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Canadians have limited access to naturopathic doctors as approximately 1,000 qualified practitioners are serving the population of 33 million. A paradigm change is upon the public health system to move from a reactive to a proactive management model. Yet within a health-care system that is stretched to the limit, funding for new approaches is severely limited.
In response to this urgent situation, CCNM is planning to provide enhanced opportunities for Canadians to access naturopathic medicine and information. Specifically, the College is committed to developing the following:
New programming that reflects and addresses the new demands for integrative medicine within the Canadian health community:
- primary health-care training to reduce the burden on family physicians by increasing the number of naturopathic doctors providing primary health care to patients and to ensure proper patient referral to allopathic care when necessary
- accessible resources on drug-herb interactions to ensure patients and physicians are provided with up-to-date safety and efficacy information regarding interactions between their pharmaceutical medications and naturopathic treatments
- collaborative partnerships with hospitals and clinics to integrate naturopathic doctors into the community health models, thereby providing patients with a completely integrated health-care approach
State-of-the art facilities and technologies to support student learning and patient care:
- laboratory facilities to equip CCNM graduates with the laboratory knowledge and skills required for primary health care
- distance learning infrastructure for graduate training and upgrading to ensure practicing naturopathic doctors, particularly those in remote areas, can be kept up-to-date with changes in naturopathic research, training and techniques
- first-rate equipment for patient care and intern training to ensure CCNM interns are exposed to a full range of tools for patient care and clinic patients receive a high-quality standard of care
A larger pool of qualified naturopathic doctors across Canada through more CCNM graduates; this will enable CCNM to increase access to naturopathic medicine, particularly in smaller centres that do not have a naturopathic doctor in the area.
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