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May 18, Toronto,
ON – On April 20, the Ontario
Chiropractic Association (OCA) hosted an Advocacy day at Ontario’s legislative building, Queen’s Park. OCA members and riding designates interfaced
with provincial staffers and MPPs with the goal of establishing chiropractic as
an active and integral player within the collaborative system that is becoming characteristic
of Ontario’s
health care delivery.
OCA members, senior staff and riding
designates spent the day meeting with a number of Ontario representatives
including Tatum Wilson, Senior Policy Adviser to
the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC); France Gelinas, Nickelbelt
MPP and NDP critic for Health and Long-Term Care and Health Promotion; and
Christine Elliott, Whitby Oshawa MPP and Deputy Leader of the Ontario
Progressive Conservative Party and critic for Health and Long-Term Care.
The main focus of these meetings was to encourage a patient-centred
approach that includes removing current barriers that prevent DCs from utilizing
their skills and knowledge to enhance health care delivery within the province.
Specific items that were brought forth by OCA representatives included:
- authorizing
DCs to order MRI, diagnostic ultrasound and specific laboratory tests in
keeping with the chiropractic scope of practice,
- extension
of current policy for DCs to requisition X-rays through Independent Health
Facilities to include public hospitals,
- enhancing
the contributions of chiropractors in primary care settings such as Family
Health Teams, and
- creating
patient access to DCs in a variety of secondary/tertiary health care settings
including public hospitals and nursing homes.
The event ended with a cocktail reception attended by 82 people including
32 MPPs and a number of Queen’s Park staffers. As many DCs from all over the
province were present, the reception gave MPPs an opportunity to speak to chiropractors
who were also constituents in their respective ridings.
Representing the Liberal Party, Bas Balkissoon – MPP for Scarborough-Rouge
River and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care –
spoke to guests at the evening reception as did Ms. Elliot and Ms. Gelinas, on behalf
of the PC and NDP parties respectively.
Their reiteration, from a political point of view, of the contribution DCs
can make within Ontario’s
Family Health Teams and the profession’s important role in the province’s
health care system confirmed that the day’s discussions had resulted in a
positive impact.
OCA President, Dr. David Brunarski, also addressed the guests at
the reception, noting that this successful opportunity to interface with
provincial bureaucrats and politicians was due, in no small way, to the OCA’s
delegate system.
Source: Ontario Chiropractic Association
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