InTouch: Association news June 2021 Chair's message
On June 1, the first stage of relaxed restrictions occurred. We achieved Stage 2 on June 10. I know a lot of Albertans are excited to get back to fun summer activities and the way life was. I also feel excitement. But as I’ve heard said before, the pandemic is a marathon, not a race. It is as important as ever that all chiropractic clinics continue to follow guidance from Public Health and the ACAC.
While the lifting of the pandemic restrictions is welcome news for us as individuals, as chiropractors there is no immediate change to practice procedures. As Dr. Halowski informed us in the June 10 COVID-19 update, Public Health is looking at more stringent benchmarks of achievement before revising or removing current pandemic-related public health orders. I thank all of those that participated in the ThoughtExchange to provide their thoughts for the ACAC response to the Chief Medical Officer of Health’s request for insight into changes to Public Health Directives.
Switching gears, Council continues to review and adapt to the impacts of Bills 30 and 46. While the most visible change is the separation of the College and Association activities, there are several other sections in the legislation that will require changes to the way the College is governed, operates, and acts in the future. There will be more information on these options and opportunity for your input in the coming months.
While I will let our Inaugural Board Committee co-chairs talk to the input provided on the ThoughtExchange asking about what you wish to see in your new chiropractic association, I would like to provide some information on one area that members identified they were keenly interested in—what is being done in response to the government’s decision on diagnostic imaging?
Regaining public payment for diagnostic imaging ordered by chiropractors is the ACAC priority when dealing with Alberta Health and the Alberta government. In addition to ongoing conversations with elected members and the public service, the ACAC recently submitted a request to Alberta Health’s information services for the billing and cost information for all diagnostic imaging ordered in the province for the last two fiscal years. We hope to have this reporting soon.
This data, we believe, will be the “hard, cold, facts” to back up what chiropractors have been saying across the province—not only is the process taking longer for patients and potentially negatively impacting their health care and recovery—it is not, saving money in the public health care purse. This information will be used to support our ongoing efforts to restore public funding.
As we rapidly approach the summer season, I wish you and yours a safe summer and here’s hoping that we can all enjoy the “normal” activities that bring us joy and make memories.
Yours in health, Dr. Brad Kane ACAC Chair
A message from your IBC Co-Chairs Since our last communication, your Inaugural Board Committee (IBC) has continued to move forward with its work to establish the Chiropractic Association of Alberta (CAA). The IBC was excited to read your input from the May ThoughtExchange, and your thoughtful ideas and views have been shared with all committee members. As we continue to build the new CAA, your valuable input will help us to shape our new professional association—its roles and connections to you, our members. Our board is a committed group of individuals that truly represents the diversity of our profession.
As practicing chiropractors ourselves, we know the value that chiropractic care provides for our patients in their overall health and well-being. While we acknowledge that most patients come to us first because of an injury or ailment, we also recognize that we can provide our patients with comprehensive wellness and lifestyle improvements as part of their overall health journey.
Your new CAA understands the importance of strongly advocating and lobbying for the chiropractic profession. We will continue to advocate for our profession and work to advance chiropractic within this healthcare environment.
The CAA is committed to supporting our membership by creating opportunities and products to assist you as health professionals and businesses, allowing you to broaden your presence in the healthcare community.
We wish to thank every member that took the time to participate in the ACAC ThoughtExchange. As we continue the work of building the CAA, we will offer more opportunities for engagement and feedback to assist in the successful launch and ongoing work of your new association.
We will provide further updates on our progress and the achievement of milestones through InTouch and on the ACAC members’ webpage for the association.
Enjoy the long summer days. Dr. Natalie Carrington Co-chair, Inaugural Board Committee Dr. Kelly Fleck Co-chair, Inaugural Board Committee
What topics do you want to hear about in monthly member meetings? Share your questions and hear the answers in the next member meeting!
Over the last several months, the ACAC has been running ThoughtExchanges and Monthly Member Meetings to connect with members. This month, we're using ThoughtExchange to gather ideas and topics that members would most like to hear the ACAC speak to, in advance.
As always, thoughts shared in the ThoughtExchange are anonymous.
General topics and updates that the ACAC regularly provides in the monthly meetings include:
Once you've shared your thoughts, please take the time to rate the thoughts of your peers. The most highly rated topics and questions will be addressed in the July Member Meeting.
June member meeting overview—join the conversation on July 13 Watch the recording of the June member meeting above. At the ACAC's June member meeting
Dr. Kane reminded members that we are halfway through membership renewal, with only a few weeks remaining. Dr. Kane also provided an update on ongoing government advocacy work related to Bill 30, Bill 46, and diagnostic imaging.
Dr. Halowski announced that a third of the membership has completed renewal and encouraged those who have not yet met requirements to do so to ensure there are no lapses in their practice permit. He also touched on Alberta’s Open for Summer plan and its impact on regulated members’ practice. While there is no impact as of yet, Dr. Halowski will be meeting with health officials in the coming weeks to seek clarification for future phases, and these findings will be shared with you when available.
Parker Hogan, Director of Member and External Relations, provided the Association update in CEO Sheila Steger’s absence. Mr. Hogan encouraged members to get involved with the ACAC as a subject matter expert, which positions chiropractors as experts on MSK health in blogs, media interviews, and more. He also encouraged members to share their thoughts in our monthly ThoughtExchanges, which help us better support you.
Members asked questions related to Alberta’s reopening plan, the return to normal practice, and timelines regarding appointment of public members to Council.
If you want to hear these updates live and ask questions you have of your ACAC leadership, join us at the next member meeting on July 13 at 12:30 p.m.
Now accepting applications from up-and-coming chiropractors for the Investing in our Future scholarship Supporting the learning and development of the next generation of Doctors of Chiropractic is the goal of the ACAC Investing in our Future scholarship—a $2,000 prize in recognition of academic excellence, clinical competency, and community involvement.
Applications are now being accepted for students who are normally residents of Alberta that are enrolled in an accredited chiropractic college. The application period is June 1 to October 29, 2021.
CMCC chiropractic student Ms. Sefrah Daviduck won the 2020 scholarship. A brilliant fourth-year student, Ms. Daviduck balances her academic pursuit with involvement in community initiatives. If you know of a bright, gifted chiropractic student, we encourage you to share information about this scholarship.
The application requirements, forms and other information is available on the ACAC website.
The ACAC is informing all accredited chiropractic colleges in North America about our scholarship program. If you want to help us get the word out, you can click the buttons below to share the Investing in our Future scholarship information on your social channels.
What you said—May's ThoughtExchange on the new Chiropractic Association of Alberta The May ThoughtExchange received 82 thoughts and more than 1,000 ratings from 42 participants between May 17 and June 10. This represents 3.5 per cent of the regulated membership. It resulted in a diversity of themes with 14 clearly defined topics that participants would like to see in their future Association.
Below are the themes, rated by importance: 1. Inclusion of non-injury care in Association activities 2. Advocacy/lobbying 3. Exploring new ideas/opportunities for chiropractic 4. Practice/clinic management support 5. Volunteer/community involvement 6. Educational/CC support 7. Funding research 8. General profession promotion with the public 9. Networking & conference opportunities 10. Transparency and communication with members 11. Affordable dues/fees 12. Interprofessional relationship building 13. Member benefits (e.g. discounts) 14. PR/Reputation Management Generally, these themes fall within what many health profession associations provide to and for their members. The results provide perspectives for the members of the Inaugural Board Committee to consider when developing the strategic plan and objectives for the new Association.
Dr. Aaron Bridge shares his expertise in preventing gardening injuries on Global Lethbridge TV As summer gardening is getting into full swing, Dr. Aaron Bridge shared his professional advice to help folks prevent injuries while gardening and doing backyard projects during an “Ask the Expert” segment on Global News Lethbridge on May 28.
This news segment was coordinated as part of the ACAC’s ongoing work to promote the benefits of chiropractic care in addition to paid advertising. We will be promoting and sharing this media segment through social media over the summer months. Stories like this one are a component of our strategy to keep chiropractic in the mind of the public. By featuring Alberta Doctors of Chiropractic providing advice on injuries that may result from common activities as well as the benefits of chiropractic care to overall lifestyle and well-being, we promote an understanding that chiropractic care is an effective treatment to injuries outside the spine.
Interested in sharing your knowledge with the public? Volunteer with the ACAC Does the thought of providing your expertise and experience to Albertans, like what Dr. Bridge did in Lethbridge, sound like something you’d like to try?
The ACAC is looking for Doctors of Chiropractic who’d like to share their expertise as subject matter experts for media interviews and other promotional media avenues. Eligible candidates will receive media training and support from the ACAC as media interviews are pitched and arranged throughout the year.
Positioning Alberta’s chiropractors as health-care experts in podcast, television and radio interviews, blogs or newspapers, is part of the association’s work to promote an understanding and use of chiropractic care.
When boundaries blur—exploring health-care providers' views of chiropractic interprofessional care and Canadian Forces Health Services Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions such as back pain are primary factors in prohibiting Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel from being deployed. The CAF provides a spectrum of services, including chiropractic care. This qualitative study explores factors that impact chiropractic interprofessional care (IPC), and suggests that strengthening IPC, specific to MSK conditions, would be beneficial.
On the blog: Stretches for every kind of cyclist Summer is upon us and while some COVID-19 restrictions are still in place, biking is a safe way to get outside and get your body moving.
Choosing the right bike for you is important to keep your body pain-free, and a bike shop can help fit you appropriately. But choosing a bike goes beyond fit—including where you want to ride, what distances you want to cover, and more. In this month’s blog, the ACAC looks at three popular bike options, common pain points while riding, and what you can do to prevent and handle discomfort.
Council contact
Each member is assigned a Council contact to connect with for questions or comments related to the profession.
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[advertisement] Reminder: media calls
Occasionally journalists reach out to members to request an interview or response to a story. The ACAC is prepared to support members through interviews and advise on how best to handle media inquiries.
If you receive a request, please contact Mikiko Van Horn, Senior Public Relations Coordinator, or call 780.420.0932. |