Patients, colleagues push Yukon gov't to relent in contract dispute with psychiatrist
CBC
For some patients and colleagues of psychiatrist Dr. Leo Elwell, the stakes couldn't be higher.
Without his services, they say, people will die.
Elwell is the Whitehorse psychiatrist locked in a battle with the Yukon government over the way he's paid for his work.
His clinic, Soulshine Health, works on a fee-for-service model. He wants to move to a contract with the government and says his clinic will have to close if the financial arrangements don't change.
"Patients are devastated by this and the government needs to step up and they need to do the right thing," said Syrena Oswald, who is one of those patients.
Oswald is organizing Elwell's current and former patients to convince the Yukon government to give the psychiatrist what he's looking for.
"With the mental health crisis that we're having and the fact we're in the Yukon, it's really hard to bring people up here," Oswald said. "And there's this man who has family here and wants to be here and has helped bring other psychiatrists up here.
"I just don't understand what the problem is."
Clinical social worker Jody Studney shares patients in common with Elwell. She said he provides a critical service in the territory and has developed a good reputation among patients and colleagues alike.
"What I appreciate is he provides low-barrier service which means that he can hold space for patients that aren't able to get through the door in other clinics due to their own trauma behaviour," she said. "And I appreciate that he gets past the trauma and he sees the human in front of him."
Studney said with an eight-month waiting list for some psychiatric services already, she's worried about what happens if Elwell leaves.
"This is about life and death, and if Dr. Leo Elwell is not provided fair compensation for his clinic service, which is reasonable, and it closes in March 2024, this will certainly cause significant harm."
In November, Elwell wrote to patients warning that Soulshine could close by the end of March. In the letter, he urged patients to contact Premier Ranj Pillai and Health Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee.
This week, Elwell's office said in a statement that the Yukon government is planning a review of psychiatric services in the territory. Elwell is scheduled to meet with health officials in late January as part of that review.
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running Game
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing Game
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic Game
A Canadian dive team searching for the century-old wreck of the Rapid City may have stumbled upon a far rarer prize: a pristine shipwreck that could date back 50 years earlier than expected, offering a rare window into a little-understood era of shipbuilding.
Since moving to P.E.I. nearly a decade ago, Nathan Lacroix has watched the Island grow more diverse, and he wants local movie screens to reflect that change.
A new Quebec government bill aimed at reducing bureaucracy and increasing state efficiency is raising concerns about the province's commitment to fighting climate change.
This could have been a good week for Donald Trump, in which the U.S. president could have chalked up a political win over the Democrats with the end of the government shutdown.
When Paul Juzkow and Jimmy Curry show up at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg for Sunday’s Grey Cup game, there’s a good chance they won’t have tickets — but they have no doubt they’ll be in the stadium when the game kicks off.
The University of Saskatchewan Huskies will play for a national championship after downing the Queen’s Golden Gaels 22-11 in the Mitchell Bowl Saturday in Saskatoon.
Mission resident Leanne Smythe says it's frightening to think about what could happen if people can't rely on the emergency room at Mission Memorial Hospital.
Despite criticism from the labour movement and the environmental wing of the B.C. NDP, Premier David Eby received a strong endorsement by New Democrats during the party’s convention this weekend in Victoria.
A prominent academic and former UN special rapporteur says he was detained by customs agents in Toronto while on his way to speak at a conference on human rights violations against Palestinians.
Beverly Glover has been selling fruitcakes and other confections at holiday markets across Calgary for eight years.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada says more bird species are choosing to spend their winters on P.E.I. — but with less forest cover, they may need some help to make it through until spring.
A plan by the province to mandate that Ontario school boards establish special support offices for students and families is drawing skepticism from some local trustees sidelined by the Ford government.
A man is dead after he drove the wrong way down Sarcee Trail Friday night and hit two other vehicles, Calgary police say.