Ontario expands contact management workforce
January 20, 2021
TORONTO – The Ontario government has hired more case managers and contact tracers, building the provincial workforce to 1,600 by February 15, 2021. Along with staff who work in or have been redeployed within public health units, this support brings the total number of case and contact tracers in the province to nearly 5,600 staff. These people are vital in helping to isolate new cases of COVID-19 and stopping the spread of the virus in communities across Ontario.
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EDMONTON – Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD), announced more than $5.5 million in federal support for Alberta-made medical advancements that keep Canadians healthy while contributing to a stronger, more diverse economy.
Four Alberta-based organizations and companies are receiving WD support.
OTTAWA – The federal government is searching for a national system to help manage the distribution and tracking of COVID-19 vaccinations. While hospitals and public health officials have started to administer the vaccines in Canada, Ottawa is anxious to be able to monitor the extent to which the population has been inoculated and to keep tabs on possible side-effects and reactions.
VICTORIA, BC – The province of British Columbia is investigating irregularities in spending and management that have been reported at the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA). The issue includes procurement of problematic respirators, along with spending on renovations and catering.
OTTAWA – Navdeep Bains (pictured), minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced close to $28 million in research infrastructure support through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI) Exceptional Opportunities Fund. The funding, which covers the urgent need for equipment for ongoing research related to COVID-19, will support 79 projects at 52 universities and research hospitals, colleges, polytechnics and Cégeps across Canada.
TORONTO – Earlier this month, Mélanie Joly (pictured), federal Minister of Economic Development and Minister responsible for FedDev Ontario, announced a FedDev Ontario investment of $13.4 million for four Toronto-based organizations to advance healthcare innovation.
NORTH BAY, Ont. – The Ontario government is investing $149,200 from the Ontario Together Fund in MetricAid’s physician scheduling solution to help physicians link their availability and expertise with needed hospitals and clinics, while reducing administrative burden so healthcare providers can focus on their patients.
OTTAWA – The federal government has quietly re-launched its international pandemic surveillance and alert system, known as the Global Public Health Intelligence Network (GPHIN). The agency is again issuing alerts about serious disease outbreaks for the first time since May 2019, when it was effectively shut down.
TORONTO – The Ontario Bioscience Innovation Organization (OBIO), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing health technology innovation and commercialization, has announced the launch of the first eight Early Adopter Health Network (EAHN) innovation projects.