New Program Launch – Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy

OPAT team (L-R): Brittany Everett (OPAT Patient Flow Coordinator), Alyson Vescio (OPAT Coordinator), Angela Heintzman (Pharmacist), Kelly Keeler (Manager), Kathryn Giba (Nurse Practitioner), Charlene Wilson (Pharmacist)

A new program to support stable patients requiring long-term antibiotics and monitoring has launched at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.

The Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) program will support patients transitioning to the outpatient setting who require long term IV antibiotics, such as vancomycin, as well as support at home from our community partner, Bayshore. The program is able to provide lab monitoring, wound care, support at home and follow up diagnostics.

The multidisciplinary team includes an OPAT Coordinator, Patient Flow Coordinator, Nurse Practitioner, and Pharmacist. The program will focus on preventing long stays in Hospital and optimizing patients in their own home.

A referral for the OPAT team can be made by faxing the OPAT referral form to the Medical Transitions Clinic as well as entering the OPAT referral in meditech when patients are appropriate for discharge.

If you have any questions or concerns, or would like to arrange an in-service for education about the program, please reach out to Alyson Vescio, OPAT Coordinator at alyson.vescio@tbh.net or 807-684-7871.