Just days after dropping its new plan to get and keep health-care workers, the Yukon government has announced a new walk-in clinic will temporarily open next week at 9010 Quartz Rd. with a doctor, nurse and other “essential health-care professionals,” according to a Dec. 15 press release.
The press release notes the clinic, opening Dec. 18, is intended to prevent delays and reduce pressure on the Whitehorse hospital’s emergency department. It is designed to give same-day treatment for minor illnesses and injuries, necessary medical procedures, referrals and prescriptions for non-narcotic medications for Yukoners without a primary care provider.
The doctor mentioned in the release is not identified.
The clinic will run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays to Wednesdays, per the release.
In the release, potential clients of the walk-in clinic are being asked to call ahead at 867-471-0035 to check wait times and book an appointment.
And the government-run bilingual health centre in Whitehorse has hired a Yukon-based doctor to join its team, according to a Dec. 13 press release and the minister’s remarks in the house and at a press conference.
During a Dec. 13 press conference to unveil the Yukon’s health human resources strategy, Health and Social Services Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee expressed optimism that “this momentum will continue” now that a new plan consisting of 25 actions with timelines for recruiting and retaining health-care workers has dropped.
But the health department didn’t disclose to the News by print deadline the name of the physician or when they started working at the Centre de Santé Constellation Health Centre. The government came under fire in the fall sitting of the legislature for not having hired any doctors to work there when it opened in November 2022. On Nov. 1, McPhee mentioned the new hire in the legislative assembly and said she looked forward to providing more details.
The strategy released by the Yukon government, the Yukon Hosptial Corporation and health groups comes as the territory grapples with what has been described as a global challenge or crisis in finding and keeping staff in the health sector.
Lately, the Yukon’s health system has been described by an emergency room doctor as “on the down slide and crashing.” Rural health centres have seen rolling closures and service reductions due to nurse shortages, the Whitehorse hospital’s hospitalist program has been flailing due to a lack of doctors signing on and a recently released independent report points out the hospital corporation used capitals funds for operation obligations like meeting payroll.
McPhee was joined on a panel at the press conference in the Yukon legislature’s media room by some representatives of groups from the steering committee that came up with the plan including the Yukon Hospital Corporation, the Yukon Medical Association, the Yukon Registered Nurses Association and Yukon University.
McPhee announced $3.3 million in new funding to help carry out the plan, which builds on Putting People First, the territory’s broader roadmap for the health system.
The health department didn’t clarify to the News by print deadline if that money is on top of the government’s main and supplementary budgets.
“This funding will support work on immediate-term priorities and allow us to move forward with key elements of the strategy including new training and education opportunities, new recruiting and retention initiatives, and developing supports for internationally educated health professionals to practice here in the territory,” McPhee said.
“Guided by this strategy, I am confident that we will continue to build a strong, responsive workforce for generations to come.”
Bringing people from different groups together and coming up with a plan like this has been touted as historically exceptional.
“This has never been done before,” McPhee told the room.
The chief executive officer of the nurses association agreed.
“The minister speaks the truth in that this is different,” Jerome Marburg said.
Marburg said it involves a wider spectrum of role players and influences working to address complex, multi-dimensional problems.
“It’s not going to work perfectly. It’s better than anything else,” he said.
“It has metrics. So, if something’s not working, we can change. And we can adjust. And we’ll move.”
Some of the measures of success include workforce well-being and turnover and vacancy rates.
“We understand the importance of timelines and building accountability into any strategy,” McPhee said. The government’s substance use strategy released a few months ago didn’t originally include timelines, implementation plans or cost.
Specifics were not provided when reporters asked how many new health-care workers this plan is aiming to rope in.
Jason Bilsky, chief executive officer of the Yukon Hospital Corporation, said it’s not just about adding more health professionals into the system.
“This is about, you know, evolving to meet the needs,” he said.
“It will mean things like innovating and changing as we go forward.”
Deputy minister Tiffany Boyd indicated it could mean creating new roles.
“We’re talking about what are the functions we need in the system to support people so that we actually start to shift outcomes for Yukoners,” she said.
“We aren’t talking tens of thousands of health-care workers like other jurisdictions are, you know. There are a lot less zeros in that number.”
Dr. Alex Kmet, president of the Yukon Medical Association, is encouraged that the plan will deliver on its objectives as the territory’s population grows and ages.
“Yukon doctors acknowledge that many people are struggling for access right now. For everyone who’s facing challenges with their health, know that your suffering is not overlooked. Please know that doctors, nurses and other health-care team members are doing all they can to meet the demands of the system,” he said.
“But there are only so many of us.”
Shelagh Rowles, Yukon University provost and vice-president academic, noted the health system is being forced to do more with fewer resources. She indicated the university, formerly Yukon College and often referred to as YukonU, is partnering with educational institutions as part of its part in the plan.
“We look forward to increasing our capacity to train locally and support ways to access programs not available currently at the local level,” she said.
“One day, YukonU hopes to offer its degrees in high-need health-care areas. And until then, we’ll all find innovative ways that we can make these programs available and appealing to all students.”
At the top of the presser, McPhee highlighted ongoing work on the file: signing letters of intent with a state government agency in Kerala, India to support international governments recruiting health-care workers and with Nova Scotia to work together on human health resources and share best practices. She mentioned providing money for the Yukon Medical Association to hire a physician locum recruiter, opening up the find-a-doctor program to include nurse practitioners and broadening the scope of practice for pharmacists.
“But we know there is still more to be done, because there are Yukoners without access to the care that they need when and where they need it,” she said.
The plan notes the health department lacks the required data and tools to evaluate, improve and plan for a coordinated health system.
As the plan rolls out, progress reports will be reported publicly each year.
Yukon Party health critic Brad Cathers said his party has been calling for a plan for years.
Cathers told the News by phone on Dec. 14 that the contents of the plan are “generally okay” but some of its timelines are years out and it lacks specific actions that must happen immediately.
“There’s just not enough in terms of the actions that are needed right now to address the growing health-care crisis here,” he said.
Cathers pointed out the minister admits that “while progress has been made, we’re just getting started” in her message in the strategy.
Yukon NDP Leader Kate White is less optimistic about the plan. White addressed reporters in the lobby of the Yukon legislature after the press conference.
“There’s a lot of things in there that I would have hoped would already have been done, for example, taking calculations of the current housing situation in the Yukon,” she said.
She hopes the document doesn’t leave out the social services aspect — or just sits on a shelf collecting dust.
Editor’s note: The Yukon government’s press release originally incorrectly advised potential patients on how to book an appointment at the walk-in clinic. In fact, potential clients are only being asked to call ahead, not email. This story has been updated to reflect the correct information.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com