The COVID-19 pandemic revealed cracks in Canada’s health system. As in many parts of the world, in-office visits and therapies delivered in clinic (such as phototherapy) were significantly reduced. We are only beginning to see these resources return and the health system will now have to address backlogs and patients’ fears as they are asked to start returning to clinics and hospitals for diagnostics, treatments, and care. 

The Canadian Skin Patient Alliance (CSPA) educates, supports and advocates on behalf of people living with diseases, conditions and traumas that affect the skin, hair and nails. We also work closely with our Affiliate Member organizations that provide resources to specific skin disorder communities (e.g., melanoma, psoriasis, eczema, scleroderma, etc.) to support the skin patient community. 

To help patients get credible and up-to-date information, we created a COVID-19 resource page on our website, which quickly became our most popular page. We have continued to expand the types of resources available on this page, which include:

• Frequently asked questions. We heard concerns from patients immediately, including worries that immune suppressing medications would compromise their health during the pandemic, and worked with our Medical Advisory Board to develop responses based on the best information available.
• Changes to public drug plans. In Canada, patients access prescription medications through a mix of public and private plans. We shared and regularly updated information about changes made to public drug plans in response to the pandemic, which became more useful as people lost their jobs and through them, their access to private plans. 
• Research into impact of COVID-19 on skin patient community. We included information about global registries of COVID-19 patients with psoriasis, HS, atopic dermatitis, alopecia and children so patients are aware of these important initiatives. 
• Affiliate Member & collaborator resources. We have included information about resources provided by our Affiliate Members and other patient organizations with whom we work closely, including pages, webinars, recordings, and other materials. 

We also worked with our friends at other patient organizations to respond to imminent drug shortages affecting patients in Canada, including of hydroxychloroquine, and continue to monitor the landscape through our open drug shortages survey. Through broader coalitions, we connect regularly with the federal and provincial governments as they continue to tackle these issues.

Looking to the future, we are part of planned research exploring the role of teledermatology and guidance for immune suppressed patients. We are also working to better understand the impacts of the pandemic on skin patients in Canada through a forthcoming survey.

While governments in Canada have offered different economic programs to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on patient and other not-for-profit organizations, like all of you, we are working with less to deliver more. We look to partnerships and collaborations with other organizations as an important aspect of delivering support, providing education and ensuring that patients’ voices are heard during these unsettling times.

Published on 8 June 2020.