An Island charity that’s helped people get to and from medical appointments is scaling back, after 27 years.
Wheels for Wellness will no longer serve the North Island and will remain focused on Campbell River and the Comox Valley region and south. However, Island Health’s replacement services aren’t working, says Port Hardy’s Dr. Alex Nataros, pointing out the loss of Wheels for Wellness is already being felt.
“That’s had a hugely negative impact on our community,” he says. “I’ve had patients in the past weeks who are declining to get the cancer treatment they need or the scans they need because they can’t get transport from here in Port Hardy or Port McNeill down-island.”
Island Health has travel assistance programs, but says if people have planned hospital appointments for services only available in other communities, it’s their responsibility to arrange and pay for the trip. However, the Vancouver Island Connector service discounted and recommended by Island Health is currently closed for the season, and the Island Link Bus’s new service to Port Hardy doesn’t start until May.
