Hi everyone, sorry for my short hiatus; the last couple days of the tour were intense and then I moved back home to Ottawa! Firstly, here are the links to some of our media exposure in Brantford, Ontario:
Pharmacy Protest Hits City
Pharmacy Students Protest Subsidy Ban
On May 14 (Friday), we headed to Belleville for what would turn out to be an eventful day. First off, we main-streeted on a (relatively) busy street, and got quite a bit of attention from passersby. A couple of students even got into a heated debate with a man who was against the big pharmacy chains. Then, we headed to Kelly's Pharmacy (Guardian) where we were greeted by pharmacy staff, who thanked us for our efforts for the past two weeks and pumped us up for our meeting with Education Minister and Belleville MPP Leona Dombrowsky (Prince Edward-Hastings). Once we got to her office, we set up outside and began our usual chants, complete with our signs and white labcoats. Local Belleville pharmacists also joined in. It was decided that four of us would go in to meet Dombrowky--Rahim Ismail, Rahman Hussain, Nadeem Remtulla, and myself. Once we got inside, Dombrowsky expressed that she had wanted to talk to all the students (it seemed like a ploy to get the students in from outside, so that they wouldn't attract media attention!) However, we maintained that we were representatives of the students and would voice their concerns. Leona Dombrowsky was quite pleasant to talk to and listened to all of our concerns. She refused to talk to practicing pharmacists but seemed genuinely interested in speaking to students. The entire exchange lasted about half an hour and after one student, Rahman Hussain, explained the issue in simple terms with an analogy, she thanked us for coming and stated that we had enhanced her understanding of the complicated situation! We were impressed with ourselves but left with a somewhat cynical view of the world--these MPPs, who don't even properly understand the situation, are in charge of the future of our professions and the healthcare of Ontarians?! It's unbelievable.
The next day, according to the schedule, we were due to be in London to canvas in Deb Matthews riding. However, we found out that the Liberal Party was holding a policy convention in Collingwood at a Blue Mountain Resort, so we headed there to do what we do best--make some noise and cause some ruckus!! Once we got there, we sat on the bus for about an hour as the organizers negotiated with security to let us out and protest. Finally, they gave us a spot in the parking lot and we were told we had to stay within that compound (there were no other protesters, which was unexpected). So we stood in the parking lot, yelling at the building where the MPPs were meeting. A couple of Liberal aids (wearing red sweaters and Liberal badges) came out and taped us for about an hour, but then went back in. We got a bit of attention from passersby, but to our disappointment, no media came out and worst of all, we didn't get to speak to any MPPs. So we yelled for a couple of hours in the parking lot, and got back on the bus. It was a bit of an anticlimax for the last day of the tour. However, the security guard told us that he had gotten a phone call from a bodyguard inside, asking him who we were, so I guess we were loud enough to be heard inside!
All in all, the tour was a great experience. I learned a great deal about media relations and politics, and had a great time getting to know my fellow students and future colleagues. A big thank you to everyone who followed along with my blog and for your encouraging comments. It's been confirmed that Ontario has delayed the drug reform for about a month--congrats to everyone involved in the campaign...don't stop fighting and let's show them what we're made of!!!
Signing off,
Zenah
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Will update later today
Hi everyone, sorry I haven't posted an update from our day in Belleville--it was quite a tiring day. We arrived back to Toronto around 9pm and I got straight into bed, intending on taking a nap...I guess I really needed the sleep since when I woke up, it was morning! Today's the last day of the tour and we are traveling to Collingwood. I will post a summary of yesterday's and today's activities, as well as pictures and videos from the past couple of days, later today.
Thanks for your patience!
Zenah
Thanks for your patience!
Zenah
Thursday, May 13, 2010
DAY 13 @ BRANTFORD
So we took off once again from downtown Toronto to the town of Brantford, Ontario. Here, we set up in front of the Brantford General Hospital to protest. It's funny--it seems that every day, we are becoming more and more creative with the cheers. Today, someone came up with "Stopcuts dot C A...call your MPP today!" and "Seven hundred million short...that's why we need your support!!" (we realized that the latter one wasn't too appropriate so we scrapped it!) It was rainy and quite cold, so not alot of pedestrians passed by but we attracted quite a bit of attention from the cars and trucks going by. Also, we had some media coverage from the Brantford Expositor and another local paper.
After a couple of hours we headed to another area of Brantford to canvas. Heather and I were hoping we catch a glimpse of Walter Gretzky, but no luck! In fact, we little luck today. We only talked to about 3 people out of about 40 houses! Either alot of people were at work or just weren't coming to the door. In fact, the whole street was pretty deserted. I think our street was an exception though, since the majority of peers met with and talked to many people who showed interest.
Check out the media coverage from Stratford yesterday:
http://www.stratfordbeaconherald.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2577783
After a couple of hours we headed to another area of Brantford to canvas. Heather and I were hoping we catch a glimpse of Walter Gretzky, but no luck! In fact, we little luck today. We only talked to about 3 people out of about 40 houses! Either alot of people were at work or just weren't coming to the door. In fact, the whole street was pretty deserted. I think our street was an exception though, since the majority of peers met with and talked to many people who showed interest.
Check out the media coverage from Stratford yesterday:
http://www.stratfordbeaconherald.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2577783
PHOTOS FROM STRATFORD
No sightings of Justin Bieber, but click the link below to see what we got up to in Stratford!
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| STOP CUTS @ STRATFORD |
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
DAY 12 @ STRATFORD
Hi everyone, sorry about another really late post!! We spent the day in Stratford, Ontario, home of the Shakespeare Festival (also home of the one and only Justin Bieber!) I had never been to Stratford and found it to be a small, quaint town. We spent some time walking the streets in our white coats and talking to people about the issues. However, it was extremely cold and alot of the people around were tourists!
Next, we hopped on the bus and headed to Sinclair's Pharmacy (Guardian), where we set up across the store at a roundabout of sorts and protested to the public. This was very successful and we were met by countless enthusiastic honks from drivers by as well as several insightful questions. Pharmacy staff from the Guardian came out with STOPCUTS.CA t-shirts to support us. They told us that this year is the 50th anniversary of the store, and they just got a new sign for it, but these cuts have put a damper on the occasion. Our protests drew interest from Stratford youth, and we explained the issues to them and they supported us by texting HEALTHCUTS to 123411 (as you should, too!). Also, every Stratford media outlet came out to cover the story and several of our student team members were interviewed! I have yet to find the articles online but once I do, rest assured that I will post them here, along with the pictures from Stratford.
Then, as per routine, we set off to canvass the streets of Stratford. The area which Heather and I were assigned was composed almost entirely of seniors. Most were in opposition to the cuts, but it was a bit discouraging since most of them had lost faith in the government and believed that they had no power to do anything to change it. We tried to reassure them by telling them that if everyone on this street called their MPP (John Wilkinson), hopefully he'd do something about it! They didn't seem entirely convinced, so I'm not sure that they will actually call. One woman answered her door, and upon asking her "Have you heard about the McGuinty government's proposed funding cuts to pharmacy?" she replied "We've heard about it, we don't understand it, and therefore we don't want to discuss it." Before we could engage in a conversation with her and explain the issues to her, she slammed the door. Perhaps we had caught her at a bad time....
Next stop is the hometown of another great Canadian. Not a world famous pop singer like Justin Bieber, but a great Canadian athlete, none other than the Great One, Wayne Gretzky! See you in Brantford!
Next, we hopped on the bus and headed to Sinclair's Pharmacy (Guardian), where we set up across the store at a roundabout of sorts and protested to the public. This was very successful and we were met by countless enthusiastic honks from drivers by as well as several insightful questions. Pharmacy staff from the Guardian came out with STOPCUTS.CA t-shirts to support us. They told us that this year is the 50th anniversary of the store, and they just got a new sign for it, but these cuts have put a damper on the occasion. Our protests drew interest from Stratford youth, and we explained the issues to them and they supported us by texting HEALTHCUTS to 123411 (as you should, too!). Also, every Stratford media outlet came out to cover the story and several of our student team members were interviewed! I have yet to find the articles online but once I do, rest assured that I will post them here, along with the pictures from Stratford.
Then, as per routine, we set off to canvass the streets of Stratford. The area which Heather and I were assigned was composed almost entirely of seniors. Most were in opposition to the cuts, but it was a bit discouraging since most of them had lost faith in the government and believed that they had no power to do anything to change it. We tried to reassure them by telling them that if everyone on this street called their MPP (John Wilkinson), hopefully he'd do something about it! They didn't seem entirely convinced, so I'm not sure that they will actually call. One woman answered her door, and upon asking her "Have you heard about the McGuinty government's proposed funding cuts to pharmacy?" she replied "We've heard about it, we don't understand it, and therefore we don't want to discuss it." Before we could engage in a conversation with her and explain the issues to her, she slammed the door. Perhaps we had caught her at a bad time....
Next stop is the hometown of another great Canadian. Not a world famous pop singer like Justin Bieber, but a great Canadian athlete, none other than the Great One, Wayne Gretzky! See you in Brantford!
KIM CRAITOR'S LETTER TO DEB MATTHEWS
Hi everyone
Please click the link below to read Niagara Falls Liberal MPP's letter to Health Minister Deb Matthews:
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=1288abc22917272c&mt=application/pdf&url=https://mail.google.com/mail/%3Fui%3D2%26ik%3De44a1e0a02%26view%3Datt%26th%3D1288abc22917272c%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dattd%26realattid%3Df_g93myqwr0%26zw&sig=AHIEtbQ5N_LGMdTN3KjyRW0nt1CU-tFlEA&pli=1
Please click the link below to read Niagara Falls Liberal MPP's letter to Health Minister Deb Matthews:
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=1288abc22917272c&mt=application/pdf&url=https://mail.google.com/mail/%3Fui%3D2%26ik%3De44a1e0a02%26view%3Datt%26th%3D1288abc22917272c%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dattd%26realattid%3Df_g93myqwr0%26zw&sig=AHIEtbQ5N_LGMdTN3KjyRW0nt1CU-tFlEA&pli=1
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
DAY 11 @ NIAGARA FALLS
Today was uncomfortably early for a few of us. 9 of us made it out to Queen's Park at 8AM with the intention of supporting Conservative MPP Christine Elliott present the petitions to the legislature. We were told that our names would be on the security list but once we got in, it turned out that they weren't there! The security guard took our ID and made passes for us (spelling a few of our names wrong, might I add! He used my middle name, Alisha, instead of Zenah, and even spelled it wrong, as you will see in the pictures!), but upon calling the room where we were supposed to go, he claimed that no one was answering. He told us to sit in the lobby and wait, and that'd he'd try again. We waited around for about a 1/2 hour, talking to a couple of other pharmacists in the same predicament. Then, a woman came down and told us that "they no longer needed our services, since the room was full." She wouldn't hear any of our arguments! Some members of our group woke up at 5:30 AM just to get there in time for this important meeting.
Dejected, we decided to kill the 2.5 hours we had left before we had to board the bus by eating breakfast and hanging out at College Park. Later, we boarded the bus and headed to Niagara Falls. Our first stop was the falls, where we were able to take some scenic group pictures. Our next stop was MPP Kim Craitor's office, where we gathered outside and protested. Although Craitor wasn't there, some students were able to speak to him by phone. It turns out that Craitor, although a Liberal, is actually in favour of the pharmacists' position!! What a breath of fresh air! It's great to see that he's not afraid to think for himself despite being surrounded by people who hold a different opinion.
This was followed by a brief session of canvassing in his area (our messaging was different: your MPP supports our position; please support him in this). One thing that we noticed, however, was that in some mailboxes there were "Stop the Cuts" brochures from the coalition targeting Kim Craitor specifically. Craitor expressed confusion, and rightly so, at these brochures in this article:
http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2574032
I guess the coalition assumed that he'd be against the pharmacists just because he's a Liberal. Thank you, Kim Craitor, for standing up to the rest of your party and for your support.
Click the link below to view videos and photos from NIAGARA FALLS:
Dejected, we decided to kill the 2.5 hours we had left before we had to board the bus by eating breakfast and hanging out at College Park. Later, we boarded the bus and headed to Niagara Falls. Our first stop was the falls, where we were able to take some scenic group pictures. Our next stop was MPP Kim Craitor's office, where we gathered outside and protested. Although Craitor wasn't there, some students were able to speak to him by phone. It turns out that Craitor, although a Liberal, is actually in favour of the pharmacists' position!! What a breath of fresh air! It's great to see that he's not afraid to think for himself despite being surrounded by people who hold a different opinion.
This was followed by a brief session of canvassing in his area (our messaging was different: your MPP supports our position; please support him in this). One thing that we noticed, however, was that in some mailboxes there were "Stop the Cuts" brochures from the coalition targeting Kim Craitor specifically. Craitor expressed confusion, and rightly so, at these brochures in this article:
http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2574032
I guess the coalition assumed that he'd be against the pharmacists just because he's a Liberal. Thank you, Kim Craitor, for standing up to the rest of your party and for your support.
Click the link below to view videos and photos from NIAGARA FALLS:
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| STOP CUTS @ NIAGARA FALLS |
Tying up loose ends: Deb Matthews Meeting
Hi everyone
I know you've been eagerly awaiting some more info about the Deb Matthews private interview with 5 students. Stephen Pahuta, a third year student, was kind enough to write a bit of a summary of the discussion that took place in Minister Matthews' office:
"My first question for Minister Matthews was how she could claim that this is a battle with big pharmacy chains, when in fact; certain stores have released statements that that they will be expanding stores with pharmacies in spite of these cuts because operating stores with pharmacies is good for their business. Unfortunately, she interrupted me half way through the question but the expression on her face was as if she understood what I was asking but was not prepared to answer it. My personal belief is that these cuts will force all independent pharmacies out of business and our profession will operate as a loss leader being represented by businesses more interested in selling food and general merchandise. This may be the business model the ministry is following to decrease pharmacy costs.
My second question was if she realized that the Medscheck program has not been fully utilized because pharmacists find it difficult to find time to spend a half hour with patients and still continue to provide our existing essential services. By removing 750 million dollars of funding to our existing services, has her ministry done an assessment of what current services they should stop providing in order to have time to implement meds check and the new services that she is proposing? Before being interrupted by one of her advisors that she was out of time, she did agree that the program was not fully utilized and that perhaps the compensation for medscheck consultations is insufficient.
Finally, she concluded with saying that she will not force this bill through until she fully understands its ramifications and that she is prepared to extend the period for negotiations if our coalition is prepared to negotiate."
I know you've been eagerly awaiting some more info about the Deb Matthews private interview with 5 students. Stephen Pahuta, a third year student, was kind enough to write a bit of a summary of the discussion that took place in Minister Matthews' office:
"My first question for Minister Matthews was how she could claim that this is a battle with big pharmacy chains, when in fact; certain stores have released statements that that they will be expanding stores with pharmacies in spite of these cuts because operating stores with pharmacies is good for their business. Unfortunately, she interrupted me half way through the question but the expression on her face was as if she understood what I was asking but was not prepared to answer it. My personal belief is that these cuts will force all independent pharmacies out of business and our profession will operate as a loss leader being represented by businesses more interested in selling food and general merchandise. This may be the business model the ministry is following to decrease pharmacy costs.
My second question was if she realized that the Medscheck program has not been fully utilized because pharmacists find it difficult to find time to spend a half hour with patients and still continue to provide our existing essential services. By removing 750 million dollars of funding to our existing services, has her ministry done an assessment of what current services they should stop providing in order to have time to implement meds check and the new services that she is proposing? Before being interrupted by one of her advisors that she was out of time, she did agree that the program was not fully utilized and that perhaps the compensation for medscheck consultations is insufficient.
Finally, she concluded with saying that she will not force this bill through until she fully understands its ramifications and that she is prepared to extend the period for negotiations if our coalition is prepared to negotiate."
Media Coverage
Check out Josh Lieblein in yesterday's Trentonian! http://www.trentonian.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2572240
Check out Nadeem Remtulla in today's Niagara Falls Review!
http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2574032
Check out Nadeem Remtulla in today's Niagara Falls Review!
http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2574032
Monday, May 10, 2010
DAY 10 @ TRENTON
Hey everyone this is going to be a short post since I'm feeling kind of sick...probably due to this drastic weather change! Today we headed east of Toronto again, this time to Trenton. Instead of going an MPP's office to protest (it was in the middle of nowhere), we decided to hit the main drag in Trenton: Dundas Street. We marched up and down the street with our signs and stood directly across from a local radio station (Rock 107). I crossed the street with the intention of taking pictures of the group from the other side for the blog, and was met by a producer from the radio station who wanted to interview me. I guess we had been making enough noise that they saw the need to tell our story on the radio! Josh Lieblein was interviewed for the Trentonian (Trenton's main newspaper) and the reporter also took several pictures of us as a group...so we are definitely getting the word out there for the profession!!
We then followed this up by an afternoon of canvassing...tomorrow some of us are heading to Queen's Park at 8AM to support Christine Elliott (Conservative MPP) present the signatures to the legislature. We are then heading to Niagara Falls. I'd better get some rest before then! Take care and goodnight!
Pics and Video from TRENTON:
We then followed this up by an afternoon of canvassing...tomorrow some of us are heading to Queen's Park at 8AM to support Christine Elliott (Conservative MPP) present the signatures to the legislature. We are then heading to Niagara Falls. I'd better get some rest before then! Take care and goodnight!
Pics and Video from TRENTON:
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| STOP CUTS @ TRENTON |
Sunday, May 9, 2010
VIDEOS AND PICTURES FROM OTTAWA
Click the link below for VIDEOS!!
Click this link for PICTURES (sorry about the Parliament ones...looks like the one taking the pictures, Jeff, didn't get the top of the Peace tower in!!)
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| STOP CUTS @ OTTAWA: VIDEO |
Click this link for PICTURES (sorry about the Parliament ones...looks like the one taking the pictures, Jeff, didn't get the top of the Peace tower in!!)
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| STOP CUTS @ OTTAWA PICS |
OTTAWA CITIZEN ARTICLE
Claudia McKeen (owner of Glebe Apothecary), Michelle Lui and I in the Ottawa Citizen!
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/health/Pharmacy%20students%20take%20streets%20over%20subsidies/3005143/story.html
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/health/Pharmacy%20students%20take%20streets%20over%20subsidies/3005143/story.html
Saturday, May 8, 2010
DAY 9 @ OTTAWA!!
I am writing this from the comfort of my own home in Ottawa!! It's so good to be back (the last time I was here was Easter, before exams and before this whole fiasco happened--feels like I was living in a different world back then!) We have tomorrow off so I figured I'd stay home for Mother's Day and be back in time for our next stop, Trenton, on Monday.
Today we left the rainy, cold metropolis of Toronto and headed to my hometown and the nation's capital, Ottawa! I know I had told you that I would interview the people who had the opportunity to talk to Deb Matthews in London and post the videos up here, but everyone (including myself) slept for almost the whole way! I will post them on Monday. Our first stop was Parliament. Most people in our group are from Toronto and they were pretty excited to see Parliament so we took some pictures there as a group.
Our next stop from there was the Pharmasave Glebe Apothecary, located in the lovely Ottawa neighbourhood affectionately known as 'the Glebe.' There, owner Claudia McKeen welcomed us in and showed us around. This store is so much more than your regular pharmacy. They compound special, personalized dosage forms for pediatric patients (i.e. medicated lollipops), animals, and those for whom commercially available dosage forms are not suitable. The compounding area is located in the basement of the pharmacy and was a bit of a tight squeeze for all of us! There, we were shown how specialized capsules are made. We also had the pleasure of seeing suppository moulds and the coveted "Rectal Rocket" mould with which everyone wanted a picture (of course...who wouldn't?!) A floor above the pharmacy was the sterile prep room, where the pharmacy prepares injections such as corpus cavernosum injections for erectile dysfunction-alot of the male members in the group were shocked at the thought of such a drug! In all seriousness though, pharmacies like these are important because they offer a personalized level of care--compounding is performed for individual customers and that particular dosage form is not readily available commercially. People are diverse and medications are not one size fit all; some people have certain conditions that simply cannot be treated with regular off the shelf prescription medications. The Glebe Apothecary is an independent pharmacy and would inevitably suffer under Deb Matthews' cuts. Where would that leave people who are in dire need of a special creme, suppository or injection?
We then stationed ourselves, armed with our umbrellas, outside the store on Bank Street between First and Fifth Avenue, where we handed out flyers and talked to pedestrians. I, along with Claudia McKeen, was interviewed by the Ottawa Citizen and a local TV station also showed up to tape us in action. Thank you to all of our Ottawa supporters for driving by and showing their support by honking their horns--I can't tell you how much we appreciate this gesture. It really gets the group riled up and we tend to get louder and more energetic with every honk. THANK YOU!!
This was followed by a canvassing session in Dalton McGuinty's riding of Ottawa South (the Hunt Club area). Many people were not home, I'm guessing this was because it was a Saturday. If I were to do this again, I would probably tell the organizers to plan the trip to Ottawa on a weekday. That way, we could have visited an MPP's office and really made more of an impact. Today being Saturday, it would have been nearly impossible to catch an MPP at work--as hard as it is to believe sometimes, they too are human beings and have a life!
One thing's for sure, it's great to be home again. I will be sure to post the videos and pictures from our Ottawa trip tomorrow when I'm back in Toronto. To all my fellow student tour members, enjoy your well-deserved day off tomorrow! And to any readers who are mothers out there, I wish you a very relaxing and happy Mother's Day.
See you back in here on Monday.
Today we left the rainy, cold metropolis of Toronto and headed to my hometown and the nation's capital, Ottawa! I know I had told you that I would interview the people who had the opportunity to talk to Deb Matthews in London and post the videos up here, but everyone (including myself) slept for almost the whole way! I will post them on Monday. Our first stop was Parliament. Most people in our group are from Toronto and they were pretty excited to see Parliament so we took some pictures there as a group.
Our next stop from there was the Pharmasave Glebe Apothecary, located in the lovely Ottawa neighbourhood affectionately known as 'the Glebe.' There, owner Claudia McKeen welcomed us in and showed us around. This store is so much more than your regular pharmacy. They compound special, personalized dosage forms for pediatric patients (i.e. medicated lollipops), animals, and those for whom commercially available dosage forms are not suitable. The compounding area is located in the basement of the pharmacy and was a bit of a tight squeeze for all of us! There, we were shown how specialized capsules are made. We also had the pleasure of seeing suppository moulds and the coveted "Rectal Rocket" mould with which everyone wanted a picture (of course...who wouldn't?!) A floor above the pharmacy was the sterile prep room, where the pharmacy prepares injections such as corpus cavernosum injections for erectile dysfunction-alot of the male members in the group were shocked at the thought of such a drug! In all seriousness though, pharmacies like these are important because they offer a personalized level of care--compounding is performed for individual customers and that particular dosage form is not readily available commercially. People are diverse and medications are not one size fit all; some people have certain conditions that simply cannot be treated with regular off the shelf prescription medications. The Glebe Apothecary is an independent pharmacy and would inevitably suffer under Deb Matthews' cuts. Where would that leave people who are in dire need of a special creme, suppository or injection?
We then stationed ourselves, armed with our umbrellas, outside the store on Bank Street between First and Fifth Avenue, where we handed out flyers and talked to pedestrians. I, along with Claudia McKeen, was interviewed by the Ottawa Citizen and a local TV station also showed up to tape us in action. Thank you to all of our Ottawa supporters for driving by and showing their support by honking their horns--I can't tell you how much we appreciate this gesture. It really gets the group riled up and we tend to get louder and more energetic with every honk. THANK YOU!!
This was followed by a canvassing session in Dalton McGuinty's riding of Ottawa South (the Hunt Club area). Many people were not home, I'm guessing this was because it was a Saturday. If I were to do this again, I would probably tell the organizers to plan the trip to Ottawa on a weekday. That way, we could have visited an MPP's office and really made more of an impact. Today being Saturday, it would have been nearly impossible to catch an MPP at work--as hard as it is to believe sometimes, they too are human beings and have a life!
One thing's for sure, it's great to be home again. I will be sure to post the videos and pictures from our Ottawa trip tomorrow when I'm back in Toronto. To all my fellow student tour members, enjoy your well-deserved day off tomorrow! And to any readers who are mothers out there, I wish you a very relaxing and happy Mother's Day.
See you back in here on Monday.
VIDEOS: STUDENT RESPONSES TO DEB MATTHEWS' MEETING
Hi everyone
Please click the link below to view videos of students on the tour giving their take about the Deb Matthews' meeting.
Please click the link below to view videos of students on the tour giving their take about the Deb Matthews' meeting.
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| STUDENT RESPONSES TO DEB MATTHEWS MEETING |
Friday, May 7, 2010
DAY 8 @ LONDON NORTH CENTRE: DEB MATTHEWS' RIDING!!!!
Today was definitely, without a doubt, the climax of the entire tour. WE MET WITH ONTARIO HEALTH MINISTER DEB MATTHEWS!!! In preparation for the big meeting, about 5-6 of us students held a conference call last night to discuss how we would address her. Today on the way to London, we had a pow-wow on the bus discussing different points we would bring up. We decided to focus on the students perspective (education; jobs; how Matthews has attacked and trivialized the profession) and broke it down to 5 points. The plan was to have 5 students speak about one point each, and between each speaker, the rest of the student were to chant, STOP THE CUTS! 4 times.
We arrived at her office and it was absolutely pouring rain (only adding to the drama of what was about to happen!) We made our way to the front of the building (it looked like a converted house) and began to chant again (Pharmacy Students for Patient Care! Deb Matthews doesn't care!). About 5 minutes later, the door opened and guess who came out? None other than Minister Matthews!! Wearing Liberal Red, pearls and protecting herself from the rain with a gigantic golf umbrella, Matthews emerged and walked towards us. She was very cordial and friendly as we chanted, asking the people at the front our names and introducing herself to us. It was even kind of hard not to smile! Good tactic on her part, I guess--also there was media there (A channel and Rogers TV), so I guess she had to look good for the cameras.
We then immediately launched into our plan of attack--the 5 students made their points and the rest of the students supported them by chanting energetically between each one. Matthews nodded in agreement as we talked about the impact on patient care, lost internships and jobs, and how hard we work towards our degrees--so much of our education is focused on delivering optimal patient care, and it'd be a shame if we couldn't practice it in Ontario.
After we had spoken, she addressed us, saying that she felt sorry that pharmacies were cutting our summer jobs and also that she felt that there was a lot of misleading information out there, making patients feel that services would be cut and stores closed down (I was later asked about this in a Rogers TV interview; I responded, that it's not misleading, it's reality. Pull out $300K from pharmacies in Ontario. They won't miraculously be okay. It's only realistic that they will go out of business! It's not misleading, it's the truth). She then invited 4 or 5 students to come in and have a conversation.
We decided we needed to regroup and proceeded to walk around the block, protesting. The media chased after us, and we got fully drenched! It was great though!! When we came back, Rogers TV interview me and Nadeem Remtulla, and then 5 students got the chance to speak with Minister Matthews (Michelle Lui, Rahman Hussain, Rahim Ismail, Nadeem Remtulla and Stephen Pahuta). The rest of us waited on the bus, speculating about what they could be talking about. About 20 minutes later they emerged. They told us that the meeting had gone well and they had really pressured the minister. At one point, the minister told them that she would consider extending the May 15 consultation deadline (there was no media there, however). The students said that they pressured her, and she couldn't answer some of their questions!! Her PR people actually had to end the interview since she couldn't come up with answers! We left her office triumphantly. The event was followed by an afternoon of canvassing in Chris Bentley's riding of West London.
Click the link below to watch some epic videos of our meeting with Deb Matthews!
What do me and Dalton McGuinty have in common?! We hail from the same riding (Ottawa South) Tomorrow we are hitting the road early and heading to our beautiful nation's capital and my hometown, OTTAWA, ONTARIO!! We are hitting the streets of Ottawa South so look out for the white coats!!!
We arrived at her office and it was absolutely pouring rain (only adding to the drama of what was about to happen!) We made our way to the front of the building (it looked like a converted house) and began to chant again (Pharmacy Students for Patient Care! Deb Matthews doesn't care!). About 5 minutes later, the door opened and guess who came out? None other than Minister Matthews!! Wearing Liberal Red, pearls and protecting herself from the rain with a gigantic golf umbrella, Matthews emerged and walked towards us. She was very cordial and friendly as we chanted, asking the people at the front our names and introducing herself to us. It was even kind of hard not to smile! Good tactic on her part, I guess--also there was media there (A channel and Rogers TV), so I guess she had to look good for the cameras.
We then immediately launched into our plan of attack--the 5 students made their points and the rest of the students supported them by chanting energetically between each one. Matthews nodded in agreement as we talked about the impact on patient care, lost internships and jobs, and how hard we work towards our degrees--so much of our education is focused on delivering optimal patient care, and it'd be a shame if we couldn't practice it in Ontario.
After we had spoken, she addressed us, saying that she felt sorry that pharmacies were cutting our summer jobs and also that she felt that there was a lot of misleading information out there, making patients feel that services would be cut and stores closed down (I was later asked about this in a Rogers TV interview; I responded, that it's not misleading, it's reality. Pull out $300K from pharmacies in Ontario. They won't miraculously be okay. It's only realistic that they will go out of business! It's not misleading, it's the truth). She then invited 4 or 5 students to come in and have a conversation.
We decided we needed to regroup and proceeded to walk around the block, protesting. The media chased after us, and we got fully drenched! It was great though!! When we came back, Rogers TV interview me and Nadeem Remtulla, and then 5 students got the chance to speak with Minister Matthews (Michelle Lui, Rahman Hussain, Rahim Ismail, Nadeem Remtulla and Stephen Pahuta). The rest of us waited on the bus, speculating about what they could be talking about. About 20 minutes later they emerged. They told us that the meeting had gone well and they had really pressured the minister. At one point, the minister told them that she would consider extending the May 15 consultation deadline (there was no media there, however). The students said that they pressured her, and she couldn't answer some of their questions!! Her PR people actually had to end the interview since she couldn't come up with answers! We left her office triumphantly. The event was followed by an afternoon of canvassing in Chris Bentley's riding of West London.
Click the link below to watch some epic videos of our meeting with Deb Matthews!
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| STOP CUTS @ LONDON (THE DEB MATTHEWS EDITION) |
What do me and Dalton McGuinty have in common?! We hail from the same riding (Ottawa South) Tomorrow we are hitting the road early and heading to our beautiful nation's capital and my hometown, OTTAWA, ONTARIO!! We are hitting the streets of Ottawa South so look out for the white coats!!!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
DAY 7 @ HAMILTON, ONTARIO
Instead of making the routine stop at the local MPP's office (as we had for most of the other days on the tour), today our first stop was Prisms Pharmasave, on James Street in Hamilton. Owner Damini Sandhu welcomed us in with open arms. She had organized a large event and had invited other independent pharmacy owners to address the group. She had invited some seniors who frequent her pharmacy to partake as well, and it was very generous of her to provide refreshments as well (including STOP CUTS cakes!--->see pictures for details!)
As we waited for the media to arrive, we were first addressed by the owner of Gibson's Pharmacy (an independent pharmacy in Hamilton). He told us that in order to make more of an impact, we should write personal letters to our MPPs at least once a week (he writes a handwritten letter to his MPP regarding this issue every single day!!!) He said that if an MPP gets standardized emails or text messages or even signatures on a petition, those are easy to ignore. However, they can't ignore a mailbox stuffed full of handwritten letters.
Next, we met with Mike Gayowski, owner of Paramount Pharmasave on the mountain in Hamilton. He expressed his frustration with the Ontario government, saying that McGuinty's priorities "are all screwed up." Damini then introduced us to an patient of hers, who comes to her store from Ancaster. Prescription bag in hand, he told us that he is a diabetic and doesn't know where he'd be without Damini and her staff. Damini herself is a specialist in diabetic pharmacy, and has organized seminars for him and other patients with endocrinologists and other specialists, at no charge for them. She counsels the patients on their medications and personally works with them, providing advice and support on their diets and lifestyle changes that occur due to diabetes. He said, "I just don't know where else I would go to get this kind of service." He said that he uses the blood pressure monitoring machine at the pharmacy quite frequently, and that the pharmacy rents it for $400/month (provided free of charge to patients). However, if that was to disappear along with the professional allowances, he'd have to go to his family doctor to get his blood pressure checked. In turn, the doctor would bill OHIP about $15 for this routine check. He said that McGuinty's government needs to do the math. He took the time to thank Damini personally and expressed concern that the job market may be tough for us students in the future.
Damini then introduced Faisal Khawaja. I felt like I was meeting a celebrity!! I had read his blog in the past (see it in the "Blogs I'm following" section) and had of course seen his frequent posts on the Ontario Community Pharmacies Facebook page. Faisal owns a pharmacy in Milton, Ontario but lives in Hamilton. He was incredibly eloquent and encouraging regarding our tour of the province and addressed a number of great questions from members of our student group. He mentioned that pharmacists' tagline should be "Pharmacists save lives." He offered us a personal anecdote from last week--a patient was prescribed three times the narcotic dosage she was on previously. He identified it, documented it and faxed it to the doctor. The bottom line, though, is that patients’ lives are saved all the time by the action and/or intervention of pharmacists. He explained that pharmacists are looking for an extension in the consultation period because the government is only giving the media one side of the story. The media then publishes half the information; gives half the amount of information the public needs to make a decision. He asserted that pharmacists deliver more than a billion dollars worth of healthcare services every year, services which are indirectly funded by professional allowances. Pharmacists support the elimination of professional allowances, the lowering of drugs costs (brand AND generic), he said, provided that they are replaced adequately and substantially with direct funding for what we do. To say that they are going to give us $100 million for future, extra expanded services, and expect that that money is somehow supposed to offset a billion dollars worth of losses in our profession is extremely cynical of the government, he said.
Damini then introduced Kathleen Leach. That name will sound familiar to those of you who are frequent visitors to the Coalition’s Facebook page! Kathleen, like Faisal, is another well-spoken and respected advocate for our profession. She owns a Guardian pharmacy in Hamilton (near Damini’s store). She spoke to the government’s assertion that 70% of professional allowances are being misused—“they are saying that the money is being used for salaries?! I would challenge anyone to tell me how I am supposed to deliver direct patient care without someone to actually do it—it has to go to salaries!” she said.
Here’s where it gets interesting, and ties into my final thought from yesterday’s blog post: Faisal and Kathleen then explained what is called a “listing agreement.” These are private, confidential, non-transparent deals that the government makes with Big Pharma (Kickbacks, anyone?) worth undisclosed amounts to be able to list their drugs on the formulary. The government then saves, Faisal says, so they should not be able to declare that this new legislation is transparent and for the benefit of taxpayers. Check out this article, written by Pharmacist Mike Sullivan (President of Cubic Health Inc.) for more information about listing agreements: http://www.benefitscanada.com/benefit/health/article.jsp?content=20091215_174019_9772 .
Kathleen then made an interesting point: people used to get their Fosamax (alendronate sodium) through ODB and purchase Vitamin D, and take them together. Merck, knowing that Fosamax was going to go off patent very soon, marketed Fosavance (alendronate-cholecalciferol), which is the same as Fosamax, only including the Vitamin D. Over the counter Vitamin D costs pennies to take per day. Merck then paid the government a million dollars over three years to have Fosavance listed in the formulary. How many others of those are there out there?
After this engaging session, we headed outside with our signs and protested outside the Pharmasave like old pros. We have the cheers down to an art form now. We even made up a new cheer “It’s time to negotiate! Don’t just legislate!” Rose Liao was interviewed by local Hamilton CHCH news. We then marched down to Main Street, where we protested in a public square. There were many people around and this gave us the opportunity to answer questions and educate people about the issues. One man, sympathetic to our cause, told me “You students pay enough for your education. You shouldn’t be begging the government for anything, especially when you haven’t even started your careers! There is something wrong with the system.” He’s going to call his local MPP.
After canvassing the Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale riding of Ted McMeekin, we headed back to downtown Toronto. I should get to bed now, as tomorrow we are off to an early start. We are heading to London North Centre, the riding of none other than Deb Matthews!! They say that MPPs must be in their constituency offices on Fridays, so it should be very interesting!
I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to Damini Sandhu and her staff on behalf of the student tour members for their generosity and hospitality today! This was the 7th day of the tour and more than a few were feeling tired, experiencing strained voices and feeling a bit discouraged by negative comments during the last few days of canvassing. The support from the independent pharmacy owners was just what we needed to reflect, charge our batteries and start fresh with a renewed sense of purpose. Thank you for inspiring us today.
Click the link below to see pictures from Hamilton:
As we waited for the media to arrive, we were first addressed by the owner of Gibson's Pharmacy (an independent pharmacy in Hamilton). He told us that in order to make more of an impact, we should write personal letters to our MPPs at least once a week (he writes a handwritten letter to his MPP regarding this issue every single day!!!) He said that if an MPP gets standardized emails or text messages or even signatures on a petition, those are easy to ignore. However, they can't ignore a mailbox stuffed full of handwritten letters.
Next, we met with Mike Gayowski, owner of Paramount Pharmasave on the mountain in Hamilton. He expressed his frustration with the Ontario government, saying that McGuinty's priorities "are all screwed up." Damini then introduced us to an patient of hers, who comes to her store from Ancaster. Prescription bag in hand, he told us that he is a diabetic and doesn't know where he'd be without Damini and her staff. Damini herself is a specialist in diabetic pharmacy, and has organized seminars for him and other patients with endocrinologists and other specialists, at no charge for them. She counsels the patients on their medications and personally works with them, providing advice and support on their diets and lifestyle changes that occur due to diabetes. He said, "I just don't know where else I would go to get this kind of service." He said that he uses the blood pressure monitoring machine at the pharmacy quite frequently, and that the pharmacy rents it for $400/month (provided free of charge to patients). However, if that was to disappear along with the professional allowances, he'd have to go to his family doctor to get his blood pressure checked. In turn, the doctor would bill OHIP about $15 for this routine check. He said that McGuinty's government needs to do the math. He took the time to thank Damini personally and expressed concern that the job market may be tough for us students in the future.
Damini then introduced Faisal Khawaja. I felt like I was meeting a celebrity!! I had read his blog in the past (see it in the "Blogs I'm following" section) and had of course seen his frequent posts on the Ontario Community Pharmacies Facebook page. Faisal owns a pharmacy in Milton, Ontario but lives in Hamilton. He was incredibly eloquent and encouraging regarding our tour of the province and addressed a number of great questions from members of our student group. He mentioned that pharmacists' tagline should be "Pharmacists save lives." He offered us a personal anecdote from last week--a patient was prescribed three times the narcotic dosage she was on previously. He identified it, documented it and faxed it to the doctor. The bottom line, though, is that patients’ lives are saved all the time by the action and/or intervention of pharmacists. He explained that pharmacists are looking for an extension in the consultation period because the government is only giving the media one side of the story. The media then publishes half the information; gives half the amount of information the public needs to make a decision. He asserted that pharmacists deliver more than a billion dollars worth of healthcare services every year, services which are indirectly funded by professional allowances. Pharmacists support the elimination of professional allowances, the lowering of drugs costs (brand AND generic), he said, provided that they are replaced adequately and substantially with direct funding for what we do. To say that they are going to give us $100 million for future, extra expanded services, and expect that that money is somehow supposed to offset a billion dollars worth of losses in our profession is extremely cynical of the government, he said.
Damini then introduced Kathleen Leach. That name will sound familiar to those of you who are frequent visitors to the Coalition’s Facebook page! Kathleen, like Faisal, is another well-spoken and respected advocate for our profession. She owns a Guardian pharmacy in Hamilton (near Damini’s store). She spoke to the government’s assertion that 70% of professional allowances are being misused—“they are saying that the money is being used for salaries?! I would challenge anyone to tell me how I am supposed to deliver direct patient care without someone to actually do it—it has to go to salaries!” she said.
Here’s where it gets interesting, and ties into my final thought from yesterday’s blog post: Faisal and Kathleen then explained what is called a “listing agreement.” These are private, confidential, non-transparent deals that the government makes with Big Pharma (Kickbacks, anyone?) worth undisclosed amounts to be able to list their drugs on the formulary. The government then saves, Faisal says, so they should not be able to declare that this new legislation is transparent and for the benefit of taxpayers. Check out this article, written by Pharmacist Mike Sullivan (President of Cubic Health Inc.) for more information about listing agreements: http://www.benefitscanada.com/benefit/health/article.jsp?content=20091215_174019_9772 .
Kathleen then made an interesting point: people used to get their Fosamax (alendronate sodium) through ODB and purchase Vitamin D, and take them together. Merck, knowing that Fosamax was going to go off patent very soon, marketed Fosavance (alendronate-cholecalciferol), which is the same as Fosamax, only including the Vitamin D. Over the counter Vitamin D costs pennies to take per day. Merck then paid the government a million dollars over three years to have Fosavance listed in the formulary. How many others of those are there out there?
After this engaging session, we headed outside with our signs and protested outside the Pharmasave like old pros. We have the cheers down to an art form now. We even made up a new cheer “It’s time to negotiate! Don’t just legislate!” Rose Liao was interviewed by local Hamilton CHCH news. We then marched down to Main Street, where we protested in a public square. There were many people around and this gave us the opportunity to answer questions and educate people about the issues. One man, sympathetic to our cause, told me “You students pay enough for your education. You shouldn’t be begging the government for anything, especially when you haven’t even started your careers! There is something wrong with the system.” He’s going to call his local MPP.
After canvassing the Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale riding of Ted McMeekin, we headed back to downtown Toronto. I should get to bed now, as tomorrow we are off to an early start. We are heading to London North Centre, the riding of none other than Deb Matthews!! They say that MPPs must be in their constituency offices on Fridays, so it should be very interesting!
I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to Damini Sandhu and her staff on behalf of the student tour members for their generosity and hospitality today! This was the 7th day of the tour and more than a few were feeling tired, experiencing strained voices and feeling a bit discouraged by negative comments during the last few days of canvassing. The support from the independent pharmacy owners was just what we needed to reflect, charge our batteries and start fresh with a renewed sense of purpose. Thank you for inspiring us today.
Click the link below to see pictures from Hamilton:
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| STOP CUTS @ HAMILTON |
PICTURES FROM PORT CREDIT!
Hi everyone, please click the link below to see yesterday's pictures and videos from Port Credit. Check back later tonight to read my recap of our adventure today in Hamilton!
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| STOP CUTS @ PORT CREDIT |
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
DAY 6 @ MISSISSAUGA (PORT CREDIT)
We spent the day in Port Credit which was only about an hour commute from downtown Toronto, but as far as the students were concerned, it seemed like an oasis far, far away! We arrived a bit early and while we waited for our Mississauga student counterparts to join us, we sat on the docks and watched the swans and ducks swim by. It was incredibly relaxing and serene! Again, we were blessed with a gorgeous day.
We set out, marching towards MPP Charles Sousa's office with our trusty signs and pamphlets. We protested outside his office, garnering support from passersby. Rogers TV showed up and interviewed Stephanie, a first year Mississauga native from our class. A local reporter also came and took plenty of photos of Naila Ahmed, another Mississauga native. Charles Sousa was a no-show, however one of his staffers emerged from the office with a peace offering--a bag full of cold drinks (Coke Zero, water and other soft drinks). After some deliberation, we decided to accept the drinks--it was sure hot outside and our voices were quite strained! Later, me, Nadeem and Michelle visited a local pharmacy in Port Credit. We interviewed the pharmacists there, who told us that the pharmacy offered varied services such as blister packaging and compounding. However, with the cuts, they would have to cut some of those services.
Canvassing took place in the affluent Port Credit area, and we spent quite a bit of time walking up and down giant driveways in the sweltering heat. We spent alot of time explaining our stance, but to be honest, many people didn't seem to interested in listening. One lady slowly closed the door as I was talking, and I managed to slip in a flyer! One lady that stands out in my mind signed the petition just because she hates Dalton McGuinty. She told us that she runs her own business and that with the new HST, her clients would have to take an 8% hit. Since she can't charge them more because of the competitive nature of her industry, her company will take the hit directly. In her words, "Dalton McGuinty is an idiot." This is seems to be a common opinion held by Ontarians we've talked to in the past few days...
I will post the pictures from Port Credit tomorrow! Thanks for reading and will report back tomorrow after our visit to Hamilton!
We set out, marching towards MPP Charles Sousa's office with our trusty signs and pamphlets. We protested outside his office, garnering support from passersby. Rogers TV showed up and interviewed Stephanie, a first year Mississauga native from our class. A local reporter also came and took plenty of photos of Naila Ahmed, another Mississauga native. Charles Sousa was a no-show, however one of his staffers emerged from the office with a peace offering--a bag full of cold drinks (Coke Zero, water and other soft drinks). After some deliberation, we decided to accept the drinks--it was sure hot outside and our voices were quite strained! Later, me, Nadeem and Michelle visited a local pharmacy in Port Credit. We interviewed the pharmacists there, who told us that the pharmacy offered varied services such as blister packaging and compounding. However, with the cuts, they would have to cut some of those services.
Canvassing took place in the affluent Port Credit area, and we spent quite a bit of time walking up and down giant driveways in the sweltering heat. We spent alot of time explaining our stance, but to be honest, many people didn't seem to interested in listening. One lady slowly closed the door as I was talking, and I managed to slip in a flyer! One lady that stands out in my mind signed the petition just because she hates Dalton McGuinty. She told us that she runs her own business and that with the new HST, her clients would have to take an 8% hit. Since she can't charge them more because of the competitive nature of her industry, her company will take the hit directly. In her words, "Dalton McGuinty is an idiot." This is seems to be a common opinion held by Ontarians we've talked to in the past few days...
I will post the pictures from Port Credit tomorrow! Thanks for reading and will report back tomorrow after our visit to Hamilton!
Me and Nadeem Remtulla in the BARRIE EXAMINER!!
http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2563870
Also click the link below for some great pictures and video interviews from BARRIE:
Also click the link below for some great pictures and video interviews from BARRIE:
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| STOP CUTS @ BARRIE, ONTARIO |
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
DAY 5 @ BARRIE, ONTARIO
Sorry everyone for the really really late post! Today we journeyed to Barrie, Ontario. It was my first time in Barrie and I had never even realized it was so beautiful! It is a small, picturesque town on the water. This is one aspect of the tour I've really been enjoying--just getting out there and seeing more of our province.
We started our Barrie adventure outside of a local Pharmasave, where we had set up a media event. We got there a bit early and the place was a little deserted but we pulled out our signs and labcoats and lined the street in front of the plaza nevertheless. Even though we've been chanting the same cheer for the past few days, we sure weren't getting tired of it! We yelled our lungs out with fresh enthusiasm and again, caught the attention of the local community. Cars honked and passersby stopped to ask questions. The media finally showed up. Nadeem Remtulla and I were interviewed by the Barrie Examiner. Rahim Ismail and Michelle Lui were interviewed by Barrie's A channel. (I wasn't able to find a link to the article or the TV clip online but I will post it as soon as I can). I took quite a bit of video footage on my camera--we went around interviewing pharmacists and the public about their viewpoints--check the link to my Picasa Stop Cuts Barrie Gallery to see more pictures and video.
After that, we were bussed to downtown Barrie, where we marched up from the water to Dunlop street and gathered at the corners of a busy intersection. We stood with our signs in four groups (one at each corner) to spread awareness. After about 15 minutes though, a police officer appeared and began to swear at the organizer of our group, telling him that we were blocking the intersection and that pedestrians were complaining. (even though we were vigilant of the pedestrians and completely willing to move out of their way) He then angrily told us to leave or he'd fine us each $150!!! Not wanting any trouble and by then having worked up a huge appetite, we made our way back to the bus to grab a bite to eat.
Not shaken by our brush with the authorities, we set out to canvas the streets of Barrie. Overall the responses were positive. One elderly woman argued with us through her fence that she didn't believe that generic drug pricing was fair and that pharmacists were being greedy with Professional Allowances. Although at the beginning I used to dread this kind of encounter, I am now starting to enjoy it since I am gaining confidence in articulating the issues. Anthony and I had a great discussion with her and explained the importance of the Professional Allowance money in terms of the funding gap. She finally conceded (a bit...or maybe she just wanted us to go away!) and concluded that the pharmacists and the government should engage in negotiations and leave the public out of it.
I have gotten into a little routine at each house I visit. First of all, I make sure to make eye contact and smile at the person. Next, I introduce myself personally: "Hi, I'm Zenah and I'm a pharmacy student from U of T." Then, I make sure to ask them if they have heard about the issue and if they have any questions or concerns about it. This usually allows me to gauge how much or how little information to give them, and if they are truly willing to listen to me and learn more (One lady simply said that she fully supports the government; most know very little about the topic). One man answered "I don't really know what the big deal to pharmacists is." I proceeded to tell him about the funding gap and about the different services that pharmacists currently provide for free, such as calling the doctor for refills, spending time counseling (both Rx and OTC/Vitamins), and deliveries. He then asked me what the government was doing about brand name drugs. I don't know the answer. What IS the government doing about brand name drugs? Why go after the generic companies? Isn't the root of the problem that brand name drug prices are astronomically high to begin with? I'm starting to like it when people ask me such thought provoking questions!
We started our Barrie adventure outside of a local Pharmasave, where we had set up a media event. We got there a bit early and the place was a little deserted but we pulled out our signs and labcoats and lined the street in front of the plaza nevertheless. Even though we've been chanting the same cheer for the past few days, we sure weren't getting tired of it! We yelled our lungs out with fresh enthusiasm and again, caught the attention of the local community. Cars honked and passersby stopped to ask questions. The media finally showed up. Nadeem Remtulla and I were interviewed by the Barrie Examiner. Rahim Ismail and Michelle Lui were interviewed by Barrie's A channel. (I wasn't able to find a link to the article or the TV clip online but I will post it as soon as I can). I took quite a bit of video footage on my camera--we went around interviewing pharmacists and the public about their viewpoints--check the link to my Picasa Stop Cuts Barrie Gallery to see more pictures and video.
After that, we were bussed to downtown Barrie, where we marched up from the water to Dunlop street and gathered at the corners of a busy intersection. We stood with our signs in four groups (one at each corner) to spread awareness. After about 15 minutes though, a police officer appeared and began to swear at the organizer of our group, telling him that we were blocking the intersection and that pedestrians were complaining. (even though we were vigilant of the pedestrians and completely willing to move out of their way) He then angrily told us to leave or he'd fine us each $150!!! Not wanting any trouble and by then having worked up a huge appetite, we made our way back to the bus to grab a bite to eat.
Not shaken by our brush with the authorities, we set out to canvas the streets of Barrie. Overall the responses were positive. One elderly woman argued with us through her fence that she didn't believe that generic drug pricing was fair and that pharmacists were being greedy with Professional Allowances. Although at the beginning I used to dread this kind of encounter, I am now starting to enjoy it since I am gaining confidence in articulating the issues. Anthony and I had a great discussion with her and explained the importance of the Professional Allowance money in terms of the funding gap. She finally conceded (a bit...or maybe she just wanted us to go away!) and concluded that the pharmacists and the government should engage in negotiations and leave the public out of it.
I have gotten into a little routine at each house I visit. First of all, I make sure to make eye contact and smile at the person. Next, I introduce myself personally: "Hi, I'm Zenah and I'm a pharmacy student from U of T." Then, I make sure to ask them if they have heard about the issue and if they have any questions or concerns about it. This usually allows me to gauge how much or how little information to give them, and if they are truly willing to listen to me and learn more (One lady simply said that she fully supports the government; most know very little about the topic). One man answered "I don't really know what the big deal to pharmacists is." I proceeded to tell him about the funding gap and about the different services that pharmacists currently provide for free, such as calling the doctor for refills, spending time counseling (both Rx and OTC/Vitamins), and deliveries. He then asked me what the government was doing about brand name drugs. I don't know the answer. What IS the government doing about brand name drugs? Why go after the generic companies? Isn't the root of the problem that brand name drug prices are astronomically high to begin with? I'm starting to like it when people ask me such thought provoking questions!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Day 4: PETERBOROUGH
Although the forecast called for rain, it turned out to be a beautiful day in Peterborough. We arrived around noon and headed straight for Peterborough MPP Jeff Leal's constituency office. On the bus ride over, we got the creative juices flowing and created posters showing our concern about the healthcare cuts. We had some really great ones!! For example, "All trained and nowhere to go", "Health Care not Health cuts," and "Don't hate, negotiate!" Signs in hand and of course, clad in our white labcoats, we stood in front of Leal's office, hollering our new cheer, "Pharmacy Students for Patient Care! McGuinty's Government doesn't care!" We got quite a bit of attention from passersby. Many people stopped to ask questions, giving us a chance to educate the Peterborough community about our position. Alot of cars slowed down when they saw us, some stopping to read our signs and others honking with support. MPP Jeff Leal was a no-show, which wasn't really a surprise, given that it was a Monday and he was probably at Queen's Park. However, no one came out of his office. The blinds were down and everything was dark. It was surprising that there was no staff member in sight to acknowledge us. His absence didn't stop the media. We had four opportunities with the media today. My classmates Heather Bannerman and Nadeem Remtulla were interviewed by My Kawartha and Chex TV, respectively. Check out Heather's story and the group here at http://www.mykawartha.com/news/article/809495--pharmacy-student-protest. Also see Chex TV's coverage here. Fourth year student Joshua Lieblein was interviewed by the Peterborough Examiner. More coverage can be seen here. I also had a taped interview with a local radio station.
After about an hour, we hopped back on the bus and lined a busy street with our signs and again, were very vocal in letting the Peterborough community that we were not in favour of the cuts. Drivers passing by honked showing their support and we just fed off their energy!
That afternoon, we took to the streets of Peterborough, talking to people about how these cuts would directly impact them. I was surprised at how many people really had no idea about the cuts or that who Deb Matthews was. I guess this is an important story for people affiliated with pharmacy, but people who don't go to a pharmacy very often may flip over this story in the newspaper. It just shows the importance of getting out there and spreading our side of the story to people. It gives it a personal touch and people can ask questions and really get to know what's going on. Having dealt with the media and talked to probably about a hundred people to this point, I think our group felt pretty confident in the message. The general consensus was that students were able to answer difficult questions with ease and thought they were making a difference (hundreds of signatures were collected and many people said that they would definitely contact their MPP).
After going door to door for about an hour, Heather and I stationed ourselves in front of a Peterborough pharmacy. I talked to the people going in the store, and she talked to the ones coming out. The response was great!!!! Probably the best I've had so far. No one brushed me off, everyone listened to what I had to say and many asked insightful questions. I had some great conversations with people. A particularly memorable one was when a patient was telling me that he was on many prescription drugs, and if the costs of those drugs went up (i.e. if pharmacists were forced to charge a higher dispensing fee to make up for the lost funding from Professional Allowances), he would no longer be able to afford the medications he needed. He would have to simply stop taking them. It was an eye-opener and a bit frustrating, too. It's funny how the McGuinty government thinks it's being more efficient with these cuts, when the reality is that it will end up in a deterioration of patient care--Ontarians like this particular gentlemen could stop taking their medications for financial reasons and could end up in ER with more complicated health complications. And the government would just be adding to an already overburdened hospital system.
Today was a success!! I feel that we really reached out and made an impact on the people of Peterborough. I feel privileged to be a part of such an enthusiastic and hard-working group of students. Together we can make a difference.
After about an hour, we hopped back on the bus and lined a busy street with our signs and again, were very vocal in letting the Peterborough community that we were not in favour of the cuts. Drivers passing by honked showing their support and we just fed off their energy!
That afternoon, we took to the streets of Peterborough, talking to people about how these cuts would directly impact them. I was surprised at how many people really had no idea about the cuts or that who Deb Matthews was. I guess this is an important story for people affiliated with pharmacy, but people who don't go to a pharmacy very often may flip over this story in the newspaper. It just shows the importance of getting out there and spreading our side of the story to people. It gives it a personal touch and people can ask questions and really get to know what's going on. Having dealt with the media and talked to probably about a hundred people to this point, I think our group felt pretty confident in the message. The general consensus was that students were able to answer difficult questions with ease and thought they were making a difference (hundreds of signatures were collected and many people said that they would definitely contact their MPP).
After going door to door for about an hour, Heather and I stationed ourselves in front of a Peterborough pharmacy. I talked to the people going in the store, and she talked to the ones coming out. The response was great!!!! Probably the best I've had so far. No one brushed me off, everyone listened to what I had to say and many asked insightful questions. I had some great conversations with people. A particularly memorable one was when a patient was telling me that he was on many prescription drugs, and if the costs of those drugs went up (i.e. if pharmacists were forced to charge a higher dispensing fee to make up for the lost funding from Professional Allowances), he would no longer be able to afford the medications he needed. He would have to simply stop taking them. It was an eye-opener and a bit frustrating, too. It's funny how the McGuinty government thinks it's being more efficient with these cuts, when the reality is that it will end up in a deterioration of patient care--Ontarians like this particular gentlemen could stop taking their medications for financial reasons and could end up in ER with more complicated health complications. And the government would just be adding to an already overburdened hospital system.
Today was a success!! I feel that we really reached out and made an impact on the people of Peterborough. I feel privileged to be a part of such an enthusiastic and hard-working group of students. Together we can make a difference.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Day 3: Oakville and recap of the past 2 days
Hey everyone and thanks for visiting my blog! My name is Zenah and I just completed my second year at the University of Toronto, and I am a member of the Stop Cuts Student Tour. We are a group of 50 pharmacy students from U of T, traveling around the province of Ontario for the next 15 days to spread our concerns about the McGuinty government's proposed cuts to pharmacy services. This blog will serve as a recap of our days in each city.
It all started on Friday, April 30th. We second years finished our last exam at noon, and piled onto a Greyhound bus at Queen's Park along with our U of T pharmacy colleagues from other classes. We were headed to London, Ontario! Although we were extremely tired (we had been cramming until the wee hours of the night), we were too excited to sleep. Our first stop was the office of MPP Khalil Ramal, at the riding of London-Fanshawe. Clad in our white labcoats, we all surrounded Mr. Ramal and debated with him for about an hour about the Liberals' proposed cuts. It was our first meeting with an MPP but the students came off polished and knowledgeable about our stance. We brought up points about the eHealth scandal, the dispensing fee gap and how the professional allowances fill that gap, and about how many independent pharmacies may have no option but to shut their doors due to these cuts. Although he didn't budge from his stance (as he was a Liberal, that's to be expected), we definitely showed him our side of the story in a charged and emotional debate. Following this encounter, we began canvassing door-to-door in the riding. We answered questions and explained more about the situation. At 5:30pm, I had a phone interview on CBC Radio Toronto's show Here and Now. The reporter was a bit aggressive and asked me some tough questions, but I tried to keep it clear that the people who will suffer from the passage of these cuts are the people of Ontario.
Day 2 was all about drumming up support from the grassroots. We headed to Waterloo, Ontario, where we set up in front of the University of Waterloo's School of Pharmacy. There, we gathered up and down the streets in our white coats, yelling, "STOP THE CUTS!" and "What's getting cut?! Healthcare!" Drivers were honking away with support and we handed flyers out to them and to passersby. What an exhilarating experience! It was great to get out there on the streets and protest the cuts with my fellow students. People walking by stopped to ask more questions and to voice their own opinions. This went on for about two hours, and then we held a press conference and ended up on CTV for the 6 PM news! Check out the video at http://www.southwesternontario.ctv.ca/news.php?id=7271 . We then went straight to canvassing for 3 hours. Although most of the responses were positive, there were a few who believed that instead of blaming the McGunity government, we should talk to Shoppers Drug Mart. They thought that SDM's tactics were unethical. Heather and I tried to get them to see that this problem doesn't just involve SDM, but will affect all pharmacists. They refused to hear us out and didn't take a flyer. Oh well, I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
Today we drove out to Oakville, Ontario. As there was no media event today, we set out in the beautiful weather to talk to people door to door. We had some really meaningful conversations with people about the issues at hand. Heather and I talked to one couple for about 15 minutes about what these cuts will mean to them in terms of services--since there is no way to fund the gap between the $14 it costs to fill a prescription and the $7 (soon to be $8) dispensing fee without professional allowances, someone will have to pick up the tab--and it sure won't be the government. Pharmacies will have no choice but to either cut staff (thereby cutting access to the local community pharmacist) or to start charging for services that are now offered free of charge. The couple was concerned about this and very grateful to hear our side of the story. They told us that it's unfortunate that alot of people often get their news and information from one source, and that source may not always be the most balanced (Having a subscription to the Star, I can attest to that--their coverage of this story hasn't always been the most fair). I agree. Ontarians are free to make their own decisions about this, but should make an informed one. Visit us on the web at stopcuts.ca and see the issue through a different lens. Call or write to your local MPP or send a text message to him/her by texting HEALTHCUTS to 123411. Next stop tomorrow: Peterborough!
It all started on Friday, April 30th. We second years finished our last exam at noon, and piled onto a Greyhound bus at Queen's Park along with our U of T pharmacy colleagues from other classes. We were headed to London, Ontario! Although we were extremely tired (we had been cramming until the wee hours of the night), we were too excited to sleep. Our first stop was the office of MPP Khalil Ramal, at the riding of London-Fanshawe. Clad in our white labcoats, we all surrounded Mr. Ramal and debated with him for about an hour about the Liberals' proposed cuts. It was our first meeting with an MPP but the students came off polished and knowledgeable about our stance. We brought up points about the eHealth scandal, the dispensing fee gap and how the professional allowances fill that gap, and about how many independent pharmacies may have no option but to shut their doors due to these cuts. Although he didn't budge from his stance (as he was a Liberal, that's to be expected), we definitely showed him our side of the story in a charged and emotional debate. Following this encounter, we began canvassing door-to-door in the riding. We answered questions and explained more about the situation. At 5:30pm, I had a phone interview on CBC Radio Toronto's show Here and Now. The reporter was a bit aggressive and asked me some tough questions, but I tried to keep it clear that the people who will suffer from the passage of these cuts are the people of Ontario.
Day 2 was all about drumming up support from the grassroots. We headed to Waterloo, Ontario, where we set up in front of the University of Waterloo's School of Pharmacy. There, we gathered up and down the streets in our white coats, yelling, "STOP THE CUTS!" and "What's getting cut?! Healthcare!" Drivers were honking away with support and we handed flyers out to them and to passersby. What an exhilarating experience! It was great to get out there on the streets and protest the cuts with my fellow students. People walking by stopped to ask more questions and to voice their own opinions. This went on for about two hours, and then we held a press conference and ended up on CTV for the 6 PM news! Check out the video at http://www.southwesternontario.ctv.ca/news.php?id=7271 . We then went straight to canvassing for 3 hours. Although most of the responses were positive, there were a few who believed that instead of blaming the McGunity government, we should talk to Shoppers Drug Mart. They thought that SDM's tactics were unethical. Heather and I tried to get them to see that this problem doesn't just involve SDM, but will affect all pharmacists. They refused to hear us out and didn't take a flyer. Oh well, I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
Today we drove out to Oakville, Ontario. As there was no media event today, we set out in the beautiful weather to talk to people door to door. We had some really meaningful conversations with people about the issues at hand. Heather and I talked to one couple for about 15 minutes about what these cuts will mean to them in terms of services--since there is no way to fund the gap between the $14 it costs to fill a prescription and the $7 (soon to be $8) dispensing fee without professional allowances, someone will have to pick up the tab--and it sure won't be the government. Pharmacies will have no choice but to either cut staff (thereby cutting access to the local community pharmacist) or to start charging for services that are now offered free of charge. The couple was concerned about this and very grateful to hear our side of the story. They told us that it's unfortunate that alot of people often get their news and information from one source, and that source may not always be the most balanced (Having a subscription to the Star, I can attest to that--their coverage of this story hasn't always been the most fair). I agree. Ontarians are free to make their own decisions about this, but should make an informed one. Visit us on the web at stopcuts.ca and see the issue through a different lens. Call or write to your local MPP or send a text message to him/her by texting HEALTHCUTS to 123411. Next stop tomorrow: Peterborough!
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