Position Statement Stephen Chris , BSc, MD

I seek your support to become OMA Board Director for District 11.

During the last 25 years, I have been in comprehensive care family practice with experience in Emergency, Obstetrics and newborn care. My practice is now focussed on long-term care.

I have been involved in medical politics for many years. During the attempt to defeat the “Health Care Accessibility Act” of 1986, I joined the Committee of Concerned Psychiatrists who worked tirelessly in an attempt to defeat this legislation. In the aftermath, I became President of the York Finch Hospital branch society and Secretary of District 11.

I have served on the executive of the Coalition of Family Physicians for the last five years.

However, my commitment if elected to the Board is to represent all physicians in the District. I believe I can empathize with specialist concerns after a long career working in association with colleagues whose work is extraordinarily difficult and even dangerous.

The problems facing family practice are common to the profession as a whole. The desire of government to “reform” Primary Care is this decade's irrational preoccupation, as hospital restructuring was in the last decade. I believe specialists will face similar pressures in the years to come, and as has been said, we hang together or we hang, separately.

I have disagreed with the much of what the OMA has done and how it has been done in recent years. The OMA's championing of Family Health Networks occurred without meaningful debate, discussion or input from the grassroots physicians whose working conditions were to be radically changed. The creation of Family Health Groups, which has provided a small measure of financial relief after 15 years of sub inflationary increases, has further divided us and was again introduced as a fait accompli without input or debate. In future, there must be more debate before decisions are taken on our behalf. The Board must be prepared to listen to the Sections more attentively than in the past.

In regards to our last four-year agreement, Dr. Erlick was correct when he wrote in his Annual Report to District 11 in Dec 2000 that, “in my view 2% per year is too little for too long.” Council in 1988, having recognized that the loss of the right to Balance Bill left us impotent at the negotiating table, passed a resolution that the OMA “seek a dispute resolution mechanism that includes binding arbitration.” In our society, workers without the right to strike have binding arbitration in order to equalize the power imbalance at the negotiating table.

This must be our first demand of government.

It also goes without saying that the Board has to be active and open in its efforts to deal with the injustices of the MRC and ensure fair treatment and due process. I will make sure this happens.

I look forward to working on your behalf.

Curriculum Vitae Stephen Chris , BSc , MD

Born: May 8, 1949 , London , England

Marital Status: Married to Dr. Debra Birnbaum, MD, CCFP

Office Address: 292 Bayview Avenue, Suite 300 Toronto , Ontario

Phone: 416-845-5202

Fax: 416-441-0392

Degrees: BSc, University of Toronto – 1970
MD, University of Toronto – 1974

Current Partner, Woodview Park Medical Centre, (1978 to 2004)

Practice: Active Staff, Humber River Regional Hospital (since 1978)
Partner and active participant, Centenary After Hours Clinic
Attending Physician and Medical Advisor, Leisureworld
Caregiving Centres and Trilogy Long-Term Care Facility
Courtesy Staff, Mount Sinai Hospital (since 1978)

Other Professional Activities:
Member, Board of Governors, Toronto Grace Hospital (1980 to 1983)
President, York Finch Hospital Branch Society (1986 to 1990)
Vice President, York Finch Hospital Branch Society (1990 to 1992)
Board Member, Ontario Long-Term Care Physicians Association (2003)