Almost two years since they last spoke, our host Sam Myhr revives the podcast for a special episode on the state of rural health care with doctors Ed Aasman and Vicci Fourie. In 2020, the three of them led a successful grassroots advocacy campaign to reverse cuts impacting the viability of rural medicine. Despite this, when they recorded their podcast in 2021, rural communities were continuing to bleed.

In this episode, Sam assumes the role of exit interviewer for her two colleagues who have chosen to move on from Alberta. Listen in to learn from their combined 56 years of experience: what is needed to resuscitate rural, and how you can help.

In our season finale, we look back on what we’ve explored in previous episodes, including the rural health crisis, virtual care and its role within a patient’s medical home, the opioid crisis, COVID-19 and the looming care backlog created by the pandemic. Our hosts also look ahead to what comes next and the urgent need for action and stability. 

In this episode, our host Sam Myhr is joined by doctors Ed Aasman and Vicci Fourie to update Alberta on the state of rural healthcare. It's been over a year since they led a successful grassroots campaign that resulted in the reversal of several cuts to rural healthcare, but despite their efforts their communities are actually worse off than they were back then. Tune in to find out why, what rural health care is experiencing and what needs to change to mitigate the crisis that is unfolding. 

***A note from Dr. Myhr: At one point we talk about the lifestyle of urban vs rural doctors, and I want to make it clear that we know urban physicians are suffering too. Our guest wanted to highlight that there is an expectation for us to "do it all" in our communities, whereas urban physicians can usually "opt in" to different areas of practice. That said, I have heard from many urban family docs that they also cannot find locums, and are responsible for covering after hours results on their patients 24/7, including handling calls overnight or while "away". Thank you all for the care you continue to provide to your patients.

In the second half of a two-part discussion about Alberta’s escalating opioid crisis, our hosts are once again joined by Dr. Hakique Virani, an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Alberta and a specialist in public health and addictions. In this episode, Dr. Virani explores some of what addiction means and why it’s difficult to categorize addiction as a disease. He discusses society’s aversion to differences and how criminal drug laws serve as a barrier to security, especially for many racialized and marginalized groups, who often emerge from incarceration at a higher risk of death from overdose. He also explains the importance of interventions such as Naloxone distribution and supervised consumption sites in saving lives.

In our most recent episode, our hosts are joined by Dr. Hakique Virani, an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Alberta and a specialist in public health and addictions, for part one of a two-episode discussion about Alberta’s escalating opioid crisis. Dr. Virani notes that opioid overdose deaths have become a “new normal” in Alberta, and explains how the increase in opioid overdose deaths has been exacerbated by the pandemic. He explores the importance of supervised consumption sites in saving lives and how reducing those services at a time when we should be expanding them defies logic. He also discusses the inherent racism in current drug laws and the justice and human rights issues that must be addressed in conversations about decriminalization.

In our most recent episode, our hosts interview Dr. Jia Hu, a Calgary-based public health and family physician who is currently involved in the primary care rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. Dr. Jia Hu discusses how Alberta became a COVID hot spot, with some of the highest per capita new cases in the world and what it will take to get us out of this situation. He touches on the strategies other jurisdictions have taken to bring numbers down - including lockdowns – and explores vaccine effectiveness and safety and the importance of addressing hesitancy. He also looks ahead and explains why he’s optimistic that a return to normal is on the horizon.

In the latest episode, our hosts welcome Dr. Lee Green and Dr. Terry McDonald for a discussion about the importance of the patient’s medical home and the many benefits that come from continuity of care, including fewer emergency room visits. While virtual care is necessary and needed – especially during the pandemic – it works best when delivered by a physician who knows the patient and their medical history.  They discuss the value of the relationship with your physician/clinic and the impacts to health system costs when this relationship is absent.  Our guests also touch on the growing shadow pandemic of mental health, and how having a relationship with a physician can help patients open up about the stress they are experiencing. 

In the first episode back after March break, our hosts examine the reasons why AMA members voted No on the Tentative Agreement Package with government. They talk about member engagement during town halls and open forums – and through social media and online discussions. Our hosts explore the lack of trust in government, where the agreement fell short and the most immediate implications of the No vote. And they discussthe importance of AMA members staying united as they work to reach a new agreement that gives physicians a stronger voice in supporting patient care.”