October 17th Weekly Update

Even More Convenient Care Coming to Close to Home Coming to Communities Across Ontario

The Ontario government is making it more convenient for people to connect to care closer to home by allowing pharmacists to treat and prescribe medications for an additional six common medical ailments. This is in addition to the 13 common ailments that pharmacists have already been prescribing for since January 1, 2023.

“Expanding the list of common ailments pharmacists can treat, people will now get faster, more convenient access to the care they need closer to home, while helping to further reduce wait times at our community clinics and hospitals,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Pharmacist prescribing has been a huge success and Ontario is now one of the leading jurisdictions in Canada in providing convenient health care services through pharmacies.”

Since October 1st, people will be able to visit a local pharmacy to receive prescriptions for:

• acne;
• canker sores;
• diaper rash;
• yeast infections;
• parasitic worms (pinworms and threadworms); and
• nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.

This is in addition to the 13 common ailments pharmacists have been able to treat since January 1, 2023:

• hay fever (allergic rhinitis);
• oral thrush (candidal stomatitis);
• pink eye (conjunctivitis; bacterial, allergic and viral);
• dermatitis (atopic, eczema, allergic and contact);
• menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea);
• acid reflux (gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD));
• hemorrhoids;
• cold sores (herpes labialis);
• impetigo;
• insect bites and hives;
• tick bites (post-exposure prophylaxis to prevent Lyme disease);
• sprains and strains (musculoskeletal); and
• urinary tract infections (UTIs).

Since the start of this year, 89 per cent of Ontario’s pharmacies have been treating common ailments, providing over 400,000 assessments. Stopping by a local pharmacy saves people a trip to the doctor’s office and gives family doctors more time to help people who need more specialized care.

As with visiting a family physician or walk-in clinic, Ontarians can receive a prescription from a pharmacist for common ailments with just their Ontario health card. The cost of the medication being prescribed will continue to be paid for by people directly or through their drug benefits plan.

Recent changes by the province also allow pharmacists to administer certain injection and inhalation treatments so that they can better care for people who need help taking certain medications, such as insulin, vitamin B12, or osteoporosis treatment. Ontarians can now access this service at their local pharmacy for a professional fee, similar to fees to receive travel vaccines.

This work is part of Ontario’s Your Health Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, which focuses on providing people with a better health care experience by connecting them to more convenient options closer to home, while shortening wait times for key services across the province and growing the health care workforce for years to come.

Working together with Ontario Health, the province has already approved 57 out of 58 Ontario Health Teams across the province that over time will help people experience easier transitions from one provider to another, with one patient record and one care plan being shared between providers. To support this work, the government is investing over $128.2 million to provide every Ontario Health Team with $2.2 million over three years to better coordinate people’s care.

As a next step, the legislation introduced earlier this month, if passed, would establish a new, single organization called Ontario Health atHome that would take on responsibility for coordinating all home care services across the province through Ontario Health Teams. These changes will make it easier for people to connect to the home care services they need. Instead of navigating a complex system and waiting for a call at home, through Ontario Health atHome, Ontario Health Teams will be a one-stop shop that provides people with easy-to-understand home care plans that let them know the care they are going to receive and when before going home from hospital.

Ontario Health atHome care coordinators would be assigned to work within Ontario Health Teams and other front-line care settings. They also work alongside care providers like doctors and nurses, and directly with patients while in the hospital or in other care settings to facilitate seamless transitions for people from hospital or primary care to home care services.

An initial group of 12 Ontario Health Teams have been chosen to accelerate their work to deliver home care in their local communities starting in 2025. With support from the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health, these teams will start by focusing on seamlessly transitioning people experiencing chronic disease through their primary care, hospital, and home and community care needs.

Overall, the EQAO results are showing gains in reading, writing and math scores. Math achievement is trending upward across all grade levels in both English and French, including between 2 to 5 percentage point increases in Grade 6 and Grade 9 math. At the same time, literacy achievement is stable or increased across grade levels, including improved literacy success rates on the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) among first-time eligible Grade 10 students. Similar to testing in other Canadian jurisdictions, Ontario EQAO results show stability and moderate gains, which stem directly from kids being back in the classroom without disruption and targeted supports focused on lifting literacy and math competencies.

Ontario has implemented new student supports, new historic investments and a modernized curriculum. For the 2023-24 school year, the government is investing more than $27 billion to school boards. With $700 million more in base education funding than last year, Ontario students are benefiting from access to 2,000 more educators, including teachers with specialized expertise in literacy instruction, doubling math coaches in classrooms, a Math Lead in every school board and the creation and deployment of a Math Action Team to underperforming school boards to drive change and improve math achievement.

As EQAO results show, the government continues to make the case that stable in-person learning, with a renewed focus on literacy and STEM education will lead to positive mental, developmental, physical health and long-term academic success. Ontario is ensuring students are graduating with foundational skills for the jobs of tomorrow.

This $42 million investment in 2023-24 through the COHB program will assist approximately 4,000 new households, helping move more people into housing and free up existing shelter spaces in impacted communities. Of the $42 million, $26.4 million will be allocated to the City of Toronto reflective of its share of asylum claimants and impact on local services. The province continues to advocate strongly for Ontario municipalities and service managers to ensure they receive their fair share of federal funding to address the significant, ongoing rise in asylum claimants.

Asylum claimants are individuals seeking asylum in Canada based on a fear of persecution in their home country. They are ineligible for most federal support programs, such as financial assistance and settlement and language training services. They are different from persons who arrive in Canada having already been recognized as refugees, whose arrival to Canada as permanent residents allows them to qualify for federal supports.

“This investment will help refugee claimants and unhoused people move into permanent, stable housing so they can rebuild their lives. It will relieve the pressure on Toronto’s shelter system and the many generous churches, community organizations and regular Torontonians who have stepped up to support asylum seekers,” said Olivia Chow, Mayor of Toronto. “All levels of government have a role to play in supporting asylum seekers. The Ontario government is stepping up and I invite the federal government to join us as well.”