FEBRUARY 2021

CAPA MEMBERSHIP: SUPPORTING HEALTHCARE CHAMPIONS
There is still time to renew your membership for the April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022 membership year! Your continued hard work in healthcare and membership with CAPA strengthens the reputation and voice of Canadian PAs and helps us in our goal to foster the growth of the PA profession in Canada. Renew today and be sure to take advantage of the many benefits offered.

ADVOCACY NEWS
New Brunswick
On January 27th, a CBC article revealed All options on table as province looks to future of health care. The article outlined the New Brunswick government’s plan to begin a consultation process whereby virtual townhalls will be held, seeking input from New Brunswickers on what they want from their health care system.

In response to the article, CAPA staff and New Brunswick Director Ryan Bennett submitted an opinion editorial stating that Expanding Physician Assistants in New Brunswick will Make Health Care More Dependable. You can find the op-ed on the CAPA website and our social media platforms.

In addition, a letter was sent to the Minister of Health, Dorothy Shepard advising how PAs can help better equip them to meet the objectives outlined in their discussion paper on Striving for Dependable Public Health Care.

Newfoundland and Labrador
With the provincial election set to take place on March 1st, CAPA staff sent letters to the Liberal Premier, Andrew Furey, official opposition leader of the PC Party, Ches Crosbie, as well as Leader of the New Democrats, Alison Coffin. Each letter emphasized how the PA model could grow Newfoundland and Labrador’s health care workforce, strengthen team-based care, and save the health care system money. Specifically, CAPA recommended that the Medical Act and Health Professions Act be amended to allow for PAs to practice in the province and requested meetings with each party.

On February 2nd, an article was published on Saltwire Network: Newfoundland and Labrador health care providers unite to demand team-based approach. The article advises how the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association (NLMA) and the Registered Nurses Union of Newfoundland and Labrador have joined forces with 11 other groups to ask for a commitment to a province-wide team approach to health care in the province. The advocacy work led to a meaningful meeting with staff at the NLMA to discuss how PAs should be part of the team. We were pleased with this early discussion and look forward to future meetings to advance the PA model in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Prince Edward Island
There is a new Minister of Health in Prince Edward Island. The Honourable Ernie Hudson was sworn into the position in early February. CAPA sent a congratulatory letter to Minister Hudson and took the opportunity to encourage steps be taken to implement the PA model in the province, which would have a significant impact on health outcomes, access to care, and costs. CAPA staff requested a meeting with the newly appointed Minister as well.

Ontario
The Health Services Department at the University of Ottawa recently issued a Request for Information (RFI), seeking potential options from Health Service Providers regarding the future of health care delivery on campus. CAPA provided an in-depth response to the RFI outlining the PA role and benefits of incorporating PAs into the multidisciplinary health team to enhance patient care while keeping costs down thus making PAs a viable option for the delivery of quality, sustainable health care on campus.

British Columbia
CAPA staff attended a meeting with the Ministry of Health and other health associations to discuss regulatory barriers in the province. Requests to regulate PAs in the province were made and CAPA will be following up with a letter to the Minister.

Manitoba
CAPA staff are reaching out to the various health associations and other relevant stakeholders in Manitoba to set up introductory meetings with Marina Banister, the new Manager of Advocacy and Stakeholder Relations (West). The goal is to establish close working relationships with aligned associations in the province.

Alberta
CAPA continues to work with the College of Physicians and Surgeons Alberta (CPSA) to ensure a smooth roll out of the regulatory approval for spring 2021.

PAs IN THE NEWS

“PAs are like adding a top six forward to the hockey team” – Dr. Neil Gibson provides his insights on the PA role in Alberta.

If you see members recognized within your workplace or in your community, let us know so we can spread the good news. And if you see local health care headlines and believe there is an opportunity to highlight PA contributions or follow up with a letter to the editor, we would like to hear from you. Please contact agunawardena@capa-acam.ca.

ONTARIO PA SHADOWING

CAPA and your Ontario Alternate Director, Maitry Patel, has been working with Anne Dang to spearhead a Shadowing Program, which is an initiative to help match Physician Assistants (PA) to pre-PAs across the province for observerships. This project is run by volunteers. Please take a moment to complete this intake survey so pre-PAs can be matched with PAs accordingly. This survey should take less than four minutes.

JOB LISTINGS

Visit members-only Job Listings on the CAPA website for the latest career opportunities across Canada.

If you have job ads to share, send them to us at admin@capa-acam.ca. We post job ads for free on the Job Listings page and, for a small fee we email job opportunities to all our members.