A judge ordered her to stop, but this suspended acupuncturist is still taking appointments
CBC
The walls of Xiao Hong Liu's offices are lined with plaques and framed certificates from around the world, denoting a career in acupuncture spanning back to 1994.
She has a master's degree from Memorial University. There's a diploma from a traditional Chinese medicine school in British Columbia. She has Consumer Choice Awards for every year since 2012.
The one thing she doesn't have is a licence to practice acupuncture.
"For clarity, 'former acupuncturist' is probably the best way to describe her," said Ryan Belbin, a lawyer for the Newfoundland and Labrador Council of Health Professionals (NLCHP), which regulates the practice in the province.
"This individual has not been licensed to practice acupuncture for more than three years."
Belbin says that hasn't stopped Liu from working, and the regulator is concerned her patients don't know her licence has been suspended.
On her website, Liu bills herself as an "authorized provider" of acupuncture services for Veterans Affairs Canada, Canadian Armed Forces and the RCMP, as well as other injured workers through Workplace NL.
CBC News hand-delivered a letter to Liu on Monday, outlining the allegations in this story and asking for her side. She declined comment.
Workplace NL, meanwhile, said it had no idea Liu's licence had been suspended until CBC News reached out for comment.
"We took action to stop services for injured workers today," the organization said on Tuesday. "The onus is on the health care provider to maintain good standing. As soon as we confirmed that wasn't the case we took action."
It all began with a complaint about the cleanliness of Liu's business, the Chinese Therapy Centre on Elizabeth Avenue, in 2019. Complaints are handled by a committee within the NLCHP.
Liu, however, did not take part in the process.
Belbin said her refusal to address the complaint led to her licence being suspended in February 2020. Since then, there have been several complaints about Liu providing acupuncture without a licence, leading to a pair of guilty findings under the province's Health Professions Act and an injunction ordered by a justice of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Despite it all, Belbin said Liu has been absent throughout the majority of the proceedings, and has continued working as an acupuncturist.
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