Message from Co-Chairs on COVID 19

Dear community family physicians,

We recognize that the current COVID-19 situation has caused much stress in your practices, as you work hard to address your patients' needs, and ensure the safety of your staff, patients, and yourselves while navigating through a rapidly changing landscape, and challenges with clear communication and direction.

We want to assure you that the GPSC committee along with our staff and organizations (Ministry of Health and Doctors of BC) are working together to address these issues as quickly as possible so that you can continue to provide ongoing care to all of your patients, in addition to responding to these extraordinary circumstances. You will have received the Doctor’s of BC President’s letter yesterday regarding changes in billing fees to help enable increased access to virtual care for you and your patients. In addition, the virtual care toolkit, developed through the Doctors Technology Office, has now been released, and will be followed by webinars later this week.  We are working to provide staff support as needed to your practice in implementing changes needed to successfully implement virtual care.

We know that there is a large amount of information being shared with you, and the GPSC supported Pathways staff and physicians are working hard to collate relevant provincial and regional COVID-19 information as a banner on their home page; Doctors of BC also has links to the appropriate information on their web site. 

If you are not already linked with your local division of family practice we would encourage you to do so, as the divisions are working hard to coordinate supports for the practices in their communities.

On a provincial level there is work being done to address systemic issues such as access to personal protective equipment, quickly mobilizing COVID-19 testing and assessment centres, lab capacity for COVID-19 testing, providing clear patient information and implementing measures as recommended by the PHO.  

Most of all, we want to remind you of the importance of giving yourself permission to take time for your own  health and wellness, staying connected to friends and loved ones even while conforming to “social distancing.” The physician health program also offers supports that are available to you if the need arises for personal help.

Thank you again for your dedication to patient care and to the health of our communities.

Sincerely, 

Your GPSC Co-Chairs
Dr Shelley Ross and Ted Patterson