analyses were conducted, with group means expressed as proportions for categorical variables and means for numerical variables. Results A total of 265 patients were invited to participate in the online survey, with a response rate of 49% (131/265). Before the session, 48.9% (64/131) expressed COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and 26% (35/131) expressed concerns relating to risks versus benefits of COVID-19 vaccines. Ninety-one percent (119/ 131) of respondents found the education program to be helpful and 92% (121/131) indicated there was no information perceived to be lacking from the session. Following the intervention, the proportion of those willing to get vaccinated rose from 61% to 86.3%. Only 1.5% (2/ 131) indicated that they would likely not get vaccinated. Most participants (77%, 101/131) found the written and virtually administered educational content to be satisfactory and 88% (115/131) were willing to participate in similar virtual education offerings in the future. Conclusion Implementation of an evidence-based, multidisciplinary COVID-19 vaccination education intervention delivered using a virtual platform was perceived to be feasible, acceptable, and effective by IBD patients. Further research on innovative, evidence-based, multidisciplinary educational interventions and the impact of these interventions on IBD clinical outcomes are needed.
ABSTRACT
The Wabanaki Two-Spirit Alliance, a regional Two-Spirit organization, administered an online survey in May of 2020 to identify priorities and concerns of Two-Spirit individuals and Indigenous 2SLGBTQQIA+ people in Atlantic Canada during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The respondents (n = 149) shared health concerns including deterioration(s) of mental health (56.32%). They described mental health supports (68.42%), health supports for Two-Spirit individuals (57.89%), healing gatherings (46.05%) and trans-specific supports (44.74%) as interventions in fostering Two-Spirit health. The Alliance's immediate response was to develop community-led responses to address urgent concerns. Our key promising practice has been hosting Two-Spirit gatherings as community-based health/cultural supports;the gatherings also serve as an opportunity for the Alliance to consult the Two-Spirit community about priorities and concerns. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Alliance explored ways to keep the TwoSpirit community united by maintaining social support(s). We designed a survey that provided essential feedback, resulting in the Alliance shifting priorities toward developing methods of bringing Two-Spirit people together safely by virtual means;seeking sustainable resources to address emerging health concerns;and increasing the Alliance's capacity development.
ABSTRACT
Recent research on the effects of school cancellations because of snow or storms confirms what school authorities in Canada and the United States have understood for some time: missed school days have a detrimental effect upon student learning. Disrupted instructional time and student learning have been analyzed in Massachusetts and in policy studies conducted in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. One 2012 study in Massachusetts showed a strong relationship between student absences and achievement, but little or no impact attributable to inclement-weather school closures. Yet on balance, most research studies link school-day cancellations with declining student test scores. This research note assesses the impact of storm closings in Nova Scotia between the school years 2008-2009 and 2017-2018. There, the number of snow days is normally double that of Massachusetts and reported rates of student absenteeism are higher. This study assesses the ‘accumulative effect’ of missing whole school days, planned and unplanned, on student mathematics scores and high-school completion, and it proposes a some policy responses. Some consideration is given also to the profound impact of COVID-19 school disruptions and remote learning experiments on the changing policy landscapes in both Nova Scotia and Massachusetts.
ABSTRACT
Some Canadian farms produce fox or chinchilla fur, but their numbers are dwarfed by the number of mink farms.2 In a similar vein, trapping is a fur-gathering practice that continues to exist in Canada to some extent, but it predominantly occurs in other areas of the country and is not discussed in this paper.3 Second, this paper does not explore the animal rights theory that it is inherently unethical for humans to use animals as resources. Enterprising farmers began to move with greater frequency into Canada's burgeoning fur farming sector.9 A group of mink farmers established themselves in Nova Scotia's Digby County during the 1930s.10 The availability of fish and eels made this a logical location to capture, breed, and raise the carnivorous and semi-aquatic mammals.11 The Nova Scotia Mink Breeders' Association formed in 1938,12 and its farmers reaped high profits as mink became the fur en vogue in the years following the Second World War.13 The Digby farmers followed in the footsteps of the Prince Edward Island ranchers who developed so many fox farming techniques. In practice, only one Canadian fur farmer has been convicted of violating this provision.20 The Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Farmed Mink (the "Code") is a publication offering a detailed set of guidelines for the proper treatment of mink.21 However, animal law scholars have criticized this Code, along with others crafted by the National Farm Animal Care Council, for being of indeterminate legal force.22 These Codes are also flawed because they are written by farm operators rather than independent third parties.23 Nova Scotia has enacted more legislation that applies to fur farming than any other province. The Fur Industry Regulations focus on the adverse environmental impacts of mink farming.30 The Regulations address topics like feces and carcass disposal and soil tests.
ABSTRACT
Saving Blood Product in Nova Scotia Dr. Calvino Cheng, a staff hematopathologist at Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre (QEII), the centre's former Blood Transfusion Director and current Director of Pathology Informatics, and Professor in the Department of Pathology at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has developed an algorithm in conjunction with his colleague Dr. Jason Quinn, the Blood Transfusion Director at Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre. Theywere motivated to look at a strategy to minimize expired red blood cell units in the hospital's blood bank and improve the efficienc of the red cell inventory ordering process. The automated algorithm calculates the number of red blood cell units to be ordered from Canadian Blood Services based on both retrospective daily use and prospectively based on hemoglobin values on all patients in the hospital system. Bridging a Physical Gap for Patient Care in Alberta It was at a medical conference in late 2019 when Wade Hawkins, principal investigator at the Southern Alberta Institute for Technology's Centre for Innovation and Research in Unmanned Systems, had an informal chat with infectious diseases physician Dr. John Conly, a professor in the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary in Calgary, Alberta, about the concept of using drones to deliver medical supplies to remote First Nations communities.
ABSTRACT
For almost 60 years, the Canadian Tax Foundation published an annual monograph, Finances of the Nation, and its predecessor, The National Finances. In a change of format, the 2014 Canadian Tax Journal introduced a new "Finances of the Nation" feature, which presents annual surveys of provincial and territorial budgets and topical articles on taxation and public expenditures in Canada. This article surveys the 2021-22 provincial and territorial budgets. The underlying data for the Finances of the Nation monographs and for the articles in this journal will be published online in the near future.
ABSTRACT
Background: The COVID-19 global pandemic has been associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Rapid adaptation of approaches to clinical management as well as policy decisions in relation to implementation of vaccination programs for persons living with IBD has been required throughout the pandemic. To meet the sudden demand of large scale public health-mandated COVID-19 vaccine education for patients living with IBD in Nova Scotia a novel, evidence-based, virtual COVID-19 vaccine educational intervention was developed, implemented, and evaluated. Methods: This was a prospective, observational, cross sectional, implementation-effectiveness study conducted at the NSCIBD program between April-July, 2021. The educational intervention consisted of a standardized email outlining evidence relating to risks and benefits of COVID-19 vaccinations. The intervention was offered to all patients contacting the NSCIBD program with questions or concerns about the vaccine. During one-on-one virtual visits, standardized and evidence-based information was provided by a gastroenterologist or IBD nurse practitioner. Following the session, an anonymous questionnaire (NoviSurvey) evaluated key implementation metrics including satisfaction, appropriateness, usefulness, perceived impact on knowledge and vaccine hesitancy, willingness to participate in future sessions, and recommendations for improvement. Descriptive analyses were conducted, with group means expressed as proportions for categorical variables and means for numerical variables. Results: A total of, 265 patients were invited to participate in the online survey, with a response rate of, 49% (131/265). Before the session, 48.9% (64/131) expressed COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and, 26% (35/131) expressed concerns relating to risks versus benefits of COVID- 19 vaccines. Ninety-one percent (119/131) of respondents found the education program to be helpful and, 92% (121/131) indicated there was no information perceived to be lacking from the session. Following the intervention, the proportion of those willing to get vaccinated rose from, 61% to, 86.3%. Only, 1.5% (2/131) indicated that they would likely not get vaccinated. Most participants (77%, 101/131) found the written and virtually administered educational content to be satisfactory and, 88% (115/131) were willing to participate in similar virtual education offerings in the future. Conclusion: Implementation of an evidence-based, multidisciplinary COVID-19 vaccination education intervention delivered using a virtual platform was perceived to be feasible, acceptable, and effective by IBD patients. Further research on innovative, evidence-based, multidisciplinary educational interventions and the impact of these interventions on IBD clinical outcomes are needed.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION/HYPOTHESIS: Proning critically ill patients presents risk to both patient and healthcare provider. In response to challenges with proning COVID-19 patients, the Apparatus and Method for Moving a Patient (AMMP) device was developed to facilitate the proning of patients while minimizing risk to the patient or the healthcare team. Using healthy participants as patient volunteers, this study sought to determine if the AMMP makes it easier, quicker, and safer to prone patients compared to using the standard approach. METHODS: In this preclinical feasibility study, healthy participants were recruited to participate as patient volunteers at 2 ICUs in Nova Scotia (QEII Health Sciences Centre, Cape Breton Regional Hospital). Education on how to use the AMMP was provided prior to performing the movements. Healthcare providers in the ICUs including physicians, nurses, and respiratory therapists used the AMMP to move participants from supine to prone and vice versa, up/ down and/or to lateral position. Paper-based surveys were administered to patient volunteers and healthcare providers upon completion of the movements. RESULTS: In all, 10 patient volunteers and 23 healthcare providers completed surveys. The majority of volunteers were aged 18-35 years (7/10;70%) and weighed 61-90 kg (6/10;60%). None of the volunteers reported being injured while being repositioned using the AMMP, and none of the providers reported any strain or injury to a volunteer or to a team member. Among providers, 91.3% (21/23) felt the AMMP was easy to apply to patients, 100% (23/23) found it easy to adjust strap length, and 100% (23/23) found it was easy to remove after the movement was completed. Compared to prone positioning using the standard approach, 100% (23/23) providers felt that using the AMMP was safer for the healthcare team and 96% (22/23) felt it was safer for the patient. All providers (23/23;100%) agreed physical demands were reduced using the AMMP, and 96% (22/23) agreed it took less time to complete prone positioning and required fewer providers to prone and reposition the patient volunteers. CONCLUSIONS: Volunteers felt comfortable and secure being proned and repositioned in the AMMP. Healthcare providers in the ICU found the AMMP easier to use and less physically demanding compared to their standard approach to proning.
ABSTRACT
Government-led legislation is a key strategy to reduce plastic pollution;however, societal perception can heavily influence government intervention for environmental issues. To understand the public acceptability of government action to reduce plastic pollution, we examine the perception of existing and upcoming legislative action on single-use plastics (SUPs) by means of a structured survey with additional semi-structured interviews. Our focus is on the four Atlantic provinces of Canada, which was the first region in Canada to implement provincial-wide legislation for plastic reduction at the consumer level in 2019. Results show strong public support (77%, n = 838) for bans of SUP bags at the consumer level, and for further plastic pollution reduction legislation. However, the level of support differed between regions and by demographics. Semi-structured interviews show that decision makers should increase efforts in raising consumer awareness and standardizing regulations across jurisdictions for smoother transitions prior to legislative action.
ABSTRACT
The central question grappled with in this paper is: How can the University of The Gambia (UTG) be renewed in the post-Covid-19 era in a way that will enable it to reclaim its space in the international higher education landscape? To answer this question, this conceptual paper relies on document study, interdisciplinary discourse analysis and an insiders' perspective. It is argued that the present and future state of UTG can best be understood when located within a historical and international context. While Covid-19 has ruined the academic project at UTG, the establishment of this institution remains a noble idea which deserves to be applauded. With targeted funding and other forms of support especially from the government of Gambia, UTG is well poised to renew and reclaim its space in the international higher education landscape. Theoretically, these recommendations are distilled from the major findings of the research of this paper which has been shaped largely by the decision making approach.
ABSTRACT
Background: During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, an increased need for critical care pharmacist (CCP) coverage in the two medical/surgical intensive care units (ICUs) at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre (QEII HSC) in Halifax, Nova Scotia was identified. Description: CCP coverage was expanded in two medical/surgical ICUs from 8 hours per day, 5 days per week excluding holidays to 8 hours per day, 7 days per week including holidays. Action: Workflow within the pharmacy department was rearranged so that two CCPs, on a rotating schedule, provided dedicated clinical coverage to each ICU seven days a week. CCPs were not responsible for dispensary coverage during this time period. Evaluation: A 22 question survey was developed by the research team and distributed to all health care providers (HCP) who work in the medical/surgical ICUs. Survey questions solicited HCP perceptions and opinions on the impact of expanded CCP coverage;importance of 25 evidenceinformed CCP activities was assessed via 5-point Likert scale. Clinical pharmacist output, reported as the number of drug-therapy problems (DTPs) addressed over a 6-week period, was retrospectively evaluated. The majority of respondents agreed/strongly agreed with the following: CCP are integral members of the multidisciplinary healthcare team, CCP play an important role in improving patient outcomes, CCP presence in the unit and on patient care rounds allows HCP to concentrate on their own professional responsibilities, and that the expanded CCP coverage improved patient care. The majority of respondents categorized 23 of the 25 CCP activities as very important. During the 6-week time period, four CCPs addressed 798 DTPs for 140 discreet patients: an average of 5.7 DTPs per patient. Implications: HCPs felt that expanded CCP coverage improved patient care and that evidence-informed CCP activities were very important. Given the perceived impact of CCP in the ICU, novel staffing models are being explored to optimize CCP coverage.