From the Burgundy Chairs

Episode 18: Bernard Lord on Reimagining Health Care to Improve the Wellbeing of Canadians

Across Canada, access to health care remains an ongoing challenge and the pressures within our system – aging population, chronic illness, hallway medicine and increased demand – have only been heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As health care continues to be debated in legislatures, virtual forums and at dinner tables across the country, we must ask hard questions and find ways to reimagine the way Canadians access health care services, programs and information.

In this episode, Ross Wallace is joined by Bernard Lord, Chief Executive Officer of Medavie, a health solutions partner, to discuss innovative, collaborative, patient-focused approaches to health and care that help people stay healthy and in their homes as long as possible, help them navigate the health care system when they do need it and ultimately ensure they receive care at the right time and in the right place.

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Bernard Lord is the Chief Executive Officer of Medavie.

In his role, Bernard provides strategic leadership to further the organization’s mission to improve the wellbeing of Canadians. Previously, Bernard spent almost a decade on the Board of Medavie, served as President and CEO of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunication Association of Canada, and served as Premier of New Brunswick from 1999 to 2006. He sits on boards of several companies and organizations and, most recently, was appointed as chair of the International Federation of Health Plans.

Episode 17: Deborah Simon on the Health Human Resource Crisis

Moving beyond COVID-19 will require a multi-faceted solution that involves government, the health care sector and the will of the Canadian population.  Pre-existing issues that have been amplified throughout the pandemic, including the health human resource crisis. Advocates have called on all levels of government to address the shortage of staff across the continuum of care. With time running out to train, recruit and retain staff to support the ageing population in Canada, solutions need to be actioned immediately.

 

In this series, we discuss the impact of the pandemic on frontline health care workers, the programs that have attracted and/or caused staff to leave and solutions to this crisis as policy makers need to act immediately.

 

Our first episode focuses on home and community care in Ontario. The Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) represents over 220 not-for-profit organizations that provide a variety of health and wellness services to Ontarians. OCSA’s home and community care members have struggled throughout the pandemic pivoting to offering their services virtually.

Episode 16: Durhane Wong-Rieger on Canada’s Approach to a Rare Drugs Strategy

Earlier this year, the Government of Canada began a public consultation on their 2019 commitment for a national strategy to address high-cost rare drugs. Now, almost seven months after the start of the public consultation and years after their initial commitment, there are few details on the strategy itself or how the government intends to invest $500 million per year set to begin in 2022. 

 

In this episode, Peter Cleary, a Principal at Santis Health, spoke to President and CEO of the Canadian Organization for Rare Disorder (CORD), Durhane Wong-Rieger. They discussed CORD’s advocacy for a health care system that works for those with rare disorders, and the potential of Canada to position itself as a global leader in the rare disease space.

Episode 15: Suzanne McGurn on the Future of CADTH

Vaccination numbers are rising and Canada is now emerging from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. This episode spotlights the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technology in Health (CADTH) and how the organization is incorporating key lessons learned as it prepares to refresh its own strategy later this year.

CADTH’s previous strategic plan covered the period of 2018-2021, but due to the all-consuming obligations of COVID-19, the Agency decided to postpone the creation and launch of a new plan by 12 months. CADTH is now in the early days of formulating and crystallizing new strategic priorities that will come into effect April 1, 2022.

In this episode, Ross Wallace is joined by CADTH President & CEO Suzanne McGurn to discuss CADTH’s role during the pandemic, the Agency’s areas of future focus, global trends in health technology assessment – and their impact on Canada – and Suzanne's own insights after 12 months at the helm of the organization.

Episode 14: Ontario's Mental Health Temperature Check

Ontario has been in and out of lockdowns over the past year. Experts have alluded to a fourth wave that could be more disastrous than the first three due to the mental health and addiction crises that have been pushed aside due to COVID-19. With more Ontarians facing addictions and mental health challenges now than ever before, we are checking the temperature of mental health and addictions in Ontario.

 

In this episode, Adrienne Spafford, CEO of Addictions and Mental Health Ontario, Camille Quenneville, CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association Ontario Division, and Kimberly Moran, CEO of Children’s Mental Health Ontario discuss the impact of the pandemic and where policy makers must focus their attention as we move beyond COVID-19.

Episode 13: The Agility of Canada’s Health Charities

The past 12 months have been a historic period of challenge and change for Canadian health care charities. The pandemic has impacted how they fundraise, conduct research programs, engage donors and volunteers, and ultimately deliver support to Canadians living with disease. Despite this, health charities have adapted and found new ways to operate virtually, help to slow the spread of COVID-19 and support Canadians in need.

In this episode, the Health Charities Coalition of Canada, ALS Canada and Diabetes Canada discuss the agility and adaptability of Canadian health charities.

Elisabeth Baugh is the CEO of Ovarian Cancer Canada and the Chair of the Health Charities Coalition of Canada.

Tammy Moore is the CEO of ALS Canada and has been involved in the ALS community for over a decade.

And Dr. Seema Nagpal is the Vice President, Science and Policy at Diabetes Canada where she guides the research funding program.

Episode 12: Doug Clark on PMPRB’s Path Forward

Last October, the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) published new guidelines aimed at modernizing Canada’s pricing framework for patented medicines. The guidelines and regulations are the culmination of a five-year process that began in 2016 and the regulations are currently scheduled to be implemented on July 1, 2021.

What changes in the Canadian pharmaceutical market drove these reforms? What goals is the Board looking to achieve through these forthcoming changes?  What does “success” look like over the coming years? And what key learnings is it taking away from a stakeholder engagement process that was both long and contentious?

In this episode, Peter Cleary and Ross Wallace are joined by PMPRB Executive Director Doug Clark, to discuss the PMPRB’s recent reform push, what happens next, and how the Board hopes to constructively engage the public, patients and other stakeholders over the coming months.

A career public servant, Doug Clark has a background in international trade law, intellectual property policy, pharmaceutical industry issues and competition law enforcement. In 2006, Doug became the Director of the Patent and Trademark Policy Directorate at Industry Canada, where he led a number of legislative and regulatory initiatives under the Patent Act and Trademarks Act, including the development of Canada’s Access to Medicines Regime (CAMR) and pharmaceutical patent litigation reform. In 2009, Doug joined the Competition Bureau as Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Civil Matters Branch, and most recently became Executive Director of the PMPRB in 2013.

Episode 11: A Breakthrough Year for Physician Assistants

2020 will undoubtedly be remembered as a challenging year for Canada’s health care system. From hospital capacity challenges to the realities of staff burnout, all facets of the health sector have been impacted by COVID-19 in some shape or form. Despite a turbulent year, there are positive examples across the country of initiatives, successes and wins within our health care system.

Physician Assistants, who play an integral role in a strong and sustainable Canadian health care system, are one such example.

For years, Physician Assistants (PAs) have advocated to establish the profession within the national health care framework, and in October of this year, both Ontario and Alberta announced PAs will soon be regulated. Both regulation announcements are milestones for the profession itself and for PAs who are on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this episode, Patrick Nelson is joined by Sahand Ensafi and Kirsten Luomala to discuss PAs' role in Canada’s health care system pre- and post-regulation.

Kirsten Luomala began her career in the Canadian Armed Forces as a medical technician and she eventually graduated from the inaugural PA degree class. In the following years, Kirsten taught in the Forces’ PA program and she completed her Master of PA studies in Education and ER medicine. Now, Kirsten works at Alberta’s Demonstration Project in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Alberta, and she is the Alberta Board Director for the Canadian Association of Physician Assistants.

Sahand Ensafi is a Certified Physician Assistant working in Emergency Medicine at the University Health Network in Toronto. As the inaugural PA at UHN, Sahand is a passionate advocate for the profession. He is a McMaster PA Graduate, a clinical instructor and Assistant Professor at McMaster, and is the Ontario Board Director for the Canadian Association of Physician Assistants.

Episode 10: Health Profession Regulation - Is Ontario's Current Model Working?

Like many jurisdictions in Canada, Ontario is struggling to regulate health professionals in a way that both protects patients and the public, but also provides flexible oversight to ensure health professionals are able to exercise their full scope of practice including their depth of knowledge, specific skill set and professional judgement.

In this episode, Harry Cayton, former Chief Executive of the U.K.'s Professional Standards Authority joins Ian Chesney to discuss regulated health professions in Ontario, lessons learned from across Canada and what challenges and opportunities Ontario’s regulatory model presents to policy makers.

Harry Cayton brings a wealth of knowledge to the field of professional regulation. He is the former Chief Executive for the Professional Standards Authority in the U.K. and has assisted many governments in Canada and around the world in enhancing and reforming their health care regulatory oversight mechanisms and processes.

Mr. Cayton received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Royal College of Psychiatrists and was awarded a Fellowship through Distinction from the Faculty of Public Health. He has also been awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire, which recognizes his service to the health care system through regulatory reform.

Most recently, Harry led the public inquiry into the operations of the B.C. College of Dental Surgeons, which led to significant recommendations for regulatory reform of the profession.

Episode 9: Jodi Hall on the Federal Government's Role in Long-Term Care

It’s been one week since Governor General Julie Payette delivered the Speech from the Throne, opening Parliament with a significant commitment to long-term care. But what now? What will the national standards for long-term care mean for operators and, most importantly, residents and staff?

In this episode, Jodi Hall, Chair of the Canadian Association for Long Term Care (CALTC), joins Patrick Nelson to discuss what role the federal government can play in supporting Canada's seniors and how the current Liberal Government measures up.
 
Jodi Hall is a longtime advocate for seniors, the Chair of CALTC and the Executive Director of the New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes (NBANH). Jodi started her career in long-term care as a nurse working with directly with residents before serving as the Director of Education and Practice with the New Brunswick Licensed Practical Nurse Association and Administrator of Orchard View Long Term Care. In addition to her role as Chair of CALTC and Executive Director of NBANH, Jodi is also the President of the New Brunswick Continuing Care Safety Association and Co-Chair of the Collaborative for Healthy Aging Care in New Brunswick.