RCP Personnel Changes – It’s been very busy at RCP with personnel changes over the last year or so. We have bid a fond farewell to several members of the team. We want to take this opportunity to extend our deepest gratitude to those who’ve retired or have moved on to other opportunities for their years of dedication and commitment to RCP’s work. We wish you the best as you move on to your next chapter.
- Israel Osaighale - Database Administrator
- Joanne Ings - Program Administrative Coordinator
- Barry Campbell - Programmer Analyst / Web Developer
RCP has also a welcomed several new members to the team. We would like to extend a warm welcome to each of the new team members and look forward to working alongside you all.
- Maddie Gallant - Perinatal Nurse Consultant
- Abigail Murano - Program Administrative Coordinator
- Estevam Teixeira - Data Analyst
- Joseph Orji - Programmer Analyst / Web Developer
- Thilina Senevirathne - Database Administrator
- Lynn Kabatay - Health Records Technician
- Oghenekome (Kome) Eboreime - Health Records Technician
Upcoming RCP Fetal Health Surveillance Workshops:
• Fundamentals of FHS Workshop
Date: Tuesday, November 7, 2023 - 08:30 to Wednesday, November 8, 2023 - 13:00
2 - 4.5 hour sessions. November 7 AND 8 from 0830 to 1300 each day.
Spaces are limited. Attendance at all sessions is mandatory.
*Preference is given to perinatal providers in Nova Scotia and participants attending the FHS Instructor Workshop.
• FHS Instructor Workshop
Date: Tuesday, November 7, 2023 - 08:30 to Wednesday, November 15, 2023 - 13:30
4 - 4.5 hour sessions. November 7, 8, 14, AND 15 from 0830 to 1300 each day.
Attendance at all sessions is mandatory.
Updated Early Years Parent Resources – Over the past year, the Loving Care series and Breastfeeding Basics have undergone an extensive content review and update to reflect current Public Health recommendations. Changes were made in coordination with policy, health equity, and content experts. New information and resources have also been added, such as the Provincial Immunization Schedule, new guidelines for safer consumption of alcohol and safe sleep updates, and information about health appointments covered by MSI for vision, dental, hearing and speech. The updated Early Years parent resources can be found online here. Follow your local procedures to obtain hard copies of these resources and please discard any old versions.
Infant Feeding Emergency Preparedness – It’s hurricane season in Nova Scotia! Public Health have recently developed a new resource for parents and caregivers related to emergency preparedness with infant feeding. Infants and young children are especially vulnerable during emergencies. It is important to be prepared with a plan for how to feed infants in the event power is lost, access to clean/running water is impacted, or there’s a need to evacuate. The resource - Infant Feeding Emergency Preparedness for Parents and Caregivers is available here.
New CAPWHN Position Statement Re: Cultural Humility - The Canadian Association of Perinatal and Women’s Health Nurses (CAPWHN) has recently developed a new position statement - Cultural Safety/Humility for Indigenous Health and Care in Canada.. It seeks to address the role that the nursing profession has played in creating the stark inequity in health care access, provision, quality, and outcomes specific to Indigenous Peoples in Canada. It also assists in building health care professionals’ awareness and understanding of cultural safety and humility to construct relationships with Indigenous People and each other to improve care experiences. It also advocates for professionals engaged in perinatal and women’s health nursing to employ cultural safety as a practice to safeguard against neo‐colonial practices in nursing.
Perinatal Mental Health Care Pathway – As part of a Perinatal Mental Health and Wellness Quality Initiative at South Shore Regional hospital the Nova Scotia Care Pathway for the Management of Perinatal Mental Health and Addictions was developed in conjunction with Nova Scotia’s Mental Health and Addictions, Reproductive Mental Health, and the authors of the Primary Care Perinatal Mental Health Toolkit- Primary Care Perinatal Mental Health Toolkit_2022. The pathway has been adapted with permission from Ontario’s Provincial Council for Maternal and Child Health’s document (Care Pathway for the Management of Perinatal Mental Health-Perinatal Mental Health – PCMCH).
The resource is intended to be used as a tool and provides a recommended approach for screening, identification, assessment, treatment, and monitoring for the perinatal population who are struggling with mood and anxiety disorders, grief/loss, addictions, and family violence. This resource guides care providers with:
- Identifying pregnant or postpartum patients who may be experiencing mental health issues
- Assessing the severity of their symptoms,
- Determining the appropriate care and/or treatment, and
- Following individuals through their care journey to ensure that their mental healthcare needs are being met. To access the Perinatal Mental Health Pathway click here.
Breastfeeding Committee for Canada (BCC) National Breastfeeding Week Toolkit - Looking for ideas, resources, or activities to help celebrate National Breastfeeding Week? The new Toolkit has just launched. The theme for this year’s National Breastfeeding Week Toolkit is Enabling Breastfeeding: Working together to make a difference!
Study finds women unaware of the risks associated with cannabis during pregnancy -
A recent Quebec institute of public health (INSPQ) study - Social representations of cannabis use during pregnancy shows that many women are still unaware of the risks.
Recent Publications of Interest – Several publications have been recently released and are now available for your review. The titles with links have been provided below for your information and reading enjoyment:
JOGNN - Prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
JAMA Network - Long-Term Maternal and Child Outcomes Following Postnatal SSRI Treatmen
JOGC - Perinatal Mental Health of Indigenous Pregnant Persons and Birthing Parents During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Noteworthy Professional / Health-Related Awareness Dates:
September
- World Heart Day — September 29
- Orange Shirt Day— September 30
- Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
- Leukodystrophy Awareness Month
- Pain Awareness Month
October
- Treaty Day — October 1
- International Day of Older Persons — October 1
- World Cerebral Palsy Day — October 6
- World Mental Health Day — October 10
- Emergency Nurses Day — October 11
- Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day — October 15
- Pharmacy Technician Day — October 17
- National Mammography Day — October 20
- Brain Cancer Awareness Day — October 24
- World Occupational Therapy Day — October 27
- International Orthopedic Nurses' Day — October 30
- National Breastfeeding Week — October 1–7
- Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Week — October 1–7
- Mental Illness Awareness Week — October 1–7
- Sonography Week — October 3–9
- Medical Device Reprocessing Week — October 8–14
- Emergency Nurses Week — October 8–14
- Perinatal Nurses Week — October 10–16
- National Infection Control Week — October 16–20
- Respiratory Therapy Week — October 23–29
- Canadian Intensive Care Week — October 23–29
- Canadian Patient Safety Week — October 23–27
- International Brain Tumour Awareness Week — October 28–November 4
- Orthopedic Nurses Week — October 30–November 3
- Breast Cancer Awareness Month
- Healthy Workplace Month
- Mi'kmaq History Month
- Occupational Therapy Month
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