Doctor says province put patient's life at risk by cutting off drug coverage
'I had no money, no income, absolutely no medical coverage,' says patient
A chronic pain physician in Nova Scotia says Community Services put her patient's life in danger when it cut off her income assistance and stopped covering her opioid treatment medication.
Dr. Maureen Allen said her patient, Mary McNamara, had been taking Suboxone for several months when she had her benefits revoked earlier this year. Suboxone is an opioid replacement drug that reduces cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
McNamara, 62, suffers from chronic pain and had developed an addiction to Demerol. She said without her monthly cheque, she had no money to pay for the drug — which Allen said cost $76 a week.
"I knew if we did [take her off the medication], she'd die at that point because she was in such a terrible state, in terms of her thinking, her shame, in terms of how she was in this situation," said Allen, who works at an Antigonish hospital.
McNamara lost her income assistance because Community Services ruled she was in a relationship with the man she lived with for 20 years. Both McNamara and her former landlord, Bill Henwood, said they were never a couple and lived in separate units.
After McNamara's appeal of the decision was rejected, Henwood evicted her and she spent nearly two months living in a women's shelter in New Glasgow.
'I had no money, no income, absolutely no medical coverage," said McNamara. "I was in quite a mess."
'Mind-boggling' amount of lobbying
McNamara said she decided to share her story so other people don't have to go through a similar experience.
"I was terribly scared. You just can't stop medication just like that, but they weren't too concerned about my health," she said.
Allen said she spent a "mind-boggling" amount of time lobbying the province to continue covering the treatment after they revoked McNamara's income assistance.
"I really felt that they were biased towards her. To let her go without some kind of stabilization for her opioid addiction was dangerous and very reckless on their part," she said.
Patient was hospitalized
Allen hospitalized McNamara for about a week to ensure her patient was getting the medication.
"So at $1,000 per day to the taxpayers, you can do the math. It's pretty insane we had to do that, but I refused to let her go into withdrawal in the community," said Allen.
She said social workers from the hospital became involved and were able to ensure McNamara had coverage through the winter months.
'I don't want to go there again'
In the spring, McNamara reapplied for income assistance and now lives in a new apartment.
She's back on income assistance and Allen said the province is once again covering her prescriptions.
McNamara credits her doctor for fighting for her to continue being covered while she sorted out her housing problems.
"I dare say I wouldn't be talking to you right now. I was physically, mentally in a bad place and I don't want to go there again," said McNamara.
Call for more education
Community Services said it couldn't specifically comment on McNamara's case.
In a statement, the department said Suboxone was only covered for people ages 18 to 24 and for patients who can't take methadone. Allen said McNamara had tried methadone, but couldn't tolerate it.
The drug is now a treament option for people of all ages.
The department also said it's up to a case worker to determine if a client meets the criteria for income assistance and the department can provide emergency coverage when someone is appealing one of its decisions.
Allen is calling for more education for case workers who work with people with addictions and she said it shouldn't have taken her client becoming homeless to get her coverage reinstated.
"If I was trying to build a case for insulin, I don't think there would have been any doubt that this was a life-threatening condition that she had," said Allen.
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With files from Nic Meloney