Committed to Advancing the Profession

Advocacy, lobbying and enhancing the public profile of the profession are top priorities for OPA members. OPA recently completed a new strategic plan and a government relations strategy built upon four pillars: access, economic, scope of practice and professional profile.

OPA's current advocacy efforts reflect member interests and include:

• Ensuring public access to physiotherapy services;
• Responding to practice and funding issues affecting the private sector;
• Influencing legislation and government policies that impact practice;
• Developing resources for OPA members in the hospital and home care sectors.

OPA provides resources for promoting the physiotherapy profession. Members have exclusive access to a wide range of materials including PowerPoint presentations prepared as part of the Association's Speaker's Bureau, print and radio ads that can be tailored to individual member or clinic needs, a brochure series, an information kit and a full colour, professional, portable 8 x 10 foot display unit.

OPA publishes a bi-monthly newsletter, Physiotherapy Today and issues a regular i-Blast electronic communication on more time sensitive matters. Working relationships are well-established with multiple stakeholders such as:

• Ministry of Health and Long Term Care;
• Ministry of Finance;
• Financial Services Commission of Ontario;
• Insurance Bureau of Canada;
• Workplace Safety and Insurance Board;
• Ontario Association of Community Care Access Centres; and
• Other professional and health care associations.