Yukon gov't increases beds at Whitehorse long-term care homes, still no timeline for Watson Lake

The Yukon government has opened up more spaces at two long-term care homes in Whitehorse to increase its capacity to provide health care.

Twelve new long-term care rooms have been added to Whistle Bend Place, and five new hospital beds are now available at Thomson Centre for acute care patients.

"Working in collaboration with the Yukon Hospital Corporation we were recently able to reconfigure some existing spaces to open up some new long-term care rooms," said Justin Wallace, the acting assistant deputy minister for continuing care.

Wallace said the transition, both for staff and residents, was a smooth one, and it's a small step in a much larger goal to support the Yukon's aging population.

"As the Yukon's population continues to grow and the percentage of older adults and seniors within that population increases we know the demands are going to continue to be high," he said. "This is one step toward easing some of those pressures on the health system and continuing to provide high-quality care to Yukoners."

'The minister needs to stand behind her words'

The news has the Yukon Party's MLA for Watson Lake feeling conflicted.

Patti McLeod acknowledged any additional resources and space for seniors to live and receive the long-term health care they need is a positive thing, even if they are in Whitehorse. But McLeod said she is also left questioning where the beds that were promised to her community are. 

Last year, the government committed to putting two long-term care beds in the Watson Lake hospital. Not long after, the plan was cancelled. The Department of Health and Social Services said the reason behind that was the community didn't want the beds. 

In April of this year, Health Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee recommitted to the plan saying with the support of Watson Lake, her department would be pursuing the long-term care beds again.

McLeod said it's now been four months since the minister promised that in the Legislative Assembly, yet nothing has happened.

"Now I understand from one group that there's a needs assessment that needs to take place," she said. "Nothing is going to happen until a needs assessment is done, but this needs assessment is maybe looking at Yukon-wide issues. So I'm not sure how this addresses [the] long-term care beds in Watson Lake."

McLeod said she's also heard that the plan for long-term care beds has pivoted to beds being used to accommodate people in hospital waiting for a long-term care bed to open up in Whitehorse.

"Whatever the government's proposing now, we're already doing," McLeod said. "The people did not want to send their family members to Whitehorse. They wanted to keep them in the community."

McLeod said to her, this shows that the government's priorities are in Whitehorse, not Watson Lake or rural Yukon.

"It seems like some kind of shell game going on and nothing ever gets done," she said. "The minister needs to stand behind her words. She's the head of that ship. There seems to be an awful lot of 'how do we avoid talking about this issue' going on."

CBC News requested an interview with the health minister, but she was not available to comment.

Wallace, the acting assistant deputy minister of continuing care, said a working group has been formed to conduct the community needs assessment with the goal of learning the best way to offer health care to Watson Lake's aging population.

"We're continuing to look at ways to support aging in the community of Watson Lake," he said. "And that's not solely tied to the use of hospital spaces or dedicated care homes. That working group is collecting data and looking at exploring additional supports for seniors and elders in the community.

"Be that home care services, or rooms in the hospital which can continue to be used to support respite stays to help keep people in Watson Lake."

No timeline was given for when the working group is expected to present the results of their assessment.