CLHIA 2018 Conference – a CKA and OKA partnership - post event report

By Kathie Sharkey et John Armstrong

The CKA / ACK (in partnership with OKA) participated in the CLHIA 2018 Conference held in St. John's Newfoundland on May 8-10th. It hosted over 200 insurers and claims associates in a tradeshow and CKA formally presented as speaker of the presentation sessions, plenaries and special events. We joined other NHOs such as the Canadian Massage Therapy Alliance, Canadian Chiropractors Association, Ontario Association of Osteopaths and other healthcare professionals as exhibitors. It was a prime spot to meet and greet CLHIA members. This event being a national event was aligned with CKA / ACK 's commitment to raise awareness of the profession by aligning organizations, such as CLHIA, with our goals.

“We had a large amount of success speaking to people at the booth (130 delegates, 60 presenters, 43 exhibitors and 250 people) It allowed us to have plenty of contact with insurance delegates and talk to them about kinesiology. Many of them hire Kins as case managers and in fact, they all said that Kinesiologists make the best case managers. We asked many people about adding kinesiology to extended health benefits and although it is added to some plans we can get more traction by requesting our services from the employer, the group (a union), or the policy holder. We had a few questions from insurance people about Kins in unregulated provinces and how do the insurance companies know if they are working with a  reputable professional. We invited them to contact the CKA to verify that the person is a member of the association/alliance and in good standing. They were happy about that help. Great discussions also on “Medicalisation of Unhappiness” – over prescription of anti-depressants vs. physical activity; another on “When is exercise component of a treatment is done and when a recipient is just “using” the treatment for “free personal training”. Along with the data demonstrating the need and the outcomes, people needing assistance are never as simple and straightforward as you think, and usually present with multiple conditions and as such require a professional to work with them in order to optimize effectiveness.

Overall, we made a lot of traction and definitely raised awareness of the profession amongst many aspects of the insurance sector – wellness, health benefits, critical injury and claims. We recommend attending this conference next year in Vancouver.