Alberta Medical Association

Board meeting update and upcoming member engagement

August 4, 2021

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: The Board of Directors met July 22-23. I intended to provide you with an update on what was discussed at the end of last week. This was overtaken by the issue of Alberta’s changed public health restrictions, so I am providing the update today.

Significant concerns: Changes to COVID-19 measures

July 30, 2021

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: On July 28, Alberta Health announced significant changes in the public health measures for COVID-19. I have written to the Minister regarding my concerns, and I want to share these points with you.

AMA holiday office hours

July 30, 2021

Please note the AMA phone lines will be closed for Monday, August 2. Regular business hours will resume Tuesday, August 3. All physical AMA locations continue to be closed.

Notice of Elections and Amendments to AMA Bylaws

July 29, 2021

Members are advised of proposed amendments to the AMA Bylaws and elections taking place at 7 p.m., September 28 at the 116th AMA Annual General Meeting. The meeting will be held via Zoom; details will be provided with the Reports to the AGM circulated prior to the meeting. Log in to view the amendments and election information. Nominations are due to 9 a.m., August 26.

Masking in community clinics

July 16, 2021

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: I have heard from a number of members who are concerned with potential implications for their clinics arising from the lifting of mandatory continuous masking. The public health order was maintained for Alberta Health Services, Covenant Health and long-term care facilities, but not for other clinical settings.

Patient's access to lab results; the remaining 5% and your practice

July 9, 2021

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: In this letter: What’s changing with patient access to sensitive lab results; what you may need to consider; how to learn more and be prepared with a July 21 webinar.

July-August 2021 issue of Alberta Doctors' Digest now online

July 7, 2021

The July-August 2021 issue of Alberta Doctors' Digest is now available online! Highlights include: Calgary physician-photographer documents front line COVID response: Be a vaccine-positive clinic; Poetic letter to the editor: Going A-Vaccinating; Dr. Gadget: From cryptocurrency to health records; In a Different Vein: Celebrities and COVID vaccines; and more!

A joint announcement with government and continued member engagement

July 2, 2021

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: In this letter: an announcement arising from priority discussions between government and the AMA.

Your pharmacists and family physicians are working together to put COVID-19 behind us

June 21, 2021

Joint statement from physicians and pharmacists on COVID-19 vaccination in Alberta: Vaccines are safe, effective and our best way out of the pandemic. Alberta family physicians and pharmacists are working together, getting more Albertans vaccinated so we can move on and get back to normal as soon as possible.

Supporting physicians impacted by changes to AHS-paid stipends

June 21, 2021

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: In this letter: Update on representation surrounding the end of stipends in Alberta Health Services; Stipend Action Committee; New clinical Alternative Relationship Plan information source for members.

COVID-19 and our patients - a checkup

June 11, 2021

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: As many of you are aware, as part of our advocacy and engagement with the public, we host an online patient community: albertapatients.ca.

CMA/AMA partner to develop physician leaders

June 10, 2021

Through grant funding provided by the Canadian Medical Association, the AMA is pleased to offer the Physician Leadership and Professional Development Initiative. Through this initiative, current and emerging physician leaders will be supported with leadership development that aligns with AMA values of physician wellness, diversity and inclusion, and promotes opportunities for health advocacy and systems transformation.

What We Heard: Member Feedback on the Tentative Agreement Package

June 2, 2021

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: I committed to reporting back to you about what we heard from the membership during the ratification period for the Tentative Agreement Package. Today, I am pleased to share the conclusions with you.

Influenza Immunization Program Update

June 2, 2021

The Influenza immunization Program for 2020-2021 is over. As of May 1, 2021, 1,651,105 doses of influenza vaccine were administered in Alberta.

Residential Schools

June 1, 2021

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: News that the remains of 215 Indigenous children were discovered in a mass grave at a former residential school in Kamloops has drawn attention to a dreadful legacy of the residential school system. This is not an isolated incident: graves have been found at other former school sites, including in Alberta. The search for these is still incomplete.

2021 ADIUM Student Elective Travel Grant

May 31, 2021

In any other year, 20 medical students would be now be receiving notice that they'd been awarded the ADIUM Student Elective Travel Grant. The grant, which was established to help defray the costs of traveling to complete medical electives, is awarded annually to recipients selected by random draw from entries received. In 2020, however, no one was permitted to travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so with input from the AMA Committee on Student Affairs, this year ADIUM randomly selected the following 20 AMA student members from the classes of 2021 and 2022 to receive the grants...

Rural Health Week

May 28, 2021

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: As we come to the end of the 2021 Rural Health Week, I wanted to take the opportunity to add my voice to the celebration of rural health care in this province.

Updates on key areas

May 26, 2021

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: This is to provide you with an update on several activities being undertaken by the Alberta Medical Association.

Planned website outage: Saturday, May 22

May 21, 2021

Reminder: AMA IT services, including email, websites and online member self-serve applications (e.g., AMA Fee Navigator®), will be largely unavailable tomorrow (May 22) from 6 a.m. - 8 p.m. Some services will be restored by 9 a.m. and websites and self-service apps should be available later in the afternoon. Additional short outages may be required over the remainder of the long weekend. The outage is required to update our datacenter infrastructure which will improve website reliability, uptime, security and connectivity.

Further information on mask exemption order

May 21, 2021

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: As you are aware, on May 13 government released a new public health order stipulating that medical exemptions for mask use will be allowed for a list of “verified health conditions,” and that an exemption letter will be required from a physician, nurse practitioner or psychologist.

Mask exemptions, Building AMA strength from within

May 14, 2021

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: Yesterday, government released a new public health order stipulating that medical exemptions for mask use will be allowed for a list of “verified health conditions.”

New public health restrictions, AHS stipends

May 7, 2021

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: The new public health restrictions put in place this week have been welcomed by the broader medical community.

Your AMA Section: Two Question Survey

May 6, 2021

Please take a moment to complete a two-question survey regarding your experience with your section. The survey will close Friday, May 21 at 4 p.m. The survey is being conducted on behalf of the Representative Forum Governance Oversight Group; it supports GOG's goal to increase the effectiveness of the AMA's governance structure and promote excellence among sections. All responses are anonymous and only aggregate data will be provided to section executives and shared with GOG.

19 student-run initiatives awarded funding from sponsorship program

May 4, 2021

The Committee on Student Affairs recently met to review sponsorship applications and chose 19 student-run projects/events to receive funding. An email from the AMA to all organizers will be sent out with more information. The sponsorship program provides support of student-run initiatives targeted at career advancement of medical students. The AMA allocates a budget annually for support of this sponsorship and all Alberta-based medical students are eligible to apply.

National Physicians' Day

May 1, 2021

Happy National Physicians' Day! Today is a day to recognize the contributions of physicians to their patients, communities and the profession. We are grateful for the hard work, passion and dedication put forward by Alberta's physicians, resident physicians and medical students. We’re sharing stories of inspiring Alberta physicians, resident physicians and medical students featured in our eMagazine, Alberta Doctors' Digest.

Recognizing National Physicians' Day

April 30, 2021

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: Canadians have fervently expressed their thanks to all health professionals during this pandemic year. As physicians, we have been quick to recognize all team members who are working alongside of us.

AMA President-Elect 2021-22 acclamation

April 21, 2021

Dr. Fredrykka D. Rinaldi has been acclaimed to the position of Alberta Medical Association President-Elect for 2021-22. Dr. Rinaldi will assume the President-Elect role at the close of the 116th AMA Fall AGM. Member login required to view Dr. Rinaldi's CV.

A boost to offset escalating tuition fees: read testimonies from two grateful students

April 20, 2021

The TD Insurance Meloche Monnex/AMA Medical Student Bursaries help to reduce financial pressure from escalating medical school tuition fees. The boost this bursary provides helps qualified students afford to attend medical school. Two of this year's recipients, Medical students Srishti Shrivastav and Lloyd Luitzen Visser, want to express their gratitude.

Discussion with Minister, federal COVID support

April 19, 2021

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: The April meeting of the Board of Directors took place last week. This was our first opportunity to gather since the vote and we spent two days discussing the challenges facing our members, patients and system, and how to best address them.

Vaccine in community clinics, a shout out to Laboratory Medicine

April 14, 2021

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: I’ve written a few times about the work to involve community-based family physicians in delivery of COVID-19 vaccine.

Reporting on feedback, fixing virtual care

April 13, 2021

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: I’ve appreciated all the emails and conversations since my last President’s Letter. Many of you have shared your thoughts and hopes for the future.

More eligibility for COVID-19 vaccine announced

April 12, 2021

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: As I am sure many of you have heard, Alberta Health announced that Phase 2C of the COVID-19 vaccine roll out begins today.