Re: "Nelson methadone patient numbers triple in 18 months" and "'Compassion can make them well'"
Thank you for publishing your articles on the methadone clinic in Nelson. I would like to point out a factual error in the second article. I am not the only doctor prescribing methadone in the Kootenay Boundary as stated. The quote was taken out of context. At the time of the interview I was the only doctor accepting new patients in the region. Here are the two issues with this quote.
1. Dr. Michael Van Vliet prescribes methadone at the 10th St. clinic in Castlegar. This clinic was the only IHA funded clinic in the region until recently. However, it is capped at 100 patients and has been full for approximately two years. There will be no expansion of this clinic to deal with the fentanyl crisis.
2. Since the interview, Dr. Michael Vance has started seeing methadone patients in his office at the Medical Associates Clinic in Nelson and will soon be seeing them at Nelson Mental Health and Addictions.
Again, I thank you for bringing this important issue to the attention of the public. It has actually created some positive waves and things are changing for the better.
Dr. Joel Kaillia, Nelson