Letter to Minister Matthews re Drug Reforms - 3 May 2010

Dear Ontario Branch CSHP Members:

There has been much debate and discussion recently about the proposed drug reforms, both in the media and with the Ontario Ministry of Health. Many pharmacists and pharmacy groups have been quite vocal supporting Ontario's Pharmacists. For Ontario Branch CSHP, we wanted to get the right message out to the Ministry and the public. We deliberated the issue at our recent Council meeting and consulted the media advisor for CSHP.  

Today, the Minister of Health, as well as other key government officials, received an open letter from our Branch. We have attached this letter to this email. We have written to the Minister of Health, promoting good communication between the Ministry and Pharmacists in Ontario. I use the word Pharmacists deliberately – this needs to be an open discussion between all pharmacists in Ontario, regardless of practice setting. We need to work collaboratively and with a united front to ensure that the Ministry hears just one voice, the voice of all pharmacists in Ontario! 

I encourage you to share this letter with your local MPP, to show them that community pharmacies have a direct impact on the flow of patients between hospital and home. I hope that our view will be heard by the Ministry, and that the proposed changes have a positive impact on pharmacy practice, rather than a negative one.  

If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact me, at ccella@me.com, or your local Chapter Chair.

Sincerely,

Christina Cella

President, Ontario Branch

Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists