Yukon First Nation chief calls health centre closure 'incomprehensible'

The health centre in Mayo, Yukon, has been closed since last Wednesday.

According to the Yukon government's department of Health and Social Services, the centre should be open for full services on July 20.

But the whole situation doesn't sit well with the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun.

"I'm feeling very disheartened," said Dawna Hope, chief of the Na-Cho Nyäk Dun.

Last Friday, Hope sent a letter to the minister of Health and Social Services, Tracy-Anne McPhee, explaining her concerns with the decision to close her community's health centre.

"We declared a state of emergency," Hope explained, referencing a declaration made in March following a double homicide in the community of about 500. "We're still engaged in it due to our opioid problem that we're having in our community and it's discouraging that we weren't included in any of that planning of the closure, especially on a payroll week."

Hope said her community has many elders who require constant medical care and that a lapse in medical services, even temporarily, could be fatal.

Hope's letter shared that the community of Mayo is the busiest during the summer months with tourism, mining, and wildfires. She said with those factors in mind, the timing of the closure couldn't be any worse.

She said the municipality of Mayo has taken steps to try and fill gaps the reduction in services have created such as bringing in another ambulance and paramedic to be on standby, but Hope simply said it's not enough.

She wants to have a government to government conversation to address this situation, and to collaborate on a plan to ensure another closure or reduction in medical services doesn't happen again.

"We've been saying from the start," she said to CBC News. "Since we've been elected. That we want to have more supports in Mayo. We really need to work together to find out better ways to provide services, not only to our citizens in Mayo, but to every other Yukoner who lives in Mayo as well."

Hope said she hopes to hear a response from the minister sooner than later.

She said on a local level she would like to see a Mayo area, traditional territory-based health and wellness action plan. She said the government's commitment on that would be a good first step.

"I would like to see them live up to their words of putting people first," she said, in reference to the government's 2020 plan to improve health and social services in the territory. 

"I don't want anybody to get into an emergency situation or even worse ... have a death while this is going on because that's just unacceptable."

CBC News has requested an interview with Yukon Government and Minister McPhee.