Dear Colleagues, Friends:

I’m glad I like to hit the ground running, because I have some important news to share with you, and an even more important ask.

COVID-19 brought many challenges: insufficient PPE, distancing from immediate families, pivoting to virtual care on questionable platforms, challenging working conditions, and a necessary but insufferable increase in the time regular clinical tasks required. 

The physician community has taken each challenge in stride: mobilizing our own PPE drives, sending children to live with grandparents, living in basement apartments, learning new software programs, and embracing delays, all while continuing to provide the high quality of care our patients expect and deserve. It might be the “new normal” they say.

As the days drag on, though, the fiscal costs are proving themselves to be insurmountable for many of us. Our community health care infrastructure is struggling and failing as the government wastes time. Clinics are closing. Both community-based and hospital-based physicians are struggling, being forced to let employees go. 

Physicians and health care clinics are a non-renewable resource. As the waves of deferred patient care start to hit our doors, in addition to possible secondary waves of COVID, we will need more resources to keep our patients and province safe. Not fewer.

That’s why we have asked the government repeatedly for appropriate relief – namely infrastructure costs and income stabilization. The OMA has had daily contact with the government at senior and staff levels. The Board unanimously rejected the offer of advance payment, as it failed to address the problem, even though the government has since imposed it.   

We have issued news releases (here and here), Past President Gandhi completed more than 20 news interviews. The OMA launched the protecthealthcare.ca site, with blogs and videos from physicians telling their stories. We had full page ads in the Globe and the Star, and 70+ community newspapers. We provided a Community Outreach Guide to support members’ efforts to raise awareness about the importance of stabilizing our infrastructure as they reach out to community leaders, including elected officials.

Unfortunately, we still aren’t making significant headway. At a time when burnout is so high, and we are all struggling, I need to ask you all to come together and help. I promised you in my last update, that you would hear more of the planned escalation strategy. Welcome to the next phase.

On Friday, we will be launching the OMA’s Protect Health Care Infrastructure education campaign, allowing members to send a pre-populated email to Premier Ford, and Minister Elliott. Members who have signed on as health care advocates will be sending emails to their MPPs beginning later today. 
A MPP Kit is available on our website to support you with outreach to MPPs. It includes tips for holding successful discussions, a script for phone calls, and an email template to set up an introductory meeting.

We will be driving to protecthealthcare.ca. We will be collecting information about revenue loss and asking the public questions about access to doctors and their anxiety about delays in receiving health care in communities across the province. 

And of course, I will personally be taking our stories and concerns forward on behalf of us all. Hopefully, we can convince the government that they need to work with us to solve these issues for all Ontarians. Rest assured though, that if not, next week we will be talking about the next level of escalation. 

Your participation and feedback are key to a successful advocacy campaign. Please take a few minutes to fill out our member survey – to access it, please copy and paste this URL into your browser:
https://insights.oma.org/c/a/6fJeRJqfaKAH9KH4nVP1TN

Your feedback will inform the next phase in our advocacy.  The more details we have from you about the eligibility and effectiveness of the federal relief programs, the stronger our case for more appropriate Ontario government funding.

Nobody wants a fight, but we need to protect our health care system and our patients. So please, watch for the Friday email from info@protecthealthcare.ca and press the Big Red Button.

Mental Health Week, Member Townhall
This week is Mental Health Week, and I want to acknowledge the challenges and stresses that COVID-19 has brought to the medical community and of course those we care for – the people of Ontario.

The OMA has a number of physician mental health resources available on our website here.

In addition, the OMA will be presenting a member town hall on physician and organization wellness and resilience during COVID-19 on Wednesday, May 13 from 8–9 p.m. I will be joined by Physician Health Program Medical Director Dr. Joy Albuquerque, staff from PHP, and special guests who will answer your questions. Watch for further details in the OMA Member Alerts, and you can email your questions in advance to covid19@oma.org.

We are all in this together!
 
Dr. Samantha Hill
OMA President