Andrew KavchakCheck this out…especially that few paragraphs about amending the Canada Health Act to get Medicare for Autism NOW!
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Wednesday, July 30, 2008
CANADA AM
Manitoba's autism treatment attract doctor parents
RINALDO: A Halifax family is packing up and moving to Winnipeg in order, they say, to get the treatment they need for their autistic child. Three-year-old Eric was diagnosed with autism a year ago, but Eric's parents say they haven't been able to get access to the kind of support and treatment that their home province would offer. So, the family is redirecting their careers, leaving home for Winnipeg.
Joining me now from Winnipeg is Eric's mother, Leanne Van Amstel; and from Halifax, Eric's father, Leif.
Good morning to you both.
DR. LEANNE VAN AMSTEL: Good morning.
DR. LEIF SIGURDSON: Good morning.
RINALDO: Now, Eric didn't make the lottery. That's what happens in Nova Scotia, you throw your name into a hat. He didn't make the lottery.
So, this treatment is very expensive, I know. How are you handling all of that? Or how were you before the move to Winnipeg?
DR. LEANNE VAN AMSTEL: Well, basically, we knew that Eric needed intervention and he wasn't going to get it through the funded program in Nova Scotia. And our main goal was to get him the intervention that he needs.
So, we decided to pursue that privately even before his diagnosis, because we knew what we were dealing with.
So, we had a psychologist on board, a speech language pathologist, a couple of behavioural therapists. And we were essentially running that completely on our own, to try to get him the level of intervention that he needed.
RINALDO: And early intervention is key, is it not, Leif?
DR. LEIF SIGURDSON: Yeah, it really is. There's a lot of good evidence out there that really shows that if you get at these kids quite early on in their development that you can make a significant difference in their eventual outcome.
RINALDO: Why choose Manitoba? Alberta, I'm told, has a wonderful program as well.
DR. LEIF SIGURDSON: Well, you know, I'm in the fortunate position really that there's job openings all across Canada with regards to reconstructive surgery.
So, we looked at all the provinces. And Alberta does have a good program, but it's privately delivered. The government will give you a certain amount of funding to go out and find providers — which is sort of the situation we were in here as well, in terms of trying to put together a program ourselves.
And the Manitoba program is publicly funded and it was very well organized and had all the pieces together that we were looking for.
RINALDO: Right. I think that the message here is that this does not fall under federal jurisdiction. Each province determines the treatment course and basically how many hours and how much funding they're going to provide.
You touched on this before, and I want to talk to Leif about this. You actually put an ad in the newspaper because I know the two of you are giving up pretty lucrative jobs although, as you did say, you have one to go to.
Show me this newspaper ad that you've put out.
DR. LEIF SIGURDSON: I don't know if you can see it that well. But that was in the paper on Saturday.
RINALDO: And what does it say exactly?
DR. LEANNE VAN AMSTEL: Well, I just was announcing the closure of my practice. And I put in that I'm leaving Nova Scotia "due to inadequate resources and services for children with autism spectrum disorder in this province. I sincerely regret the inconvenience this will pose to the 1,117 patients on my waiting list."
So, it's actually a requirement of the College that I announce the closure of my practice.
RINALDO: Right.
DR. LEIF SIGURDSON: But I've been in practice here for eight years. And I've treated a lot of patients. And I wanted my patients to know that I was not leaving for a better lifestyle or more money.
And I also wanted to draw attention to the fact that there's a significant number of children here in Nova Scotia that get little or no treatment for autism spectrum disorder as a result of the lottery and underfunding of the program.
RINALDO: Leanne, let me put this question to you. There's been some discussion about putting autism under the Canada Health Act which would make it, I suppose, universal across the country and require the provinces to give equal access.
What do you think of that idea? The federal government is not that keen on it because they think it should be up the provinces to administer it. The funding.
DR. LEANNE VAN AMSTEL: I think it would definitely be a move in the right direction. If you look at the numbers, one in 150 children born today will be diagnosed with autism. And the rate in boys is on the order of one in 94. So, it's a significant problem. It's everywhere really, if you look around.
And in the health-care system that we have in Canada, the principles are that it's supposed to be universal and is supposed to be accessible for everybody who needs it. And, clearly, in the case of autism that isn't the case. And there is a significant variation from province to province.
So, I think making a federal issue, putting it under the Canada Health Act, would be a move in the right direction. I think that's the way it should go.
RINALDO: Okay. Thank you both for joining us this morning and sharing your story with us. And good luck in Winnipeg.
DR. LEANNE VAN AMSTEL: Thank you.
DR. LEIF SIGURDSON: Thank you.
Dr. Leanne Van Amstel, Mother of Autistic Child Dr. Leif Sigurdson, Father of Autistic Child