A dementia specialist and geriatric physician is quitting Prince George out of frustration over cuts to his department.
The director of the geriatric assessment and treatment unit (GATU), Dr. Douglas Drummond, is stepping down effective December after the unit manager "decided to bring efficiency to our department," he said.
"Part of [the] plan is going to result in the curtailment of the geriatric day hospital, which is something that I have worked long and hard to nurture and develop along with my colleagues here, and I think that's a very bad idea," he said.
The GATU is a co-ordinated network of specialized assessment, treatment, and rehabilitative services for elderly persons whose well-being, independent and/or functional ability is threatened by multiple health or social problems. Clients and families describe the unit as a one-stop-shop, for elder care.
Virginia Jenkins and Pat Morgan - wives of two of Drummond's long-time Alzheimer's patients - are upset by the doctor's sudden
departure.
The Jenkins couple has relied on the doctor to help them with a treatment plan since 2002, and the idea of not having a doctor in town who knows memory disorders in the same way is causing frustration.
"[Alzheimer's] is really hard to live with. My husband is OK - but how many times do you want to hear the same story?" Jenkins said through tears.
"It's not easy, and to think of losing someone who is very supportive and understands is devastating."
Northern Health communications officer Eryn Collins explained the proposed changes to GATU's operation, stressing it's in the planning stages.
"There is, at this point, a plan to change the structure of the geriatric day hospital program (one of GATU's many services) with a goal of increasing the number of patients it serves ... by providing morning and afternoon sessions twice per week, as opposed to only a midday session twice per week," she said. "No decisions have been made, and no changes have been implemented. Proposed changes ... are aimed at seeing more clients."
Drummond said he's had a good career working in Prince George for the last seven years, but "to watch the day hospital go down the drain is the end of the good days as far as I can see."
"[The manager] wants to take [the GAT unit] from a four-and-a-half hour program to a two-and-a-half hour program so that she can deploy the staff to do other jobs for the rest of the time, but two hours is not enough to do the work we need to do at the day hospital," said Drummond.
A notice posted on the GATU's door stating: "The geriatric day hospital will continue to be operated by the rest of the team here (nurses, physio, occupational therapists, social worker, etc.) but they will likely not have access to an on-site physician."
Northern Health is actively looking for a
replacement physician, said Collins.
"We are aware of Dr. Drummond's resignation and we are working to find a replacement that will allow us to continue the services that are currently under his direction without any interruption," said Collins.
"Our chief of staff at the hospital, as well as our medical lead for elderly services, are both involved in the work that is going on to prevent any disruption in services when [the
doctor] does in fact depart."
Drummond has been working in Prince George for seven years, while his wife works and lives in the Lower Mainland.
"My working [here] does come at some personal cost and I don't mean financial ... [My wife] and I keep a home in the Lower Mainland and a home here and one of us flies each weekend to the other and that's gone on for seven years," said Drummond.
Drummond told The Citizen his long-term plans did include leaving Prince George and he informed his superiors of that goal in April of 2010, and suggested that Northern Health should begin to recruit a geriatrician.
"I did [that] knowing it would be years before they found somebody. Because there are very few geriatricians around. So I had started the process of succession, but I had no intention of leaving here until they found somebody."
