Below are letters we have written to share to the public. Feel free to download and help spread the word.
Ontario TCM Community Fights Back
(March 1, 2022) Our regulatory College has notified us that the Doug Ford Government is planning to stop regulating traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists. There was no proper consultation with our stakeholder and we were told by the government that deregulation would allow more people to work in the field.
Deregulating our profession is a reduction in the oversight of health and safety, and quality. This risks more harm to the public. Eventually, the integrity of our medicine that we fought hard to grow for the past few decades will deteriorate with lower standards, no insurance coverages, and no voice.
As a result, the profession - young and old, Asian and non-Asian - has united for this cause to save our profession and protect the public. We just went over the first hurdle with the delay of the second reading to the standing committee; but, the fight isn’t over yet.
Please support what you can. Thank you.
Credit: Coalition to Stop the Repeal of the TCM Act
Update on Schedule 5 of Bill 88: On Monday, March 7, 2022, the Ontario government says they will not be proceeding with their plan to deregulate traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists! We couldn’t have achieved this without collaboration of the Coalition and the TCM community, the overwhelming support from our patients and the public (over 39,000 change.org signature support!), and various MPPs who committed to fighting our cause. Our message to Doug Ford and his government was loud and clear: Ontario does not want deregulation of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture!
Resources:
Letter to Human Resources to Advocate for Acupuncture Coverage
We understand that not all extended health care benefits are made equal. Every insurance provider offers an array of health care coverage, however, they do not always cover acupuncture performed by Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners (R.TCMP)/Registered Acupuncturists (R.Ac) who are Members of the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario (CTCMPAO).
Please see the letter below that we have created that you can send to your employer or human resource department advocating to add acupuncture to your current policy.
Letter to Ontario Teachers of Insurance Plan (OTIP)
It has come to our attention that the Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan (OTIP) no longer provides coverage for acupuncture performed by Registered Traditional Chinese Medical Practitioners(R.TCMP)/Registered Acupuncturists (R.Ac) who are Members of the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario (CTCMPAO).
Teachers deserve to have acupuncture as their choice of treatment; they also deserve to be treated by R.TCMP’s/R.Ac’s, the most highly skilled practitioners with the best possible care and treatment outcomes with acupuncture.
Please find below a letter to help guide discussions with any teachers you may know and even the public, in general. The public needs to be aware of the differences in acupuncture offered by R.TCMP’s/R.Ac’s versus what is offered by other regulated health professions or there will be similar erosion of coverage for our services by other insurance plans.
Opioid Crisis is a Global Problem. Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture as non-pharmacological solution for chronic pain
We, as multiple Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture associations, unite together in response to the overuse of opioids in Ontario. We strongly believe that the best course of action to address this crisis is through non-pharmacologic alternatives. Opioid abuse and opioid-related deaths are an epidemic in Ontario and non-opioid alternatives have been proven to be effective, safer, and more cost-effective in the long-term treatment of chronic pain.
Our healthcare system has become dependent on the use of opioid as a primary means of addressing chronic pain. However, supported evidence-based research has displayed significant potential for non-drug alternatives.
Please find a letter below for more information on the opioid crisis and non-pharmacologic alternative.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners in Canada stress Importance of Nondrug Approaches