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A message from your CPSA Council President: 2021 year in review

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Council, December Messenger 2021, Physician Assistants, Physicians | Posted December 9, 2021
Read time: 2 minutes

With December’s Council meeting now complete and my term as president coming to a close at the end of the year, I would like to take a few minutes to reflect on this past year at CPSA. 2021 was our first full calendar year living through the COVID-19 pandemic and our first full year holding Council in a virtual space. Although a virtual environment can come with challenges, CPSA Council members worked together to create a safe space for conversations that were, at times, very difficult, but nonetheless engaging and eye-opening.

One quote from my colleague, CPSA Registrar Dr. Scott McLeod, stands out as I look back on my time as CPSA Council president: “All you can do is try and make the organization a little better than when you started.”

Collectively, I think we did just that. CPSA Council was innovative and intentional, focusing on timely topics such as governance, diversity and inclusion, strategic planning and community engagement.

In our continued commitment to reconciliation, CPSA Council incorporated meaningful land acknowledgements, listened to the wisdom and stories of elders living in Alberta and recognized the importance of addressing complaints in a culturally-sensitive manner. We also established an Indigenous Health Advisory Circle and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee to guide us as we move forward with our EDI work. In a powerful statement, we elected an all-female Executive Committee for 2022, who will no doubt continue the outstanding work of CPSA’s Council into the new year.

CPSA Council took opportunities to connect with physicians and Albertans throughout the year; we hosted a nominees’ forum for candidates running for CPSA Council elections, welcomed three new public members and connected virtually with communities and partners across the province. In addition, we look forward to meeting with Alberta’s Minister of Health before the end of the year.

We settled on a bold legacy of using $5 million from CPSA’s Building Fund Reserve for the betterment of all Albertans. Council provided the first draft of CPSA’s newly formed strategic plan to guide us into the next chapter of the organization. CPSA Council is also conducting a review of CPSA’s governance structures, and is looking forward to the addition of a full-time Governance support person on CPSA’s team, as approved by Council.

From reflecting on CPSA’s history to penning widely-supported open letters in favour of vaccination to exploring the redesign of our complaints process, our 2021 Council members dedicated their time to the past, present and future of medical regulation.

One question remains: Did we leave CPSA better than when we started? I sincerely believe we have, and I thank each and every one of you for getting us to this place. I have no doubt 2022 will be an even greater year, and I look forward to building on the incredible work that was accomplished in 2021.

Want to connect with your CPSA Council President and CPSA Registrar?

Join Dr. Louis Hugo Francescutti and Dr. Scott McLeod for a virtual Q&A Dec. 15 at noon! This 45-minute session is your chance to ask questions about CPSA and learn more about some of CPSA’s ongoing initiatives.

 

2 Responses

  1. Norman Walz says:

    Seriously? The CPSA neglects to investigate a complaint and then after the Minister of Health brings up the matter, CPSA asks for a year suspension. What’s the deal? You guys have a lot of work ahead of you. Pray the government doesn’t pass legislation to replace CPSA with a hand-picked provincial medical board. I will be watching with interest from the sidelines from now on.

    • Dr. Louis Hugo Francescutti says:

      Hi Norman,

      Thank you for reading The Messenger and taking the time to share your thoughts. CPSA is currently in the process of conducting a review of our complaints process to identify and implement opportunities for improvement. This review began before this case went to a hearing, however we acknowledge we did not move quickly enough in investigating the initial complaint and are committed to using this opportunity to learn and continue to improve the work that we do.

      This was certainly a complex hearing and I encourage you to read through the hearing and sanction decisions for more information on the evidence presented.

      Thank you and take care.