Clinic Programs & Workshops
The staff and practitioners at Central Brampton Family Health Team are dedicated to working with you on your journey to sustained good health and are excited to provide the following programs.
Comprehensive Diabetes Care Clinics
Each physician at the clinic holds monthly diabetes clinics. These clinics are designed to provide patients with personalized, comprehensive diabetes care. They work to support patients in improving their diabetes management and overall health. Patients enrolled into the care clinic program are scheduled to meet with their physician and one or more of our diabetes team members depending on their needs.
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Our diabetes team is comprised of a registered dietitian, nurse, kinesiologist, a pharmacist and our physicians. Each member of our team specializes in one of the 3 pillars of diabetes care: nutrition, medication, and physical activity. The diabetes team at CBFHT has been able to demonstrate that patients who attend our diabetes clinics achieve better management of their diabetes compared to those who do not. Our team is privileged to have 3 Certified Diabetes Educators on staff. As a testament to the team’s passion and commitment for helping patients with diabetes to improve their health, the team was the recipient of The 2014 Patients First Award for their project “Diabetes Days: Individualizing Patient Care.” This award recognizes individuals, teams or organizations from across Canada that have made innovative and effective contributions in patient-centered care. Our diabetes program is also recognized by Diabetes Canada’s Standards Recognition Program (SRP) which acknowledges and formally recognizes diabetes education program across Canada that strive to provide the best possible care to people living with diabetes or at risk of developing diabetes. Specifically being granted this special designation recognizes CBFHT Diabetes Education Programs that offers:
- High-quality self-management education supported by an inter-professional health-care team with specialized knowledge of diabetes, and
- Best practice care that follows Diabetes Canada’s Clinical Practice Guidelines.
Once enrolled, your physician will refer you to make an appointment to attend the clinics 3-4 times a year. If you have not attended one of these clinics but would like to, or would like to inquire about them, simply request information /enrollment from your physician. ____________________________________________________________________________________ NEW: ASK ABOUT OUR NEXT LETS TALK DIABETES SESSIONS. THESE ARE HELD IN THE EVENING BY OUR REGISTERED DIETITIAN AND HEALTH EDUCATOR. No Referral to register. Open to anyone in the community looking for more education and support to manage Diabetes. For more information call 905.456.7111
Hypertension Management Program
If you have high blood pressure that has been newly diagnosed or challenging to control, this program may be just right for you. High blood pressure is often referred to as a ‘silent killer’, because individuals often feel fine despite their blood pressure being elevated. Achieving normal blood pressure is important to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases.
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Our multidisciplinary health care team takes a holistic approach to help patients achieve control of high blood pressure. In addition to meeting with their physician, patients enrolled into the hypertension program may meet with one or more of our allied health care team professionals depending on their needs and interests. Each member of our team provides specific expertise related to blood pressure control ranging from the role of medication to lifestyle changes that can be used to achieve and then maintain blood pressure targets. If you’re interested in participating, let your physician know! CHECK OUT OUR NEWS AND EVENTS SECTION FOR UPCOMING HEART HEALTH WORKSHOPS
Lung Health Screening Program
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death in the world. Smoking is a major contributor to COPD: approximately 20% of smokers develop the disease. Other risk factors such as air pollution, respiratory infection and chronic asthma, genetic factors and occupational exposure to pollutants in the workplace also contribute to the burden of lung diseases. The goal of our lung health program is to reduce the incidence of chronic lung diseases through simple screening tests and smoking cessation interventions for those who wish to quit smoking.
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Our lung health screening program uses a simple screening survey to identify sub-optimal lung function in current and past smokers. Once completed, patients may qualify for a baseline lung function test and/ or benefit from medication, an action plan and follow-up care if they are diagnosed with asthma or COPD. Current smokers who wish to quit can receive support to stop smoking with the assistance of our smoking cessation counselors. Our counselors are affiliated with the STOP program which provides free nicotine replacement therapy to patients for up to 26 weeks coupled with individual counselling and support. Many lung diseases such as COPD get worse over time. Understanding what your current lung function is will help you and your physician identify any further declines and take steps to preserve it. If you would like to be assessed, simply inquire about the lung health program with one of our health care team personnel.
Mental Health
Mental Health Group Programs CBFHT offers group therapy for people struggling with difficult thoughts and emotions several times a year. Groups generally occur quarterly and are held once a week for 4-6 weeks duration. Groups are led by our Mental Health Counselor and are based in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT, said like the word) is a cutting-edge form of Cognitive Behavior Therapy. ACT focuses on helping people relate differently to thoughts and feelings they’ve long struggled with, in order to towards who and what is most important to them in life. Group sessions include discussions, in-group exercises, and at-home practice, based around modern mindfulness-based approaches, ways to change what you do, and ways to be kinder to your mind while also taking it a little less seriously.
For more information about upcoming groups, please call the clinic.
Lifestyle Counselling
Healthy eating and routine exercise is a simple enough concept but for most of us it’s easier said than done. Poor diet, lack of physical activity and smoking are the underlying causes of most major chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and even many cancers. There is mounting evidence that physical activity is an important contributor to reducing the risk for declining cognitive decline with age.
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At CBFHT we are fortunate to have the services of both a Registered Dietitian and Registered Kinesiologist available to support patients to adopt lifestyle changes that can improve their health. If you’re interested in improving your health by changing your dietary habits, seeing a dietitian can be helpful. Whether you’re looking for guidance to develop healthy meal plans, nutritious recipes or a way to reduce the effects of an existing medical condition, getting an expert’s advice specific to your personal situation can be extremely beneficial. While anyone can benefit from consulting with a dietitian, individuals with certain health conditions can benefit even more. Your healthcare practitioner may advise you if you’re in urgent need of the help of a dietitian. Some conditions that may require you to adjust your diet include: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, heart diseases, and even pregnancy. We all know that we should follow a healthy, balanced diet and get regular physical exercise but few realize that being physically active is the single most important thing that most of us can do to maintain our health or improve it- both for the short and long term. Exercise is more about health rather than weight loss for the average person. The appropriate physical activity regardless of weight loss can dramatically change your overall health by changing you from the inside-out. Our kinesiologist can provide guidance regarding how and what kind of activities are best suited for you and even help develop an exercise plan customized to your needs and ability. The CBFHT provides these services free of charge as an integral component of the health care that we offer to our patients. If you would like to meet with one of these providers please call reception @ 905-456-7111 to book an appointment.
Prenatal, Infant Feeding and Breastfeeding Workshops
Healthier moms have healthier babies. Healthy babies are more likely to develop into healthy children who grow to be healthy teenagers and adults.
We offer 3 educational workshops designed to provide moms-to-be & new moms with evidence based information that will help them to optimize their prenatal health and that of their baby during his/her first year. These programs are open to both of Central Brampton Family Health Team patients and the community.
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Our workshops are designed to be interactive and educational and provide moms-to-be and new moms with the opportunity explore questions they have about common pregnancy concerns.
These workshops are facilitated by our dietitian & health educator (prenatal and infant feeding) and by Dr. Manson (breastfeeding).
Staying Healthy in Pregnancy and preparing for Labor
The focus of this 2-hour program is to provide moms-to-be with information that optimizes their health as well as insight into various issues related to prenatal, early postpartum and infant care.
The program is NOT a substitute for a childbirth education course. This session is conducted by our Dietitian and Health Educator and a Social Worker.
Topics include:
- Prenatal Nutrition:
- The influence of diet on baby’s physical and cognitive development
- Foods to avoid, foods to be cautious about, essential nutrients
- How to manage the discomfort of pregnancy
- What to expect as your body changes over 9 months and during the early postpartum
- Infant Nutrition and Feeding: Giving your baby his/her best nutritional start.
- Infant Immunization, cord blood. Common pregnancy concerns and tests
Introduction to Breastfeeding your Baby
This workshop is facilitated by one of our physicians and/or a lactation consultant. It is designed to provide moms- to- be with information and practical tips to help support breastfeeding their infants.
Topics include:
- Breastfeeding basics
- Benefits of breastfeeding
- How breast milk changes as your baby ages and as your baby feeds during the day and night
- What is ‘normal’ breastfeeding?
- How much do infants eat? How to know if your baby is getting enough
- Breastfeeding in the early days
- Is there a role for formula?
- Practice with breastfeeding positions
- Patients are invited to bring along any questions they have!
Introducing your baby to Solid Foods
The focus of this 90 minute program is to provide new moms with the newest research about infant nutrition, with the primary focus on when and how to introduce you baby to solid foods.
Bring any questions you have and discuss them with our Dietitian. Moms are encouraged to attend these afternoon sessions when their infant is 2-4 months of age.
Topics include:
- Transitioning to solid foods:
- When
- What
- How
- Why
- Baby food options:
- Making your own vs store bought products
- General Infant nutrition 4-12 months
- Infant feeding challenges
- Exploring foods and marketing pitches about what’s best for your baby
- Safety and allergies
Seniors Wellness Program
At the CBFHT we strive to help our aging older patients live the highest quality life, and most independent life possible through our team approach to care.
Our multidisciplinary geriatric team works together with patients to fully optimize their health. Our team is comprised of care providers who have expertise in specific areas related to your health. Depending on your health concerns and needs, your physician may refer you to one or more of our allied health care professionals.
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Working with patients and their families, our team performs various assessments that help provide a comprehensive picture of your physical and mental health, falls risk, and nutritional status. Your physician will use this information to help determine what kinds of services within the community may be helpful to you and what actions you can take to improve your overall quality of life.
Our geriatric program may assess any number of the medical and non-medical aspects of health listed below such as:
- Functional ability
- Physical health
- Cognitive ability
- Medication reviews
- Mental Health
- Balance/Strength
- Activities of Daily living
- Nutritional Status
- Social/environmental circumstances
- Identification of medical conditions
- Develop treatment and follow-up plans
- Coordinate care plans
- Evaluate potential long-term care needs
- Develop Advance Care Planning (POA etc.)
This program is only offered to patients of our medical clinic by physician referral.
