Thank you, Mr. MacDonald.
The federal government has been playing an instrumental role in innovation for many years. Such federal leadership contributed to the creation of St. Michael's Hospital Family Health Team. This hospital's project is an example of a collaborative care model based on nine provider groups, including medical doctors, nurses and chiropractors.
This model has grown and continues to operate successfully to meet the needs of patients and the community at large. As chiropractors, our role in this model has focused on better assessment and treatment of musculoskeletal, or MSK, conditions. St. Michael's Hospital Family Health Team was recognized as one of Canada's four centres of excellence in health.
There are a number of international models where MSK sufferers aIso have direct access to team-based care, including chiropractic care. The U.S. Department of Defense and Veterans Health Administration are two key examples. In Canada, Ontario and Saskatchewan have launched similar initiatives. These models of care can serve as benchmarks in assessing how team-based care could effectively serve federal populations.
ln December 2013, our association made a submission to the Standing Committee on National Defence and suggested the need to invest in the development of a comprehensive MSK strategy, emulating their efforts to develop a Mental Health Strategy.
A robust MSK strategy could address the significant burden of MSK conditions on the operational readiness and well-being of Canadian Forces members. We further recommended that both the Department of National Defence and Veterans Affairs Canada work collaboratively to reduce medical releases for MSK conditions.
Any recommendations from your committee should take into account this issue of need among federal populations and how best to utilize the practitioners already working in communities across Canada. We believe that advancements in the way we care for federal populations could also further benefit Canadians as a whole. Our association recommends that the federal government's approach seek to break down the silos between the various departments and better coordinate delivery of healthcare services by community-based providers.
Fortunately, the Canadian Chiropractic Association, or CCA, has observed first-hand how collaborative partnerships can help implement best practices to better serve federal populations. Notably, the Canadian Forces have taken important steps to better address the burden of MSK conditions for soldiers.
I would like to highlight the Canadian Forces' leadership for the support we have received during preliminary discussions on the merits of partnerships between the Canadian Forces and allied health providers to help support the care of soldiers. The CCA has committed to providing significant funding for a project designed to assess whether our soldiers could also benefit from the kind of access to chiropractic care that is in place for the U.S. military.
For the chiropractic profession, we already have a strong national scope of practice that establishes us as doctors delivering primary care for MSK conditions. We would welcome the chance to work with federal departments on developing new approaches that would not just improve health outcomes, but also use federal healthcare dollars more effectively.
We would be happy to further discuss any recommendations made, as well as provide more details on how MSK conditions are affecting Canadians. We can also share examples illustrating how we can use financial and human resources more efficiently.
Thank you very much for your time and attention. We will be happy to take your questions.