We would like to thank Dr. Bonnie Henry, Provincial Health Officer for B.C., for sparing her extremely valuable time this week to meet with BCCFP President Dr. Jeanette Boyd via phone call, and for reminding British Columbians to continue seeking care from their family physicians.
In today’s daily press conference, Dr. Henry told the public: “I encourage you to connect with your family physician – the people who know you best and know your condition best – during this time.” She highlighted that “Many people we know in British Columbia are managing chronic disease and other health issues. I encourage you to continue to work with your health care providers – to talk to your physicians’ office and your primary care providers’ office… It’s okay for each of us to reach out and you can do it safely and you can do it online in many cases. There are many resources and options for care available for people online now through our community physicians, family physicians and community organizations.”
Dr. Henry’s comments on ongoing primary care can be heard from around 5m30s at this link.
In their meeting, Dr. Boyd and Dr. Henry discussed the importance of British Columbians continuing to receive ongoing, longitudinal care from their family physicians throughout the pandemic. Dr. Boyd emphasized that family physicians have quickly adapted to new ways of safely seeing patients while maintaining social distancing guidelines. They also discussed family physicians’ roles in the management of the pandemic.
Thank you to Dr. Henry for her extraordinary leadership and commitment to the health and wellbeing of British Columbians.
