Dr. Jennifer Vassel MD CCFP BScHon

Mother, Wife, Artist and Physician

[Dr. Jennifer Vassel MD CCFP BScHon @drvassel]

@LanceUlanoff I can’t imagine how frustrated his publicist is right now. Probably thinking “Hugh, we went over this, come on all you had to do was smile and answer and not let on that you totally don’t want to be there”

[Dr. Jennifer Vassel MD CCFP BScHon @drvassel]

@BruceJVail So awkward, it was like he didn’t want to be there and tried to make it difficult for the lady interviewing him. Bad form.

[BC Green Party @BCGreens]

BC family doctors are urgently calling for change to the primary care system but it's falling on deaf ears with the @bcndp. This government needs to commit to an overhaul of the system instead of repeatedly bringing forward ineffective solutions. https://t.co/gfT7LAneIM #bcpoli

[Doctors of BC @DoctorsOfBC]

#OurStories: @drvassel on cherished moments with patients: "It is the connections we forge, the common experiences we share with our patients that weave together the trust & understanding we need to recognize when they truly need us." https://t.co/obwtm6QbUf

[Carllin Man MD CCFP @CMan_CCFP]

Time to stop investing big dollars in UPCCs & episodic care.

We need the fund family doctors who develop longitudinal relationships with their patients, who screen for diseases and caners, and who will improve the health for all British Columbians.

@BCCancer @cancersociety

[arthister @arthister]

More ferries cancelled today due to staff shortages; so BC media, govt assuring us that all's well b/c hosp beds aren't full: why all those cancell'ns? Biz closed? HCWs off sick? ERs jammed? Too-high no of elderly dead? Reality feels a lot different from the rosy claims #bcpoli

[Vanessa Young @Vanessa58386340]

How about the disastrous UPCC’s pivot on a dime to flourish as community governed, physician led community health centres? Now there’s a partial solution for the primary care crisis. @adriandix @jjhorgan @FDs4PCinBC @BCFamilyDoctors

[BC College of Family Physicians @BCCFP]

And, before you argue that #familyphysicians get paid more for the responsibility, remember that the average electrician makes the same, or higher, hourly wage as a family doc in this province.

[Penny Daflos @PennyDaflos]

We think of a family doctor’s job as poking&prodding, plus a quick chat before a prescription
But we should think of them as the conductor of our healthcare orchestra — while being run off their feet
This is an impt pc I shot/wrote/edited for @CTVVancouver
https://t.co/NkkMDczCh3

[Kevin Mcleod @dockevinmcleod]

It is quite brutal these days in health care. Honestly every week seems busier and worse than the previous. Can someone please turn the light back on at the end of the tunnel? It seems to be out.

[Mark Roseman @markroseman]

Horgan/Dix want family docs to do first aid and STOP 🛑

Treat patients? 🛑
Manage complex/chronic illness? 🛑
Multiple conditions? 🛑
Prevent illness? 🛑
Help people stay healthy? 🛑

Patients bounce between clinics. Stay sick. Overwhelm specialists/ER. 🤒🪦

Release the brakes!

[Dr. Jennifer Vassel MD CCFP BScHon @drvassel]

@markroseman Absolutely

[Dr. Jennifer Vassel MD CCFP BScHon @drvassel]

@markroseman @CMan_CCFP @DrJLush @Vanessa58386340 @DrLauraAsplin @drawolak @DrErinCCFP @BC_GP_Shortage Love this. I love the idea of breaking this issue down to the pure economic analysis of supply and demand, and the issue of diminishing returns in Longitudinal Family Practice!

[Mark Roseman @markroseman]

@DrDMPetersMD @DrJLush @fogducker1 @CMan_CCFP @TuraEmanuela @ReneeMerrifiel3 @Vanessa58386340 @shirleybond @SoniaFurstenau @MurrayRankinNDP @DoctorsOfBC @BCFamilyDoctors @BCCFP @adriandix @MitziDeanBC @BC_GP_Shortage This is a pivotal moment. Unless control of PC funding decisions are decentralized and downloaded to FPs, any pace of improvement will be eclipsed by the continued FP exodus. Top-down solutions can’t work fast enough. Bottom-up can, if imperfectly. The speed required is leverage.

[Dr. Jennifer Vassel MD CCFP BScHon @drvassel]

@mr_tom_collins Well, what you may not know, is that legally we have to fill out most of it. In the hospital doctors actually have about 1/5 the paperwork of an office practice. I think that reducing the paperwork burden for family doctors is what we need to do. No one likes to work for free.

[Dr. Jennifer Vassel MD CCFP BScHon @drvassel]

Dr. Kristi Herrling does an amazing job explaining how to fix the Family Doctor Crisis. The solutions are in fact simple and can be enacted immediately to help to stop the exodus and slowly draw more doctors back to Longitudinal Family Practice.

[CBC British Columbia @cbcnewsbc]

While the family doctor shortage has had negative effects on patients, it's just been as hard for the family doctors doing business. Dr. Kristi Herrling from Sooke tells Anita Bathe how the province can improve the situation.

[Dr. Jennifer Vassel MD CCFP BScHon @drvassel]

This is a beautiful Ode to Family Doctors, that so wonderfully illustrates our role, our struggle and our joy. Thank you Dr. Lush for capturing the art of what we do.

[Dr. Jennifer Vassel MD CCFP BScHon @drvassel]

@604cr905 @Vanessa58386340 @BCCFP @BirinderNarang We have enough Family Doctors to solve the crisis. The problem is, none of the 3000 doing Episodic Care WANT to do Longitudinal Family Practice because it pays about HALF of what other jobs pay (UPCC, Telus, Babylon). We need 1/5 of them to open practices to fix this @FDs4PCinBC

[Vanessa Young @Vanessa58386340]

@desertchase Ours is a medium to large division and budget of about 800k. Roughly 25% goes to FP’s for committee work etc. Another important question is what is our mandate? It used to be grassroots, health and wellness. Now? More like MoH driving it. @DoctorsOfBC

[Corina Dumitrescu @DrCorinaD]

Thank you @SoniaFurstenau for listening and understanding the issues. We family doctors love what we do and we want ALL British Columbians to have the high quality care they deserve!
@FDs4PCinBC @jjhorgan @adriandix @KevinFalcon @Rob_Fleming @MurrayRankinNDP

[BC College of Family Physicians @BCCFP]

“I genuinely believe that what is decided in the next few weeks will affect primary care for a generation."