The Yukon government is “working hard” to address an unprecedented spate of reduced services and closures at several rural health clinics.

That was the word Friday from Tracy-Anne McPhee, the minister of Health and Social Services.

The Association of Yukon Communities, the Yukon Party and the New Democrats have been critical of the government in recent weeks over the faltering levels of medical services in some communities outside Whitehorse.

The government uses Facebook to announce closures and service reductions at its clinics.

Last Thursday, for instance, it announced the Ross River clinic would close for a month – effective the next day.

“Many Yukoners, especially in the communities, are concerned about staffing shortages and service reductions at their local health care facilities, especially in remote and rural communities,” McPhee said in a statement.

“On behalf of the Government of Yukon, I want to assure you that we hear your concerns, appreciate your patience and are working hard to address the situation.

“Yukoners’ health and well-being continues to be a top priority for our government and my focus as minister of Health and Social Services,” McPhee added.

“Over the past few years, Yukoners united to bravely face the worst that the COVID-19 pandemic had to offer. We appreciate that for many, the pandemic is a thing of the past; something we don’t want to revisit or remember.

“However, we cannot ignore the extent to which the pandemic and the ongoing challenges related to the substance use health emergency (formally declared in January 2022) have impacted our territory’s health care system.”

The minister acknowledged “there is a lot of work to be done to improve health care services across the territory.

“Yukon health care workers are dedicated professionals who sacrifice so much for our collective and individual health and wellness,” she said.

“Like any worker, they occasionally need time away from their jobs – to enjoy the summer, to reconnect with family and friends and to decompress from the pressures of their profession.

“As we have seen recently, this occasionally means that some of our community care hubs may experience reduced service hours, as we ensure that we are taking care of the health care workers who work so hard to take care of us.”

Though her department strives to avoid service reductions, McPhee said, “sometimes, unfortunately, it is unavoidable.

“Our government continues to do the work to ensure that our health care workers are supported so that they can continue to support Yukoners. We’re also taking steps to minimize the impacts that these staffing shortages have on the day-to-day health and well-being of Yukoners.”

She pointed out that in recent months, the government has:

• Moved Emergency Medical Services (EMS) from the Department of Community Services to Health and Social Services. This allows for closer collaboration between EMS and other health services and improves health care coverage in communities.

EMS workers deliver a wide scope of pre-hospital care, including delivering medical interventions, treatment and critical care in communities across the Yukon.

During health centre service reductions, EMS expands their services in the community to provide additional coverage.

• Implemented measures to improve the vacancy rate of primary care health nurses from 47 per cent in the fall of 2022, to 32.9 per cent currently.

• Improved the Find a Primary Care Provider program to include nurse practitioners, in addition to family doctors. Nurse practitioners are trained and equipped to offer primary care services to most patients.

• Expanded the scope of practice for pharmacists so that they can assess and prescribe medications for minor ailments; provide travel vaccinations; and prescribe medication for smoking cessation.

This reduces the need for Yukoners to see a primary care provider to access these services, reducing the burden on ER, physician and nurse practitioner offices.

• Introduced retention and signing bonuses for nurses to recognize their dedication and make the Yukon an even more attractive place for nurses from Outside to practice.

• Entered into a three-year agreement with the Yukon Medical Association to create a new Attachment and Attraction program to recruit primary care providers to the Yukon and support physician operating costs.

• Doubled the medical travel subsidy and indexed it to consumer price index (CPI), while also giving practitioners the ability to recommend travel anywhere in Canada, to best respond to their patients’ needs.

• Formed a Health Human Resources Steering Committee, jointly led with the Yukon Hospital Corp. consisting of health system partners, representatives from the government, First Nations, education and organized labour, to help address health human resource challenges.

• Signed a letter of Intent with the Government of Nova Scotia to explore ways the two jurisdictions can work together to enhance training, recruitment, retention and labour mobility for Health Human Resources (see Friday’s Star).

At the Council of the Federation and in meetings with federal ministers, McPhee said, Premier Ranj Pillai “has been a strong advocate for increased federal funding for the territories, to acknowledge the challenge of delivering services in rural and remote locations and small communities.”

Evidence that this work is paying off was seen earlier this month, she added.

The Yukon and federal governments announced an agreement-in-principle for a shared plan that will invest nearly $400 million in federal funding in the Yukon over the next decade.

“This investment in shared health priorities means we can continue to improve our health care system, support our health care workers and provide more access to mental health and addictions services while improving the overall health and wellness of all Yukoners,” said McPhee.

“We are working closely with provincial, territorial, federal and international counterparts to streamline the process for new health care workers to move to the Yukon and practice in their field of study.”

The government is also collecting information on internationally educated health providers who already live in the Yukon but are not currently working in their fields, the minister noted.

“Within the Department of Health and Social Services, we are designing legislation that will create an integrated health authority to better co-ordinate care so Yukoners receive the full benefits of the health care system.

“We’re working with First Nations leaders and communities to ensure that the Yukon’s health care system is a culturally safe place for everyone to access care, and improving access to care in French so that members of our francophone community can receive treatment in their first language,” said McPhee.

“As staffing returns to normal levels over the summer, we would like to remind Yukoners to call 911 for emergencies.”

Yukoners with non-emergency care needs can contact their primary care provider, local health clinic or contact the 24-hour Healthline by calling 811.

The Healthline is staffed by registered nurses who can discuss any health care-related issues.