May 22, 2014
Chronic disease expert at pioneer B.C. Women’s clinic leaves abruptly
Patients mourn loss of ‘wonderful’ doctor as health officials vow B.C. Women’s clinic will stay open
Dr. Alison Bested’s hiring in 2012 to head up the chronic disease clinic at B.C. Women’s Hospital was hailed as a coup. She’s now gone, and patients who have high regard for her dedication are wondering about their future care.
The respected expert who led Canada’s first hospital clinic for patients with chronic diseases like Lyme, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia has abruptly left, causing about 1,000 patients waiting for care at the Vancouver clinic to worry about their treatment.
The Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) says it will keep the Complex Chronic Disease Program at B.C. Women’s Hospital clinic open and find a replacement for Dr. Alison Bested, a nationally recognized authority on diseases like fibromyalgia (FM) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). Bested’s hiring in 2012 was hailed as a coup when she moved here from Toronto to set up the clinic.
Heather Stewart, a Tsawwassen resident with fibromyalgia and other health problems, said she saw Bested in April and couldn’t believe how comprehensive her two- to three-hour appointment was. This week, she received a letter from the hospital informing her of Bested’s departure.
“I was so shocked and upset. In my 25 years of being sick, I have never felt that someone really understood what was going on (with me), emotionally and medically. I am fortunate to have a supportive family doctor, but Dr. Bested was unreal,” Stewart said.
The health ministry estimates 100,000 patients in B.C. have “unmet medical needs” for complex, chronic diseases.
Bested could not be reached for comment but dozens of patients who have contacted The Vancouver Sun in recent days said they are worried about the viability of the clinic.
Theresa Kennedy, a spokeswoman for PHSA — which funds the program and clinic, the first and only one of its kind in Canada — said she couldn’t comment on the circumstance of the sudden departure, citing “human resource confidentiality.”
Asked if the clinic will be shut down, Cheryl Davies, vice-president of patient care services at B.C. Women’s, vowed it would not.
“Unequivocally, no,” she said, noting there are just too many patients who need the clinic’s services....
Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/health/...men+clinic+leaves+abruptly/9865147/story.html