The territorial Department of Health and Social Services is taking its first public-facing steps when it comes to considering the options for providing a place to stay for Yukoners and their approved escorts who need to travel from the communities to Whitehorse for medical purposes.
Health Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee told the News by phone on Feb. 12 that the department has been working behind the scenes to determine what the needs are for medical travel to figure out what options should be explored.
That led to the request for information, or RFI, being posted on the government’s bids and tenders website.
McPhee noted travelling for medical reasons can be stressful and expensive.
“We’re working to reduce the burden for individuals and to make people more comfortable,” she said.
The department is looking into whether providing accommodations will involve a new build or repurposing existing spaces.
McPhee said about 10 rooms with self-sufficient amenities like bathrooms and kitchens would help address the need. She suggested the rooms should be safe and accessible with controlled access, and close to downtown or the Whitehorse General Hospital.
Riverdale is another option listed in the RFI, which indicates stays are usually one or two nights and rarely more than three nights. Demand is expected to go up as the population grows and changes.
“Some nights might be more than 10. Some nights it might be less than 10, but that’s what we’ve landed on,” McPhee said.
“The goal is to identify sort of turnkey solutions that include existing buildings or market options and innovative approaches and cost estimates to inform the future development of this option.”
In March 2023, Yukon MLAs voted unanimously in support of a Yukon NDP motion that mirrored a Yukon Liberal Party promise to create a health lodge in Whitehorse for rural residents who are attending medical appointments.
The Yukon Liberal Party made the pledge in its 2021 territorial elections campaign platform. The motion is also in line with a recommendation in Putting People First, the Yukon government’s roadmap on health.
McPhee noted the Yukon government upped the medical travel subsidy for those travelling overnight, and the concept of a medical travel location or residence for people to stay in was part of that recommendation. She argued the Yukon government has increased locations for people to get care, with the opening of the bilingual and walk-in clinics, and added fertility and gender-affirming care to opportunities for medical travel.
“The RFI that’s out here is just one more step and another way that we’re working to support Yukoners,” McPhee said.
“Putting People First talks about the priority being for individuals who perhaps are low income or elders or those requiring extended stays outside of their community, so that would be a priority exercise to determine who could be using these kinds of units if we if we locate them.”
Contact Dana Hatherly at [email protected]