Message From Beverley Bunce, 1st Vice President
Dear Members
I hope you have all had a great summer in spite of the weather we have
experienced. The fall season has brought us some uplifting weather—a bit of a
reward after our summer of rain and clouds.
Sadly, the gloomy summer outlook was not confined to the weather. On
September 19 OMSA-HCA Executive and House members who were available that day
met in Barrie. We met with hearts in hands and tears in eyes as we had to
make major decisions concerning the future of the OMSA-HCA. Over the past
few years, we have not only seen our membership decline but we have also lost
the outside financial support which we have appreciated and have relied upon.
This, combined with employers not supporting their staff by subsidizing
membership fees, has contributed to a declining attendance at conferences and
AGMs, and as a result, it has become increasingly difficult for our
organization to maintain financial viability. For those reasons, the decision
was made that as of December 31, 2009, the OMSA-HCA will cease operations:
this after 50 years of support, education, sharing, caring, and celebrating
our chosen careers.
The education portion of the OMSA-HCA will continue for those students already
enrolled in the program, but no new exam applications will be accepted.
The Member AD&D (Accidental Death & Dismemberment) Insurance coverage and the
Benefit Program(s) sponsorship that is provided through your membership will
be discontinued as of December 31, 2009, when your 2009 membership ends;
however, individual coverage purchased from Charlie Bedard of MCFBedard will
remain in effect. Please feel free to contact MCFBedard Group Inc. if you
have questions and/or wish to discuss your individual coverage. (An
Insurance & Investments communication piece is enclosed within this
newsletter.)
Waterloo Branch members have been planning the 50th
Annual Convention to be held 2010, and wonderfully, they have decided to go
ahead with this, as planned, in order to celebrate and recognize 50 years of
excellence in the medical secretaries’ profession. Convention information has
been included in this newsletter. A fantastic keynote speaker and other
activities have been organized, and I hope that you will come to celebrate
with everyone and support Waterloo branch for its amazing efforts. Hope to
see you all there.
I would like to personally thank all the members of the Executive and House
for their friendship, support, and understanding; this has been a truly
difficult time for us all. I found it difficult to watch the emotion at the
demise of our organization, given the many years of people’s lives that have
been so generously volunteered to maintain the organization. I salute each
and every one of you for your contributions of time and talents.
I also have to thank our Administrator, Adriana Quiceno. When Adriana joined
OMSA-HCA, she not only had to learn the requirements of her new job but she
also had to catch up on an enormous backlog of work. Adriana met the
challenge with great enthusiasm and dedication. We sincerely thank Adriana
for all her help and wish her every success in her future endeavors.
It is with regret, loss, and also pride at 50 years of accomplishment that I
wish you all well in the future in your chosen careers. Hope to see you at
Waterloo in 2010.
If you need more information, please contact:
·
Education:
Contact
Tina Powers at
powerst@rogers.com
·
Finance:
Contact
Marianne Musters-Pawly at
mmusters@persona.ca
·
Membership:
Contact
Beverley Bunce at
bunce@mountaincable.net
·
Job Postings:
Contact
Laurie Hultgren at
laurie.hultgren@sympatico.ca
·
Member
Insurance & RRSP/Pension Investments Inquiries:
Contact:
Charles Bedard, President of MCFBedard Group Inc. at 1-866-323-3273 or at
cbedard@mcfbedard.com
To
celebrate the new Waterloo Region Health Care Associates (WRHCA) organization,
as well as 50 years of medical secretaries, please join their convention in
Cambridge on April 30, May 1 and 2, 2010. For more information, please contact
Laurie Hultgren at
laurie.hultgren@sympatico.ca
Note:
When emailing, please put
OMSA-HCA INQUIRY
on the subject line
