Overview:
Meeting with your MLA is a great way to communicate to them the severity of the problem you are dealing with and motivating them to bring up this issue to their party and the BC government. MLA’s may want to schedule a phone call or an in-person meeting to talk more about the concerns raised in your letters. Your story is a powerful reminder to MLAs of what the stakes are with this MSP change.
General Tips for Meeting:
Stick to one issue at a time. There are many problems with the health system and complex and chronic disease care. However, talking about multiple topics might overwhelm your MLA.
MLA’s may want to meet you in person. Be aware that you can tell them that you are homebound and would instead like to join them on a phone call or Zoom.
Stay respectful in your conversations with your MLA and their staff. MLAs often deal with a wide variety of concerns and may not be knowledgeable about health or the health care system.
LifeLineBC recommends the following structure to guide your meeting with your MLA:
Talk about your condition and how BC-CLMF helps you
Describe your symptoms
Talk about how they impact your daily life
Highlight what the BC Centre for Long Covid, ME/CFS, & Fibromyalgia (BC-CLMF) does for you and how this helps you
Describe the problem
The BC-CLMF has said that an incoming change to MSP policy will reduce their ability to deliver care online.
The MSP changes will cap virtual care visits to 20 people.
This will limit how many patients can be seen by BC-CLMF and will make it impossible for the clinic to provide effective group-based care.
This change will cause long waitlists for care that is currently easy for patients to access.
Share how this problem affects you personally
Talk about how you will personally be impacted if this clinic closes.
(If you have a GP) mention you’ve brought this concern to their attention as well and share their concern for you too.
Tell your MLA what they can do about it
Tell Minister of Health, Josie Osbourne, to raise the virtual group medical visit cap to 50 to preserve this life-changing care for you and 5000 other British Columbians.