MD Physician Services Software announced that it is introducing an electronic medical record (EMR) Migration Support Program in Ontario to financially assist physicians transitioning from their current EMR system to PS Suite® EMR. MD is waiving migration fees and will not be charging upfront licence fees. Migration will include all clinical and demographic data ensuring minimal impact to physicians’ practices and patient care. In addition, MD is providing free clinical workflow consulting and system assessment. The EMR Migration Support Program is available until December 31, 2011. Ontario physicians interested in participating can contact MD at 1-800- 361-9151 or visit md.cma.ca/emr.

Canada Health Infoway (Infoway) has launched its ImagineNation Outcomes Challenge, which will accelerate the use of innovative IT solutions with the potential to improve healthcare quality and the patient experience. “The ImagineNation Outcomes Challenge taps into the desire of Canadians and their clinicians to develop and spread innovations that improve healthcare,”saidRichardAlvarez,President and CEO, Canada Health Infoway. The Outcomes Challenge offers more than $1 000 000 in awards to teams whose solutions are used most and those with the strongest growth in users in any of the four Challenge categories: 1) e-scheduling; 2) patient access to health information; 3) medication reconciliation; and 4) clinical synoptic reporting. Challenges are a good way of eliciting and spreading innovation. Infoway has committed to engage in open challenges to encourage broader innovation in a cost-effective and timely way, while fostering a community of innovators across the country. To learn more, visit http:// www.imaginenationchallenge.ca.

The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) and the University of Saskatchewan have opened the International Vaccine Centre (InterVac), one of the world’s most advanced containment facilities. InterVac’s state of-the-art vaccine development will help to address global health issues by contributing to the next generation of innovative vaccines. It will also keep Canada at the forefront of innovative science by training scientists and students from around the world and build upon our national legacy in vaccine development that stretches over a century.

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Clinpro 5000 1.1% Sodium Fluoride Anti-Cavity Toothpaste (NPN 80012416) is now available at Shoppers Drug Mart stores nationwide, in addition to the product’s previous availability through dental professionals. Clinpro 5000 features an advanced formula containing fluoride, calcium, and phosphate, which are components naturally found in saliva. “At 3M ESPE, we’re proud to have offered Clinpro 5000 toothpaste to dental professionals since May 2010,” said Lisa Citton-Battel, Business Manager with 3M ESPE. “Now, patients can further benefit from the many enhancements this toothpaste provides since it’s readily available at Shoppers Drug Mart stores across Canada.” Some of the many benefits of using Clinpro 5000 anti-cavity toothpaste include: strengthened teeth, reversed signs of early lesions, increased fluoride delivery to teeth, and gentle cleaning and whitening. For more information, visit www.3MESPE.ca.

More than one in 10 parents use an “alternative” vaccination schedule for their young children, including refusing vaccines altogether, according to a new cross-sectional, internet-based survey of a nationally representative sample of parents (n = 748) of children six months to six years of age. The study found that of the 13% of parents who reported following an alternative vaccination schedule, most refused only certain vaccines (53%) and/or delayed some vaccines until the child was older (55%) but 2% of parents refused any vaccination altogether. Even among parents who did follow the recommended schedule, about one-quarter said they thought that delaying vaccines would be safer or that the expert-backed schedule was not the best one to follow (Pediatrics. 2011 Oct 3. PMID: PMID: 21969290). The study’s lead author, Dr. Amanda Dempsey, said “It’s really quite worrisome to me. Vaccine refusal and delay is not likely to go away anytime soon, and is likely to get significantly worse over time. We may just be seeing the tip of the iceberg right now.”

A survey of Canadian pharmacists conducted last year revealed that drug shortages are becoming more common. More than 90% of respondents said they experienced trouble tracking down a medication in the previous week and almost all respondents said they had seen deterioration in the previous year. To address this serious issue, pharmaceutical companies have agreed to pool information on drug shortages and pending shortages, and then post the details on two existing public websites. They also pledged to build a more comprehensive one-stop website that will become a permanent, reliable source of information about drug shortages, as long as Health Canada helps with funding.

On August 29, 2011 the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA) was part of an exciting announcement involving an ambitious partnership between the Ontario government, University of Waterloo, Conestoga College, and the Schlegel Villages to develop a centre of excellence for research, training, and innovation in senior health care. The new centre will be located at the University of Waterloo, including a 192-bed Long Term Care (LTC) home, a specialized building for staff and students to work and learn with residents and staff from the adjacent LTC home. Future developments include assisted living and independent living for seniors as well as a primary care health centre to create a full continuum of care.

Medistik, the sports medicine pain relief stick, has announced that it will be available in participating stores at Source for Sports across Canada. “We are excited to have Source for Sports offering our products,” says Ruza Jelinkova, managing director for Medistik. “Source for Sports is a leading Canadian retailer and gives us access to a broader group of people that will benefit from the use of our product. We have had great success with the growth of MEDISTIKTM due to its higher levels of active ingredients compared to other leading sport analgesics.” Medistik is used to provide pain relief for stiff and sore muscles, tendinitis, and arthritic pain. It provides athletes faster recovery, quicker return to training and better performance. Medistik is free of banned substances as defined by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports and the World Anti-Doping Association.

Bastyr University announced that its new campus will be located in San Diego, California with plans for the first class to begin in Fall 2012.”We are thrilled to secure a location for our Southern California campus,” said Bastyr University President Daniel K. Church, PhD. “To become the first regionally accredited naturopathic medical institution in California is a tremendous honor and we look forward to providing the same quality education as our Kenmore, Washington, campus does.” San Diego was selected because of its strategic proximity to a significant number of prospective students, faculty, and patients in Southern California who are interested in the natural health arts and sciences. The Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree program will be offered when the school first opens and other degree programs are expected to be offered in the future.

Canada unveiled some of the world’s largest and most graphic anti-smoking labels on the grounds that smokers were starting to ignore existing warnings on cigarette packs. Some of the labels include pictures of a woman dying of lung cancer in a hospital bed, a man with a hole in this throat after surgery for smoking-related larynx cancer, and a close-up shot of a diseased and cancerous tongue. “We want to make the images larger and more noticeable and more understandable … The images are pretty gross. They can be a little bit scary as well, but that is the reality of smoking,” said federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq. “Over time, people get used to seeing the old pictures so we want to grab people’s attention once again,” she said. Existing anti-smoking labels cover 50% of a pack but the new labels will have to cover 75% of the front and back of each pack of cigarettes and small cigars. Tobacco manufacturers and importers will have until March 21, 2012 to switch over to the new labels and retailers must only carry packs with the bigger warnings by June 19, 2012.