In a video message posted today, MPP Laura Mae Lindo (Kitchener Centre) voiced her support for the recognition of physician assistants (PAs) as frontline health care workers during COVID-19.
CAPA member Sarah Flanagan, a certified physician assistant practicing at Sanctuary Refugee Health Centre in Kitchener, wrote to MPP Lindo about the continued exclusion of PAs from the list of health care workers who are eligible for additional “pandemic pay” support.
In her message, Sarah said, “It is beyond disheartening that my profession remains excluded from the provincial recognition of our role in providing frontline care during COVID-19. PAs are absolutely on the frontlines of this pandemic.”
Sanctuary is the largest dedicated refugee health centre in Canada and Sarah leads its Prenatal Care Program. While the rest of the clinic has shifted to mostly virtual care, Sarah’s prenatal patients, newborns, and small babies still largely need in-person assessments so she is in the clinic making sure their needs are met. Although her patients are asymptomatic, she wears PPE and goes through a strict decontamination protocol between patients to ensure her safety and the safety of her patients.
As the national voice of PAs in Ontario and across Canada, CAPA continues to strongly advocate for the recognition of PA contributions. To learn more, read our statement and meet some of our frontline heroes fighting COVID-19.