May 30, 2023
June is Pride Month and we celebrate 2SLGBTQI+ communities in Ontario and in our physiotherapy community. In addition to celebrating diversity and love in all its forms, we honour the achievements so far to end discrimination based on one’s sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression this Pride Season and commit to the ongoing work including better recognition of diversity and equity in healthcare.
Search for Pride events in your area:
May 31, 2024
June is Pride Month, and we celebrate 2SLGBTQI+ communities across Ontario and in our physiotherapy community. OPA continues to work towards ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression this Pride Season and throughout the year. At InterACTION 2024 we were proud to welcome the Queer Physiotherapy Collective and include education on sexual identity and expression for PTs, PTAs and students.
The Queer Physiotherapy Collective (QPC) is a community of practice that strives to centre the voices of 2SLGBTQIPA+ students, residents, and physiotherapists.
Get involved this month in your local area and celebrate Pride Month!
March 19, 2024
I am excited to introduce Sarah Hutchison to the OPA family as our next Chief Executive Officer. She assumes the CEO role on April 22, 2024.
Below is a short summary of Sarah’s vast experience. She will be joining us at InterACTION and l hope that those who are there will join us in saying “welcome.” – Oren Cheifetz, OPA President (in 2024)
Sarah is an accomplished health care executive with over 30 years of leadership experience. She brings to the role of CEO of OPA a very unique combination of health professional regulatory and professional association experience in health care, along with a strong results focused experience in member advocacy, strategy, policy, and program and service delivery.
In addition to her consulting practice which most recently concentrated on innovation and entrepreneurship education in health technology, she is also active in the community as a volunteer Director. Her prior experience as the CEO of OntarioMD, a subsidiary of the Ontario Medical Association, focused on supporting and enabling digital transformation working with clinicians, the government, Ontario Health and key stakeholders across the province. She has demonstrated experience and success in results-oriented delivery with strategic partnerships across Canada. She is passionate about people and enabling organizational excellence and is regarded as a transparent and authentic leader.
Sarah holds an MHSc (University of Toronto), an LL.M in Health Law (Osgoode), along with her ICD.D designation as a corporate Director.
“I am truly excited to continue the excellent work that has been accomplished by the Association and to contribute to the mission of improving health for Ontarians by expanding and streamlining access to physiotherapy services.
I am passionate about accessible, integrated health care and very committed to advancing the practice lives of physiotherapists and the patients they serve.” – Sarah Hutchison
October 18, 2022
“In June, 1997, my dream came true. I graduated from the University of Western with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy and within days I began my career as a physiotherapist at a local hospital in Windsor. Over the years I would have the privilege of assessing and treating individuals of all ages, in several settings and with various diagnoses. This served to strengthen my own knowledge base and more importantly my compassion for others.
In January 2016 my nightmare came true when I was diagnosed with a progressive, chronic condition- Multiple Sclerosis. Initially it was business as usual. However, the disease chipped away at me first physically, then mentally, then emotionally. I was defeated…until I accepted my reality and realized that I could still be of service as a physiotherapist to those in need. My clients and I shared a common link. As much as I was there to help them, they were helping me. We were pushing each other. In addition to maintaining full-time employment at the hospital and contributing to a family, I began to write. This was meant to be a therapeutic endeavour but it evolved into something else.
“Mending Nerves: An Empathetic Journey with Multiple Sclerosis” is my story. It follows the journey of an individual with a chronic and potentially disabling condition. The intersection of his worlds as both practitioner and as patient was unavoidable. Like his clients he needed to live in the present (“what is now”) and not in the future (“what could be”). I hope that the book will provide an avenue for others dealing with chronic diseases such as MS to relate. The main message is that, “you are not alone.”
Since my diagnosis I have become an advocate for those living with MS. I have joined a local MS community group as well as our local Beyond Disability Network group. My family and I have participated in the MS Walk sponsored by the MS Society of Canada where we formed the largest team and raised the most money as a team each year that we participated. I have had the honour of guest lecturing about MS at my alma mater, Western University, to first year Physical Therapy students. Most importantly I have become a resource not only to my clients but also to the clients of my colleagues, particularly those with MS. We are in this fight together. Finally, I have served as the Treasurer for the last 20+ years to the Windsor District of OPA.”
Thank you, Robert, for all that you do for patients, the profession and your community in Windsor District and beyond!
November 23, 2022
“I’ve been a practicing Physiotherapist (PT) since 2007, which is when I also became a caregiver to my chronically ill father. Throughout my career and caregiving, I saw both sides of the healthcare system – as a clinician and as a family member & caregiver – and I witnessed the gaps in communication between providers and patients. Walking into a medical appointment with my dad was always a psychological experience and quite often, his healing and our outlook was mainly impacted by the quality of the interactions.
When my dad died in 2018, I was inspired to write my first book, Communication is Care: 9 Empowering Strategies to Guide Patient Healing, published in June 2019. I wrote this book with the intention to help healthcare providers enhance their communication skills and be able to communicate with patients in such a way that it would help their patients achieve their highest level of function, recovery, and independence. My book has received a few awards and was an Amazon Bestseller upon its launch.
In October 2019, I further launched my podcast, The Healthcare Provider Happy Hour. The purpose of my podcast is to support the well-being of healthcare providers so that they may create the best patient experiences and minimize their risk of burnout. I’ve released nearly 200 episodes to date and have had the opportunity to chat with like-minded people on a similar mission over the past three years from all over the globe.”
Follow Jennifer on social: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn
December 13, 2022
Amanda Morin is an OPA member, Physiotherapist, and now children’s book author.
‘Last year I published a children’s book ‘Move with Nature’. It is an exercise routine from head to toe to have children develop their gross motor skills! The entire story was inspired by my work in South Africa where I provided exercise therapy to several children with neurological conditions.’
‘Each page features stimulating and inclusive illustrations by Hannah Bursey. The diverse imagery simplifies movement, and normalizes exercise for children of all ages and abilities…all while having fun!’ – from Civil Sector Press
May 28, 2024
National Physiotherapy Month 2024, Ontario Physiotherapy Association members share the impact of physiotherapists’ scope of practice on their communities.
Jennifer Howey, PT:
“Movement is life and life is movement.” As physiotherapists, we are movement specialists, with the ability to diagnose and treat movement disorders and injury. Our scope of practice goes beyond the treatment room. It includes public education, injury prevention and promoting healthy activity throughout the spectrum of life. In today’s sedentary world, it is more important than ever to encourage movement with every generation.
At InsideOut Physiotherapy and Wellness Group, we found that Nordic Pole Walking (NPW) – walking with Nordic walking sticks- is fun, inexpensive, and people of any age or exercise ability can benefit. It can get us moving and keep us moving! NPW has been shown to help people rehabilitate post surgery, those with chronic conditions, diabetes, osteoporosis, Parkinson’s Disease and many more.
As a clinic, we have developed a significant NPW program with a great deal of community outreach. InsideOut has had a 6-year collaboration with the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association and University of Hong Kong Physiotherapy program. Two InsideOut physiotherapists went to Hong Kong and trained 25 physiotherapists to be instructors and started to support research within the University on NPW and its benefits with patients with Parkinson’s Disease. In Hong Kong, physiotherapists now get funding for NPW programs within their rehabilitation and community settings. We are currently advocating to get similar approval in Ontario.
As a physiotherapist, one of my proudest moments was when we had a group of clients enter as Nordic Pole walkers in the Scotiabank 5km walk. These clients would not have thought they were capable of doing an event like this! One of the participants had come to us using a scooter for full-time ambulation seven months earlier. She was completely deconditioned, having suffered years of low back pain and multiple chronic problems. We worked with her, using our physiotherapy treatment and home program that included NPW. Seven months later she was one of the participants completing in this 5 km walk, using the poles. She was so proud of her accomplishment she signed up for two more that year.
It is the impact we can have on the lives of others that motivate me as a physiotherapist and clinic owner. Happy National Physiotherapy Month!”
January 30, 2025
With the call for a provincial election and a date set for February 27, 2025, OPA recognizes the importance of the next four weeks in engaging candidates and prospective MPPs on the issues that matter. Watch Courtney Bean, OPA President, speak about the upcoming provincial election.
Polling data reinforces that health care and the state of our health system remains a priority for Ontarians. We know that this is a critical time to communicate the priorities of the physiotherapy profession with candidates so that we can continue to make progress and positive change. Ontarians face extraordinary barriers to needed care. This election we believe important issues must be tackled and responded to so that Ontarians have equitable, timely access to the essential services provided by physiotherapists, physiotherapy residents, and physiotherapist assistants.
Here are our four priorities that will contribute to building an effective Health Care system in Ontario:
1. INCREASE THE NUMBER OF PHYSIOTHERAPISTS IN ONTARIO
Growing the number of physiotherapists in Ontario is critical to meet the increasing demands on our system for rehabilitation care in private practice, primary care, hospital care, long-term care and home and community care
2. ADD PHYSIOTHERAPISTS TO MORE INTERPROFESSIONAL CARE TEAMS
Expanding the investment in primary health care organizations by adding physiotherapists is necessary to ensure that all Ontarians have access to primary health care with integrated physiotherapy services. All Ontarians should have the essential healthcare they need, including care by physiotherapists to promote well-being and injury prevention, recover from surgery or injury, and live optimally with chronic conditions in their homes and communities
3. FINALIZE IMPLEMENTATION OF SCOPE OF PRACTICE
It has taken too long! We call on candidates to increase health system capacity and efficiency by finalizing the regulations needed for physiotherapists to practise to their full competencies, including ordering diagnostic imaging and laboratory tests. These include changes that were enabled by the Ontario Legislature in 2009 but have not been implemented by the Ministry of Health. Get it done.
4. RESOLVE PROGRAM AND COMPENSATION RELATED CHALLENGES
There is a need to implement policies and funding increases that support fair, equitable compensation and are comparable to increases in other disciplines of the healthcare workforce (e.g., nurses, mid-wives, physicians). Underfunding physiotherapy leads to service scarcity, long wait times, and poorer health outcomes for Ontarians in publicly funded and insurance-based programs. The inconsistent funding of physiotherapy services severely impacts recruitment and retention with many physiotherapists withdrawing services because of the lack financial viability to deliver.
It is essential that physiotherapists are accessible to Ontarians of all ages and abilities. To support the wellbeing and prosperity of the province, the sustainability of the physiotherapy profession is critical, and to reduce professional attrition, it is imperative that underfunded physiotherapy programs are improved administratively and fiscally, including (1) Community Physiotherapy Program (CPC) (2) Auto Insurance Programs including the Minor Injury Guideline (MIG) and Professional Services Guideline (PSG) and (3) Workplace Safety Insurance Board (WSIB) Programs of Care.
Join us in any way you can!
At OPA, we will continue to advocate for the priorities of our members and profession overall and have prepared a candidate brief that we hope will be of value in your discussions.
December 18, 2024
OPA, in collaboration with the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario (CPO), provided an update to our long-standing Scope of Practice submission to the Ministry of Health. It was important to incorporate the voice of the profession through the Scope Survey and the almost 1100 responses received.
The Ministry team has received the update with a few minor questions in follow up and we look forward to our next meeting early in 2025. OPA took the opportunity to update Dr. Karima Velji, Chief of Nursing & Professional Practice and Assistant Deputy Minister for the Province of Ontario, with this information as well.
November 24, 2024
OPA submitted comments to the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario on the most recently proposed standards:
OPA provided suggested ways to enhance clarity and comprehensiveness in each of the standards. There is also an opportunity in the Documentation Standard to include how the use of AI may impact record keeping, and any important considerations.