Medical clinic shutting down after province cuts payments for virtual care

Jennifer Peirsonhas been searching for a family doctor for more than four years, and in that timeshe'scome to rely on a walk-in clinicin Mallorytown, Ont.,for primary care.

Now she's preparing to lose ittoo.

The Good Doctors virtual care clinic in the rural eastern Ontario town, part of Front of Yonge Townshipalong Highway 401, is one of 17 across the province. It's set to shut down Friday.

The CEO of the company says all of its sites including those in Barrie, Kingston, Peterborough, London and Windsor will close unless the province reverses a reduction in fees for virtual visits or communities help cover the cost.

Residents fighting to keep the Mallorytownclinic open point to the situation as anexample of the provincefailing rural Ontarians.

"It frustrates me and I'm sickened,not just for myself, but for all of the people around here that do not have a family physician," said Peirson during a recent visit.

"It's very essential. Mentally and physically, this clinic is needed."

Good Doctors was launched in 2016 and provides virtual appointments with physicians. There's one key difference between the service and other online options,according to founderLeo Liaoanurse ison site to carry out examinations and collect samples.

Peirson said the registered practical nurse at theMallorytown Pharmacy and Health Centreis more than a familiar face:she provides aconnection with a health-care worker whompatients have come to know personally during visits for both routine and serious health issues.

People across the provinceturned to online care during the COVID-19 pandemic and doctors were permitted to bill OHIP a$37 fee.

As of Dec. 1, 2022, the company has been told it can only bill $20, which is too little for the clinics to survive, said Liao. The change has seen many doctors leavevirtual care.

He argues the presence of a nurse sets Good Doctors apart and has written to Health Minister Sylvia Jones, which he hopes couldhelp keepthe company's locations open.

"It's alittle definition thing, a tiny little thing, but the impact of it isthere will be tens of thousands of people who will not have access to this care," Liao said.

Ontario's Ministry of Health did not respond to a request for comment.

Roughly 1,800 patients have usedthe clinic in Mallorytown, according to a post the company shared on Facebook to announce the closure.The province is widening "health inequality" between rural areas and urbancentres with walk-in clinics, it added.

While people get better careduring in-person visits, that's not an option for many who live in areas without family doctors. If the clinic closes, rural residents can't walkdown the street to another, said Liao.

Front ofYonge Township Mayor Roger Hayley said the clinic doesn't just serve Mallorytownbut the entire region.

"It's an emergency situation," he said. "Jan. 20it shuts down, and where are they going togo next?"

Hayley also said the thousands of patient visits at the clinic helps lessen the load at the emergency department at Brockville General Hospital, which is a 20-minute driveaway.

"Rural areas havebeen forgotten," he said. "The system is broken [and] the government's not helping it.They're contributing to the problem."

Hundreds sign petition to save site

People in Mallorytown and the surrounding area have spent the past few weekssigning a petition to savethe clinic.

Angie Cowan is one of the petition creators. She said copies left at popular stops including the library, post office and Royal Canadian Legion have collected hundreds of signatures.

"It's hard to get in and out of the dump unless you sign the petition," she said with a laugh.

"This is relieving the pressure off the emergency room and that is very important. [The hospital is]clogged, congested, understaffed. It's terrible," Cowan said.

Feeling let down by government

Bryan McPherson moved back to the Mallorytown area more than two years ago, but he hasn't found a family physician.

That's a far cry fromwhen he was growing up in the small town and a doctor rented rooms from his family's big stone house.

McPherson said he and four other family members have come to rely on the walk-in clinic.

His daughter-in-law has a thyroid condition that requires checkups and tests every six months. The doctor he meets with virtually alsohelped spot an issuewith his heartbeat and arranged a visit withspecialists.

McPherson said he feels let down by the provincial government and worries about what will happen to people without someone to see them regularly.

"It could cost people their health, theirlife, to the point where maybe they end up in some sort of long-term care, because they didn't have the opportunityto have the ability to diagnose your condition early," he said.