THE RURAL ROAD MAP

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RURAL ROAD MAP FOR ACTION LAUNCH

A national summit was hosted on February 22, 2017 in Ottawa dedicated to improving health care access and equity in rural communities in Canada. The Summit marked the launch of the Rural Road Map for Action that provides 20 recommendations to enhance rural health care. The recommendations identify four directions outlined in the Rural Road Map that aim to:

• Reinforce the social accountability mandate of medical schools and residency programs to address health care needs of rural and Indigenous communities
• Implement policy interventions that align medical education with workforce planning
• Establish practice models that provide rural and Indigenous communities with timely access to quality health care
• Institute a national rural research agenda to support rural workforce planning aimed at improving access to patient-centered and quality-focused care in rural Canada

The Summit focused on how the recommendations can be translated into actions that are coordinated, comprehensive, measurable, and sustainable. The aim is to engage all stakeholders in applying these recommendations to future policy-making and planning, as well as to identify roles in addressing issues related to health care equity for rural Canada. The Summit united national leaders in education, practice and human resource planning, as well as physicians of rural and Indigenous communities. We are pleased to share the final report of the Summit to Improve Health Care Access and Equity for Rural Communities in Canada.

To support equitable access to health care and to improve the health of individuals living in rural and remote Canada, the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) and the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada (SRPC) developed a guide for educators, healthcare practitioners, administrators, policymakers, and researchers. The Rural Road Map for Action described in this 11-minute video, shares four directions and 20 actions that will enhance rural health care if enacted across Canada.

The Rural Road Map Implementation Committee (RRMIC) was formed by the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada (SRPC) and the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) to support the implementation of the Rural Road Map for Action (RRM). Membership includes representatives from SRPC, CFPC, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada, Canadian Medical Association, Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, HealthCareCAN, Canadian Association for Rural and Remote Nursing, Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement, Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, Canadian Association of Staff Physician Recruiters, as well as experts in rural and Indigenous health research.

Rural Road Map Implementation Committee

Executive

Dr. James Rourke (SRPC Co-chair)
Dr. Ruth Wilson (CFPC Co-chair)
Dr. Gabe Woollam (SRPC President)
Dr. Margaret Tromp (SRPC Past-President)
Dr. Francine Lemire (CFPC Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer)
Dr. Shirley Schipper (CFPC President)

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Member Organizations

Mr. Jean Bartkowiak (HealthCareCAN)
Mr. Neil Drimer (Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement)
Dr. Rick Fleet (Rural Emergency Medicine, Laval University)
Dr. Douglas Hedden (Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada)
Dr. Alexandra King (CAMECO, Chair, Indigenous Health, University of Saskatchewan)
Dr. Roy Kirkpatrick (Rural Specialist, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
Ms. Jennifer Kitts (Canadian Medical Association)
Dr. Darlene Kitty (Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada)
Ms. Patricia Latendresse (Federation of Canadian Municipalities)
Mr. Bryan MacLean (Canadian Association of Staff Physician Recruiters)
Ms. Karey Shuhendler, (Canadian Nurses Association)
Dr. Preston Smith (Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada)
Dr. David Snadden (Chair, Rural Health, University of British Columbia)
Ms. Michelle Pavloff (Canadian Association for Rural and Remote Nursing)
Ms. Sarah Nolan (Canadian Nurses Association)
Dr. Brian Geller (Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians)

Advancing Rural Family Medicine: The Canadian Collaborative Taskforce (2014-2017)

Executive

Dr. Trina Larsen-Soles (Co-chair)
Dr. Ruth Wilson (Co-chair)
Dr. Braam de Klerk (SRPC Past-President)
Dr. Kathy Lawrence (CFPC Past- President) 
Dr. Francine Lemire (CFPC Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer)
Dr. Tom Smith-Windsor (SRPC Past-President)
Dr. John Soles (SRPC Past-President)

Members

Dr. Stefan Grzybowski
Dr. Ken Harris
Dr. Darlene Kitty
Dr. Jill Konkin
Ms. Rachel Munday
Dr. Colin Newman
Dr. Alain Papineau
Dr. Jim Rourke
Dr. Karl Stobbe
Dr. Roger Strasser
Dr. David White / Dr Jennifer Hall
Dr. Granger Avery
Mr. Paul Clarke

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Contact the SRPC

As part of a work plan to be completed by 2020, the Rural Road Map Implementation Committee plans to pursue these key activities:

1. Practice-based activity: Develop a strategy to advance accreditation standards for the timely transfer of patients in rural communities to improve quality of care
2. Education-based activity: Provide a summary of work being done across Canada to advance rural and Indigenous health competencies in health professions education
3. Research-based activity: Develop a pan-Canadian rural health care research strategy
4. Community-based activity: Advance community engagement in rural health care delivery planning
5. Government/policy-based activities:
   1. Federal level: Develop a strategy to advance the Rural Road Map (RRM) with rural and Indigenous caucus groups and create an approach for a pre-budget submission for the 2019 federal budget to support a rural health care and workforce strategy
   2. Provincial/territorial level: Continue to establish an effective liaison relationship with the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Committee on Health Workforce to support RRM advancement
6. Capitalize on opportunities for partnerships and funding

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Backgrounders & Reports

2021

• Rural Road Map: Report Card on Access to Health Care in Rural Canada
• Call to Action: An Approach to Patient Transfers for Those Living in Rural and Remote Communities in Canada
  

2020

• Rural Road Map Implementation Committee: Stakeholder Communique 2020 Summer Update
• CFP Article: Progress made on access to rural health care in Canada

2019

• Care close to home
• Indigenous health in Canada requires stronger commitment by the federal government
• Calling for Improved Access to Rural Health Care
• Election 2019: Notice to all Canadian Members of Parliament
• Article: Quietly courageous
• Article: Joys and challenges of rural family medicine
• Rural Road Map Implementation Committee: Progress on the Rural Road Map Implementation Committee
• Rural Spark Podcast: A Conversation with RRMIC Co-Chair Ruth Wilson – Dispatching doctors: Is it time for a rural medical service in Canada? April 11, 2019

2018

• Article: Recruiting physicians to practise in rural communities
• Submission to Federal Standing Committee on Finance: Investing in Rural Health Care: An Economic Stimulus for Canada. August 2018
• Rural Road Map Implementation Committee: Progress on the Rural Road Map Implementation Committee

2017

• Final report of the Summit to Improve Health Care Access and Equity for Rural Communities in Canada
• Rural Road Map for Action
• Backgrounder about the formation of the Taskforce
• Key Messages from the Taskforce
• Frequently Asked Questions about the Rural Road Map
• Selected Literature Listing

2016

• Review of Family Medicine Within Rural and Remote Canada: Education, Practice, and Policy
• Working Group on the Assessment of Competence for Rural and Remote Family Medicine

2015

• Executive Summary: Review of Family Medicine Within Rural and Remote Canada: Education, Practice, and Policy

News Releases, Publications and Videos

2017

• Rural Road Map introductory video
• Canadian Journal of Rural Medicine: Factors influencing choice to practice in rural and remote communities throughout a physician's career cycle
• Canadian Medical Association Journal News: Taskforce tackles rural health care inequity
• News Release: Steps to improving rural health care in Canada
• Information Release: National Summit focuses on improving rural health care access and equity
• Canadian Family Physician: Family medicine education in rural communities as a health service intervention supporting recruitment and retention of physicians

2015

• Video Interview with Co-Chair Dr. Ruth Wilson on the Taskforce’s activities
• Video of the Co-chairs presentation at the Rural Generalist Summit

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