President's Letter
Dear Members,
The Board meets next week in final preparations for the September 22-23 Representative Forum. The RF’s guidance will be more important than ever at this time and in this environment.
Family medicine practices and clinics are dying and we must address those needs now. Planning for the future matters, but first we must stop primary care from bleeding and help restore Alberta’s brand as a destination of choice for physicians. Practical solutions that we have been calling for, for months, need to be implemented yesterday. New payment models are a longer-term option. Expanding multi-disciplinary teams in the future makes sense, but we need to support today’s teams. To engage physicians to expand their teams and change the way they practice, they need to know first that they won’t go broke doing it. There is no Alberta advantage and the disadvantage is growing rapidly.
It is a tradition to meet with the Minister of Health at the fall meeting. The Honourable Adriana LaGrange has accepted my invitation to attend for a candid, confidential discussion with physicians. We appreciate that she is making the time to do this.
After years of effort based on RF direction, the Income Equity Initiative full measure is complete and ready for review before moving to the next phase. If supported, next steps will include implementation of a dispute resolution process followed by member ratification.
In 2013, the RF considered the health-related recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. That meeting led to establishing our Indigenous Health Committee and our Policy Statement on Indigenous Health. The RF will include a viewing of the film The Unforgotten and include interaction and discussion with leaders of our Indigenous health community.
There are other topics and we will report back. This will be an important RF. Conversations will not be easy, but I anticipate the usual wisdom and guidance from the forum.
You are always welcome to share your thoughts with me. You can email me via president@albertadoctors.org. You can also comment on this letter on the AMA website.
Regards,
fred Rinaldi, MD, CCFP, FCFP, LLB, MBA, MPA(HSA), BCom
President, Alberta Medical Association
"Fate whispers to the warrior, 'You can not withstand the storm.' The warrior whispers back, 'I am the storm.'"