We have several things to share with you of interest this fall.
A few reminders:
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1. New and Updated Position Statements
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At our 2018 Spring and Fall Forums, a number of issues were identified that the member groups wished to establish position statements on:
Updated MSM Deferral Policy Position Statement
Our MSM Deferral Policy Position has been updated to support a move to a 3-month deferral period. It can be accessed here.
Paid Plasma Position Statement
We now have a paid plasma position statement, accepted at the September meeting. It can be accessed here.
Blood Product Distribution Position Statement
We now have a position statement on blood product distribution, also accepted at the September meeting. It can be accessed here.
National Pharmacare Position Statement
At the September meeting, the beginnings of a position statement were developed, in alignment with the position of CORD, to support member group representatives participating in consultations. It can be accessed here.
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2. Fall Forum 2018: Vancouver
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Our Fall Forum was in Vancouver this year, September 15-16, piggybacking on the ISH/CHS International Congress, where we were able to have a display booth in the Exhibition Hall, have postcards placed in the delegates' bags, and make connections with hematologists from all over the world.
The minutes from that meeting have been emailed, but they can always be accessed through the member portal of our website, along with slide decks. A reminder that if prompted for a password, it is nrbdo1.
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3. Save the Date! 2019 Spring and Fall Forum Dates
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Through a Doodle Poll earlier this month, we have determined the dates for the 2019 Spring and Fall Forums:
Spring Forum:
April 27-28, 2019, in Toronto
Fall Forum:
November 2-3, 2019, in Toronto
Please add these dates to your calendars!
One of these forums will include presentations and discussions of newer curative therapies that will be of interest across our member groups, the other will be focused on how to develop and advocate for Emergency Room Protocols. More info to follow as the agenda for each is developed.
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4. CORD and SCDAC Conferences: next week in Toronto
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The CORD Forum: Designing A Canadian 21st Century Pharmacare to Optimize Access to 21st Century Therapies, is just days away. Several board members will be in attendance, as well as me (Jennifer) to stay up to date on the latest access issues for rare disorders, and David Page of CHS will be presenting on a Panel about Rare Disease Therapies.
SCDAC will also be hosting their 4th Canadian Conference on Sickle Cell Disease next weekend, with David presenting there on Comprehensive Care, and I'll be attending this event as well.
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5. Senate Bill S-252 regarding Plasma - Next Steps
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You may recall that just before the summer, Senator Pamela Wallin introduced a bill to ban paid plasma donations in Canada. We wrote her and her fellow senators a letter, and then she replied.
Since then, through Biba and the SCDAC, we have been working with Senator Jane Cordy, who has agreed to stand in the Senate and share our perspective. We have been working with her office over the last 3 weeks to prepare these remarks, however the Bill S-252 was sent to committee on Thursday, which may disrupt the planned timeline.
Our intention is to take Senator Wallin up on her offer to present our position in person to the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, of which Senator Cordy is a member.
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6. Solvent Detergent Plasma (SDP)
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Solvent Detergent Plasma, specifically the secondary restrictions around its use, came up again at our meeting in Vancouver, while discussing various access issues with Dr. Tanya Petraszko of CBS. Tanya committed to taking the issues back to her department to find out more.
She sent us this letter earlier this month, stating that the National Advisory Committee on Blood and Blood Products (NAC) was currently preparing a request to the PT BLC on this issue, asking them to formally request a review by CADTH.
NAC is meeting early in November to discuss further, so we wrote them a letter to remind them we are paying attention and waiting for updates. We continue to coordinate with Answering TTP, the Canadian Apheresis Group (CAG), and Octapharma on this issue.
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We have been asked to share the following information with you, which you may choose to also share with your own members:
Are you a patient at Toronto General, Toronto Western, Princess Margaret or Toronto Rehab?
If so, sign up today for the myUHN Patient Portal.
myUHN Patient Portal is a free service and secure website that lets you:
- see your appointments and results as soon as they are ready
- trend your blood work results overtime
- find education resources
- share your health information with others
Get your health record online to:
- prepare for appointments with your health care provider
- track and manage your care
If you have any questions or would like a registration code, please call myUHN Support at 416-340-3777.
Click here to learn more about myUHN.
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