These past few weeks have found us, as an organization, in the position of having to respond to our environment and happenings around us. One such example was our response to the lack of clarity in our role regarding the public health policy changes presented by the Chief Medical Officer of Health’s office on July 28, 2021. This confusion occurred last week during a town hall meeting on August 5, 2021.
During that event, it was implied that the ACFP had been consulted about these policy changes prior to the announcement. Several of our members reached out via Twitter to understand what our role was. This lack of clarity prompted the ACFP to respond quickly and confidently, and so we did via Twitter.
Our ability to respond with such speed and conviction was because we were informed by you, our members. You clearly expressed your thoughts in a timely survey and provided us with an abundance of information. Here is what you said:
These survey results were valuable for us to capably respond with family physicians’ perspectives and helped us to confidently represent your views and concerns.
The same results will be used in our upcoming meetings with government (download our latest letter to the Premier) and other stakeholders to demonstrate the current thoughts of family physicians in our province. In fact, we believe that the survey results have helped us to secure communication and meetings with them. We thank you for responding so earnestly to the survey as you did.
In the coming months, we will continue to seek your input in additional surveys and member-facing events. We listen to you, and because we present your views at meetings with government and related organizations, they will listen to you too. So please, keep engaging with us. Please keep answering surveys and participating in the educational events and webinars that we offer. In the interim, never hesitate to write to me at acfppres@acfp.ca. Not only is it a pleasure to hear from fellow family physicians via these means, but we know that your voices make a difference. Let’s be heard.
Sincerely,
Sudha Koppula BSc, MD, MClSc, CCFP, FCFP
President
Alberta College of Family Physicians
