Dear CAMRT Members,
While it may seem like a cliché, it would be hard to disagree that we truly are in unprecedented times. The speed and intensity of the global spread of COVID-19 is affecting most every aspect of our lives. At CAMRT, we are working hard to adapt to this new reality and to do whatever we can to support our members, all MRTs across the country, and the Canadian public.
Before outlining some of the things we are doing, I want to do something even more important. I want to thank you. As CEO of CAMRT, I know I speak for our Board of Directors, the entire CAMRT team, and all of the Canadians whose lives you are touching when I say that we are profoundly grateful for the work you are doing. While we are all worried about the current situation, as frontline workers in our healthcare system I know you have even more concerns. Concerns for your own health, the health of your friends and families, and the health of the patients you see. While Canadians are being asked to remain at home and abide by the rules of social distancing, your jobs require you to be in close contact with patients. Your courage, commitment, and selflessness will save lives. I am humbled by the work you are continuing to do. And again, I thank you.
When it became clear that the spread of COVID-19 was, in fact, a pandemic, CAMRT turned its focus to finding ways in which we could support you and your colleagues in tangible ways. While we continue to support the existing programs and services you have come to expect from us, we are releasing several new initiatives and resources that we hope will be useful to you. All of these can be found at www.camrt.ca/covid19/. We urge you to check this page regularly as we will be posting updates as the situation develops.
As you know, we recently made the difficult decision to cancel several events and postpone others. We have moved our annual general meeting online. We have not yet made the decision to cancel or postpone the certification exam taking place in May, but we have made numerous plans to accommodate those affected. We will continue to communicate with all affected by these changes.
We are making our short course on infectious diseases available to all MRTs free of charge. We have launched a community of practice where all of you can share information securely with each other. We are gathering data to assess and study the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the MRT workforce. We have, and will continue to gather and share resources. We are building a tool that will match MRTs across the country who are able to work with employers who need more MRTs. We are working with other professional associations and national deliberative bodies to advocate strongly on your behalf. The voice of the profession will be heard as important decisions are made.Finally, in order for us to best help you, we want to hear from you. Whether it’s sharing a resource with your colleagues, advising us of emerging issues, suggesting areas for advocacy or anything else, please do not hesitate to let us know. Feel free to email me directly at irving@camrt.ca.
Thank you once again. We will get through this together and your contributions to that will be remembered.
Sincerely,
Irving
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