As we enter the second wave of the pandemic, there continue to be challenges from a healthcare delivery standpoint. We have learned a lot from the first wave and are better prepared to implement safety protocols that will allow services to safely resume while minimizing the spread of the disease.
Over the last few months, the radiology community has come together, and our members have taken a leadership role in providing guidelines and recommendations for the resumption of safe medical imaging. They have also offered recommendations to build resilience in radiology now, throughout the pandemic and into the future.
On October 5, 2020, the CAR published the Radiology Resilience Now and Beyond Report. The aim of this document is to serve as a resource for radiologists, health authorities and the government in delivering efficient access to medical imaging procedures now and in the future. Under the CAR’s leadership, a group of radiologists from across the country mobilized to create a Task Force, led by Dr. Heidi Schmidt, to look at the status of medical imaging, lessons learned and to build a plan for the sustainability of radiology.
Visibility
The report has been enthusiastically received by radiologists and the public. The overall media reach was estimated at over 13 million viewers. Social media engagement resulted in over 12,000 impressions in a 3-day period.
To complement the report, the CAR developed a series of videos in English and in French that address our national priorities featuring Drs. Heidi Schmidt, Ania Kielar and Gilles Soulez. These were made available on social media and can be viewed on the CAR website.
Some of the key media stories included:
- Coverage on CBC Radio One – lead morning news story featuring Dr. Heidi Schmidt, CAR Board Member and Chair of the Task Force, October 5
- Article in La Press – featuring Dr. Gilles Soulez, CAR Vice-President and member of the Task Force, October 5
- Radio interview on 98.5 FM with Paul Arcand – featuring Dr. Gilles Soulez, October 5
- Canadian Healthcare Technology – featuring Dr. Heidi Schmidt, October 15
- 23 direct posts to various online news outlets including Canadian Insider, Yahoo Finance, etc., October 5 and 6
Our Ask
We have built a strong case for an investment of $1.5 Billion + (over 5 years) in medical imaging. Over the years the CAR has worked hard to inform the government and key opinion leaders on the role of radiologists.
This was achieved through initiatives such as:
- Pre-Budget Submissions with established priorities
- Value of Radiology Reports I and II, published by the Conference Board of Canada
- Radiology Resumption of Clinical Services and Radiology Resilience Reports
- Building relationships with Health Canada and CADTH to obtain support for this report
- Invitations to present to the Finance Committee, Privacy Committee and Standing Committee on Health
- The 2019 election pledge for an additional $1.5 billion investment in medical imaging
Next Steps
We will capitalize on the exposure we received, rely on the tools we have created to push through our priorities with government and will target MPs to develop champions from within. We will hold a Virtual Week on the Hill from November 2-5 and continue with our advocacy efforts through social media. Most importantly we will work with our members to mobilize the radiology community to engage in grassroots initiatives.