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Advocacy
NSCPA is involved in advocating for the physiotherapy profession on many different fronts, and with many different stakeholder and target audience groups. Advocacy and awareness are key priority areas for the Association, and provide one of the most significant benefits of membership. The following provides a brief description of various advocacy projects with which the branch is or has been involved:
Meeting with NS Minister of Health & Related DocumentsRepresentatives from the Nova Scotia Physiotherapy Association (NSPA) and the Nova Scotia Physiotherapy Advisory Group (NSPAG) met with the Honourable Maureen MacDonald, Minister of Health, and three of her senior staff members on Monday, November 19, 2009. The Minister and her staff were very receptive to the ideas presented by NSPA and NSPAG, and noted repeatedly that the timing of the meeting was excellent given health system developments on the near horizon. The one hour meeting touched on many areas of concern including direct access, PTs in emergency rooms, x-rays, chronic disease management, disease prevention, falls prevention, community care, and future directions planned by the ministry.
NSPA and NSPAG prepared two documents for presentation to the Minister during our meeting. One was a brief "State of the Nation" for physiotherapy in Nova Scotia and Canada, and the other was a very specific issue-based backgrounder, linking physiotherapy contributions to outcomes directly identified in the NDP Election Platform.
We invite members to peruse these documents as the backgrounder in particular will form the basis for future follow-up with Ministry officials.
WCB Strategic Planning SubmissionNSCPA contributed a submission to the 2008 Workers Compensation Board of Nova Scotia’s multi-stakeholder consultation process, in lead-up to development of their 2010-2014 strategic plan. The submission was developed based on input from NSCPA, NS Section of the Private Practice Division, and Dalhousie University.
NSCPA Submission to WCB-NS Strategic Planning Consultation [ DOWNLOAD PDF ]
(note – this is an abbreviated version without appendices. For the complete document, send an e-mail to (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address))
Obesity NetworkNSCPA submitted a letter to the Capital District Health Authority, encouraging the funding of a physiotherapy role within a planned Obesity Network.
Letter to Diana Lawlor, CDHA Obesity Network [ DOWNLOAD PDF ]
Privacy LegislationNSCPA contributed to the Nova Scotia Physiotherapy Advisory Group submission to the Nova Scotia Department of Health regarding the development of privacy legislation for health records
NSPAG Submission re: Health Records Privacy Legislation [ DOWNLOAD PDF ]
NSCPA Responds to Knee Surgery Study Media coverage of a 2008 Canadian study published in the New England Journal of Medicine provided NSCPA with an excellent opportunity to reinforce our message to government regarding the cost effectiveness of physiotherapy treatment.
The study confirmed that physiotherapy and exercise are as effective for osteoarthritic knee pain as arthroscopic surgery. Study subjects all received physiotherapy and anti-inflammatory medications; some also received arthroscopic knee surgery. The study determined that the patients receiving only the physiotherapy and anti-inflammatories fared equally well as those undergoing the surgical procedure. The patients who had surgery did not experience any additional benefits.
In response to the story, the Branch sent letters to the Honourable Chris d’Entremont, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Barry Barnet, Minister of Health Promotion and Protection, highlighting the study results as an excellent example of the potential for physiotherapy to contribute to the health, well-being, and mobility of Nova Scotians, while contributing to reduced surgical wait-times for necessary procedures, cost effective treatments, and the active engagement of individuals in their mobility and overall health.
Letter to Minister d’Entremont [ DOWNLOAD PDF ]
Letter to Minister Barnet [ DOWNLOAD PDF ]
Direct Access & Primary Health Care
NSCPA contributed to an article on the Workers Compensation Board of Nova Scotia Primary Health Care Model of Service [link6] written by Tanya Nichol (NSCPA past-President) and Anne Fenety (Dalhousie).
In 2007, at the request of the Nova Scotia Department of Health, the Nova Scotia Physiotherapy Advisory Group, of which NSCPA is a member, submitted a research-based article to the Department entitled Integrating Physiotherapy into the Primary Health Care Model in Nova Scotia: An Economic Solution. [ DOWNLOAD PDF ]
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