Mayor of Faro, Yukon, says community facing a health-care crisis
‘We’re at a very restricted service level at this time and no prospect of when it might be over’
Jack Bowers says the small town with a year-round population of 440 people has been without consistent access to health-care services at the local health centre for over a month.
On Aug. 6, the Department of Health and Social Services temporarily closed the health centre for a month due to staff shortages. The clinic was slated to reopen on Sept 5.
The clinic reopened, but on an emergency-basis only.
“Faro is in a health-care crisis and it doesn’t need to be,” said Bowers. “We’ve been essentially without nurse coverage now since early August. We’re at a very restricted service level at this time and no prospect of when it might be over.”
Bowers said he was approached by a registered nurse practitioner who does not live in Faro, but owns property there. Bowers said she told him that she had applied for a posted position as a nurse practitioner at the health centre in June but had not heard anything back.
“Late August she got a hold of me to say, ‘as mayor you must be concerned about the level of health-care coverage,'” Bowers said. “She gave me her background and the fact she applied for a position and was still waiting to hear so we jumped on that.”
Bowers said upon speaking to the applicant, nobody had reached out to her until two months later to inform her that she was not considered to be qualified for the position.
CBC News reached out to the applicant in question however she did not respond to the request for comment.
Bowers said the town has had nurse practitioners in the past and things seemed to work out fine.
“It’s astounding,” he said. “A registered nurse practitioner. Licensed to work in the Yukon. Canadian trained. Twenty years of other nursing experience. Maybe she didn’t check all of the boxes that they [Yukon government] were looking for but wouldn’t it be better to to fill a position with somebody that maybe doesn’t check all the boxes than to leave that position unfilled?”
CBC News requested an interview with Health Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee, or someone within the department.
In a written statement, the department said it can’t comment on specifics of candidates’ qualifications, but “can assure that our recruiters act with a tremendous degree of professionalism and integrity, and that the recruiting team has debriefed any applicants directly.”
It also said the department is committed to recruiting professionals who can meet the needs of the community, done through a fair and structured process.
“Recruitment for a nurse in Faro is ongoing and remains a top priority,” the statement said. “Urgency of the situation in Faro and are committed to stabilizing services at the health centre through active recruitment.”
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Head of new Yukon health authority says Shäw Kwä’ą can help improve care, The Canadian Press
United States: Senators, including Alaska’s, sound alarm on cuts impacting Indigenous health care agency, Eye on the Arctic
