OLF Agenda

Peter Cleary, Principal, Santis Health & former political staffer having spent a decade supporting five cabinet ministers, in three different governments, including supporting two Health Ministers at both the federal and provincial level.
 

Avis Favaro, Canada’s longest-serving television Medical Correspondent formely with CTV 

This panel will cover a range of topics, including understanding government priorities and aligning your issues with them, integrating your issues when they are not a government priority, and building champions and collaborating with elected officials to advance your cause.

Dave Clements : Former executive at the Canadian Institute for Health Information, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and Queen’s University’s Faculty of Health Sciences.

Glenn Brimacombe : Director Policy and Public Affairs – Canadian Psychological Association 

Dr. Mark Eltis : President College of Optometrists of Ontario

Dr. Bronwyn Mulherin : New Brunswick Association of Optometrists

This panel will discuss what data is needed to move forward advocacy objectives. A discussion on available data and gaps in data will be explored. 

Dr. Brendan Carr : Past President & CEO of the Nova Scotia Health Authority, William Osler Health System, and Island Health in British Columbia

Dr. Evelyn Lo : President of B.C. Doctors of Optometry 

Maryse Nolin : Executive Director Association of Optometrists of Quebec 

Dr. Sheldon Pothier : Registrar Nova Scotia College of Optometry

Vanessa Johari Hansen : Country Business Unit Head at Alcon Canada

Gordon Petrovic : Market Access Head, Pharma at Alcon Canada

Instructions for break-out group

*Transition into small groups

Breakout groups (chose one)

1. Public education & awareness
2. Professional education outreach
3. Federal/provincial knowledge transfer
4. Research & data
   • The CAO is proposing the establishment of a national vision health surveillance system which would act as a repository of data on
     • Epidemiology of Eye Disease
     • Access to primary, secondary, tertiary and rehabilitative vision care
     • Health human resources
        

Details:

1. What worked/what didn’t/how we measured it” spotlights from provincial PR (e.g., bus campaign, social media)
   • What else can we do- on our own, together?
2. Who is teaching med students, family medicine residents, and allied health; capture effective formats and gaps.
   • What else can we do- on our own, together?
3. Share provincial success stories (ex: indigenous health in BC, school exams in Quebec…)
   • What can we learn from these examples
   • What else can we do- on our own, together?
4. How can optometrists contribute to this goal? Discuss the benefits and challenges of creating an optometry-specific database made up of pooled data from clinics nationwide. What is needed to make it a reality? (resources, $’s, technical/legal requirements…)
   • How can we assess the level of access to vision care on a national basis and at a granular level, including in indigenous communities?
   • What tools do we have to anticipate the supply needs of optometrists in Canada?
   • How can we incentivize optometrists to practice in rural regions?