NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS ARCHIVE

With the increasing positivity cases of Covid in our community, we are asking that ALL CLIENTS attend visits alone, partners will not be permitted in-clinic effective immediately. Please remain in your vehicle until your midwife calls you into the office for your scheduled appointment.

We ask that you wear your mask when your midwife is visiting you for your home visits and that you refrain from entertaining guests during these visits. This helps keep your midwife healthy and able to continue to care for you.
We appreciate the sacrifices everyone is making to help us navigate these difficult times.

Thank you for your co-operation.

#covid19#coronavirus

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Vaccination in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding Patient Decision-Making Tool PDF:
https://www.accessmidwives.com/downloads/covid-19-vaccination-pregnancy-decision-making-support-tool.pdf


Recommendations for Special Populations PDF:
https://www.accessmidwives.com/downloads/covid-19-vaccination-rec-special-populations.pdf
 
To help, we added some new vaccination in pregnancy links and pdf documents to our website.
Click the link below.
 
https://www.accessmidwives.com/links.html

#covid19#vaccination#pregnancy

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As of April 23, all pregnant individuals can register for COVID19 vaccination appointments under the “highest risk” health conditions in Phase Two of the province’s vaccine rollout.

Pregnant individuals living in a public health unit using the provincial booking system can call the provincial call centre at 1-888-999-6488 to book their appointment.

Pregnant individuals who are in a public health unit not using the provincial booking system should contact their local public health unit to book an appointment.

https://bit.ly/3aIpLA0

#covid19#vaccination

Bernie Approved 👍!
Here's a special message from our midwife Sarah Tichborne and Bernie Sanders.

We all need to do our part to help stop or slow down the spread of the COVID-19.
Our midwives are our frontline workers.

See our news section on our website for up to date information about our response to the COVID-19 crisis.

#berniesanders#covid19

We ask that you refrain from entertaining guests during these visits.

All clients when visiting our clinic must wear a mask for their entire visit.
At this time we ask that you attend your visit alone, partners may only attend virtually.

#covid19#wearyourmask

Thank you!

#covidsafety#covid19

If you are planning on attending an appointment in our clinic we ask that you please wear a face mask and that you come alone to your visit to reduce the risk of spreading Coronavirus. Thank you!

#covid19#coronavirus#socialdistancing

Thank you to PAUL from CONQUER COVID 19 TEAM for delivering and generously donating masks to keep our midwives safe!

#conquer#conquercovid19#ppe

We want to thank Eszter for sharing this message with us. Eszter said the following "Just had my first baby at McMaster with Simone (team purple) and saw this today and thought it was SO beautifully written. Made me think of all the midwives helping mamas bring their sweet little babies into the world during these difficult times 💙" 

#covid19#hamiltonmidwives#mcmaster

#ppe#covid19#faceshields

Check out this website that answers the most commonly asked questions related to pregnancy and COVID-19. Please keep in mind that information is changing daily, so you should always consult your own doctor or midwife for the most up-to-date info and recommendations specific to your area.
https://www.pregnancycovid19.com/frequently-asked-questions.html

#faq #covid19 #coronavirus

The health of our clients, midwives, and the office staff is our top priority. We will be offering phone and virtual visits where appropriate for clients who are unable to attend regular clinic visits. We will still have in-clinic visits also! Not all visits will be done by phone. We will do at least 8 in-person visits unless the client is uncomfortable coming in. We are also available by phone for extra support as needed and hopefully, we can do some virtual visits on top of the 8 clinic visits once we are set up with telemedicine as a secure video source for medical information exchange. We are adopting the WHO prenatal schedule for visits and will adjust as necessary depending on each individual client's needs. We won't be compromising care during this time. 

#covid19#socialdistancing#virtualmeetings

Here's a special message from our midwife Sarah Tichborne. Please practice social distancing to protect our midwives, yourself, and your family. We need our midwives to stay healthy. They are our frontline workers. Please do your part and stay home and stay safe. While it may be disappointing to hear about social distancing, there is a public health reason for these measures. We all need to do our part to help stop or slow down the spread of the COVID-19.

#covid19#coronavirus#socialdistancing#frontlineworkers

Make sure you check out the COVID-19 self-assessment tool for Ontarians.
Self-assessment tool
https://covid-19.ontario.ca/self-assessment/

#covid19#coronavirus#selfassessmenttool

While we are awaiting further guidance from the Public Health Agency of Canada for health care professionals who are pregnant. We have consulted with our Infectious Disease Committee and, at this time, conclude there is no evidence that women who are pregnant experience more severe symptoms when ill (unlike with H1N1)

The pregnancy outcomes of the reported cases have been largely good, with spontaneous and iatrogenic preterm labour being the most commonly reported adverse pregnancy outcomes. One stillbirth has been reported and this occurred in the only case of severe maternal illness, reported by Liu et al (1). Given the limited data, it is too early to determine if higher rates of adverse outcomes are expected in pregnant women infected with COVID-19. As with SARS and MERS, pregnancy outcomes are likely to be strongly correlated with degree of maternal illness.

That being said, each woman’s circumstances are different: her pregnancy history, her risk of exposure in her workplace and her health status will all influence her level of risk. If you are a health care professional who is pregnant, we urge you to consult your health care provider and with the occupational health and safety department in your workplace to determine how you can best protect yourself. Personal protective equipment and good hygiene practice remain the foundation for maintaining good health. Additional measures may be advisable on a case-by-case basis.

Dr. Anthony Armson, MD, MSc, FRCSC
President, SOGC

Jennifer Blake, MD MSC FRCSC
Chief Executive Officer, SOGC


1- Liu Y, Chen H, Tang K, Guo Y. Clinical manifestations and outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy. J Infect 2020;

#sogc#covid19#publichealth

Looking for support during this COVID-19 Crisis? Check out this Facebook support group. Find support, news and more by clicking the link.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Hamont.Response.COVID19/

#covid19#coronavirus#supportgroup

As these days bring much uncertainty and concern, please be reassured that as you caregivers we are here to help you through the difficult days that may be ahead.  In response to the COVID-19 pandemic we have taken extra precautions to minimize spread of infection.    We are doing this in effort to keep our community and clients safe.

We will be following the WHO (World Health Organization) evidence-based prenatal scheduling: initial visit at 12 weeks, followed by visits at 20,26,30,34,36,38,40 and 41 weeks gestation.  Timing of all laboratory investigations and ultrasounds will continue as normal.  This schedule will ensure a high quality of care is maintained while decreasing the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in the community.  You may receive a call from your midwife to change a previously scheduled visit.

Before coming to our clinic, we ask all patients to report  to reception if they (or someone in their household) have flu-like symptoms such as fever (over 37.5 degrees Celsius), coughing or difficulty with breathing and/or if they themselves (or someone in their household) have travelled out of country in the past 14 days.   Please contact the clinic if you are living with someone who has been instructed to self-isolate.  

If a client has screened positive for COVID-19 please page your midwife immediately.

We ask that client’s limit the number of support people to accompany them to a clinical visit to just ONE PERSON.  This includes children.  If this is not possible please page your midwife to come up with an alternate plan.

As per recent hospital policies, March 14^th, only ONE PERSON can be with the client on the birthing unit and postpartum ward.   

At Access Midwives we continue to comply with IPAC standards, using hospital grade cleaning supplies, disinfecting examination surfaces and equipment between clients; performing hand hygiene with alcohol based rub or with soap and water before and after contact with a client.  To reduce the risk of spreading infection we have removed all toys and books from our waiting room.

As situations continue to evolve we will continue to update you further.  We all need to work together to stay safe and healthy in the coming days.   Please contact the office if you have any questions or concerns.  Please page your midwife if you have any urgent concerns.

Sincerely,

The Midwives and Staff of ACCESS MIDWIVES

 Important contacts:

Public Health COVID-19 Hotline (905) 546-2424 ext. 7970  https://www.hamilton.ca/public-health/covid-19

Telehealth Ontario 1-866-797-0000         http://www.ontario.ca/page/get-medical-advice-telehealth-ontario

Gov Of Canada    https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19.html

#covid19#publichealth#coronavirus

COVID-19 Update: Pregnant people should engage in usual preventive actions just as they would to avoid the common cold or flu.
The most important thing to do is to wash your hands regularly and effectively as soon as you come from public places to your home or workplace. Avoid close contact with people who are sick, avoid touching your face, clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces and cover your mouth and nose when your cough or sneeze.
 
If you are pregnant and:
-You think you might have coronavirus;
-In the last 14 days you've been outside of Canada or to a country or area with a high risk of coronavirus; (See the Government of Canada's Travel Advice page on their website.) -You've been in close contact with someone with coronavirus; Call Telehealth +1 866-797-0000 or Hamilton Public Health COVID-19 hotline at 905-546-2424 ext. 7970.
 
As always, if you are experiencing symptoms of a cold or flu, please avoid coming into the clinic and contact the office to reschedule your appointment. For any urgent concerns, page your midwife.
 
We are prepared if the spread of COVID-19 affects our staff or clients.
We continue to keep our clinic clean and engage with our community for appropriate planning.
 
For rolling updates on COVID-19 visit the World Health Organization's
website:
https://www.who.int/
DOWNLOAD INFO DOCUMENT

#covid19#coronavirus#tips#telehealth