OTTAWA, April 9, 2020 – As Canadians seek trustworthy and clear information about COVID-19, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), alongside the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (Royal College) and the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) is partnering with spark*advocacy to launch a campaign that provides a way for Canadians to ask Canada’s doctors about questions that are top of mind.
The campaign will provide answers submitted by Canadians of all ages, from parents worried about the symptoms that they should watch in their kids to seniors who may want to understand how to better protect themselves. This unique project complements the efforts underway by governmental organizations to stop the spread of the virus and bring sound public health guidance to the forefront.
For this project, the support of the media and telecommunications industry has been unprecedented, with many volunteering their channels to share www.covidquestions.ca with their subscribers and audiences. The team at spark* volunteered time and skills to create this campaign as a pro bono initiative. They also reached out to a wide variety of Canada’s leading media enterprises and found many companies willing to contribute PSA inventory. A list of media contributors is available below.
QUOTES:
“While Canadians have access to multiple sources of information about COVID-19, navigating the myriad of perspectives can be overwhelming and can add another level of anxiety," says Dr. Sandy Buchman, CMA President. "Our goal is to make it easier as we go through this period together.”
“CovidQuestions.ca is a quality new resource to provide current and accurate information for the people of Canada,” says CFPC Executive Director and CEO, Francine Lemire, MD CM, CCFP, FCFP, CAE, ICD.D. “We encourage family doctors to refer their patients to this resource to help answer many common questions during this challenging time.”
“During these times of uncertainty, we are proud to work with our national health partners to support this trusted source of health information to Canadians,” says Dr. M. Ian Bowmer, president of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
“I was moved by the powerful and immediate response of virtually every leading media provider in Canada”, says Bruce Anderson, partner at spark*advocacy. “And we’re pleased that our spark* team can help connect Canadians seeking information about COVID-19 with the respected and thoughtful perspective of Canada’s doctors.”
- 30 -
List of media publisher/platform contributors:
- Bell Media
- Corus Entertainment
- Eyereturn Marketing
- The Globe and Mail
- The Hill Times
- HuffPost Canada / HuffPost Québec
- La Presse
- National Newswatch
- National Observer
- Omnicom Media Group
- Pelmorex
- PostMedia
- Quebecor
- Rogers Communications
- Shaw Communications
- Stingray Media Group
- TELUS
- Torstar