A financial crisis that threatened to close the Ucluelet Medical Clinic at the end of this month has been resolved, says the town’s mayor, with a tentative agreement for the health authority to take over the building’s lease and operating costs.
“Residents should be assured that Island Health will be making a statement in the very near future regarding the acquisition of the lease and working with a plan to continue on the operations of our local clinic under the control of Island Health,” Mayor Mayco Noël said Wednesday.
In January, Dr. Carrie Marshall, the leaseholder and owner of Ucluelet Medical Clinic, which includes two other physicians, informed the town she’d lose money if she were to renew the clinic’s lease May 31.
Concerned they were getting nowhere trying to find a resolution behind the scenes over the last few months, the mayor and doctors went public with their concerns with just weeks left before the lease renewal was due. One option was for the municipality to take over the lease, but Noël acknowledged concerns about long-term sustainability and the precedent the move would set.
Noël said he has the “utmost respect” for Marshall, Ucluelet and Tofino’s go-to person for information around COVID during the pandemic.
Noël said he hasn’t been provided any official wording on the deal, any specifics of the negotiations or permission to speak publicly about it, but said he’s been told by sources the matter has been resolved and a deal is progressing and will include a 90-day assessment period.
Marshall declined to speak to the ongoing negotiations. She was directed to send the Times Colonist to Island Health and the Health Ministry for comment. The Health Ministry said Wednesday it has nothing to report.
The mayor said he was also directed by Island Health not to speak about the ongoing negotiations, and reached out to the province to get clarification on the gag order Wednesday.
After hearing B.C. Green Leader Sonia Furstenau on the radio talk passionately about the need for creative solutions to the doctor crisis, the mayor said he felt he should be able to reassure his residents that a deal is in the works.
Noël said he assumes the lease and operating costs for Island Health would tally about $18,000 a month.
The mayor said the medical clinic may offer fewer services or hours to cut costs.
Marshall said in early May she was pursuing a resolution that would cause the least disruption to the community. She anticipated that the Ucluelet clinic will become a “leaner” operation with more services centralized out of Tonquin Medical Clinic in Tofino and a greater use of telehealth.
Years ago, the clinic was open five days a week, but it’s now down to three days. “We’re hoping we can continue with that level of service, but it may be there is one physician [on] instead of two … at any one time,” she said.
Marshall reassured residents at that time that none of the physicians — all of whom are based in Tofino and work shifts at West Coast General Hospital there — were planning on moving away from the area. It’s a 40-minute drive from Ucluelet to Tofino.
Other municipalities have also been grappling with potential clinic closures. Last month, the province announced it would spend $3.46 million to keep five south Island walk-in clinics open. Still, four others have closed since January and another, the Cook and Quadra Medical Clinic building in Saanich, is planning to close its doors next month.
In B.C., 900,000 people don’t have a family physician.
A rally to raise awareness of the issue is planned outside the legislature from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today, World Family Doctor Day. Doctors of B.C. president Ramneek Dosanjh plans to join doctors and nurses at the rally.
On Tuesday, Premier John Horgan issued a statement to say the number of people without a family doctor in B.C. is a problem and committed to work with family doctors on a clear process and firm timelines for improvements.
The province and doctors are in contract negotiations.
ceharnett@timescolonist.com
