Open Letter to the Community

Dear Patients, Friends, and Neighbours,

Serving this community is both a privilege and a responsibility. Over the past three years, our little clinic has grown into a comprehensive health centre, and we’re proud to share some exciting updates.

We’ve expanded our services to now include:

·       Two Primary Care Providers

o   We welcomed Dr. Tracy Thomson who will be with us a year in Jan/2026.  What an amazing addition to our team.

·       Physiotherapy (4 days a week) private providers but very much our team members.

·       Allied health services — including RN, Counselling, Social Work, and Dietitian support

·       Osteopathy

·       LifeLabs

·       Public health services

·        

We’re also thrilled to welcome two new members to our team:

·       Liticia Gardner, our new Clinic Coordinator and Front Desk Support

·       Richard Ryoo, our new Medical Secretary

 Please be patient with them as they settle into their new roles — we’re confident they’ll bring great energy and care to our clinic.

To help streamline your visit, we’ve added a self check-in kiosk, which allows our front desk staff to answer calls more efficiently. Please remember to bring your health card to every visit — this has always been clinic policy, but we’ll now be consistently enforcing it.

Over the past few years, we’ve also made many positive improvements to better serve you:

·       Upgraded medical equipment, new computers, and exam beds

·       A significant wage increase for staff, ensuring wages meet local living standards

·       Ongoing commitment to high-quality, accessible care close to home

These changes have strengthened our ability to care for the community — but they’ve also come at a cost. Clinic operating expenses have doubled in the past three years. As we look ahead, we’re working on strategies to ensure long-term financial stability so we can continue to serve you — sustainably and with excellence.

We have just finished adding patients to Dr. Tracy Thomson’s patient roster through random assignment she now has 526 patients and she will continue to take on all new residents moving to Denman Island. If you are a new patient, please register yourself and do not forget to register all children including infants. 

Dr. Jody Taylor has 1157 rostered patients, and her practice is now full and she will not be taking any new patients at this time. 

Physician responsibilities include office hours weekdays days 9- 5 with 24 hour call 7 days a week for urgencies.  Palliative care with house calls as needed.  House calls for frail elderly patients.

As stated earlier working on Denman is a privilege and we wouldn’t be here unless we were committed to ongoing excellent care. But working and living in a small town is not without challenges.  We are writing now unfortunately to educate the overall public about struggles that have been escalating at the clinic.  Let us firmly state that we are deeply grateful that over 95% of our patients are respectful, kind, and a true pleasure to care for. Your patience, gratitude, and cooperation mean the world to our team.

Unfortunately, a small minority (around 5%) have created an unsafe and hostile environment through verbal abuse, intimidation, threats, and unfounded retaliatory complaints. This behaviour undermines the safety of staff and without staff there can be no clinic.  In order for the clinic to remain open, we need this egregious behaviour to cease.  

 We understand that in a small community, rumours and misinformation can spread easily. However, if you have concerns about the clinic, our operations, or your physician, we ask that you bring those concerns directly to your physician or to clinic administration rather than sharing or repeating unverified information. Rumours can be very damaging to a physician’s credibility and to the trust that underpins effective healthcare.

Our clinic remains firmly committed to professionalism, patient safety, and evidence-based medical care. We also wish to be clear that filing complaints out of spite or pressuring providers for controlled substances such as narcotics is not acceptable. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia exists to review legitimatemedical concerns — it is not a venue for retaliation, but for addressing substantiated issues of professional conduct or malpractice.

Going Forward

·       Zero tolerance for abuse: Any hostility, threats, or attempts of intimidation toward any staff will result in immediate removal from the clinic. If necessary, emergency services or police will be contacted. Threats, swearing, or disrespectful behaviour over the phone or in person will also not be tolerated and will lead to dismissal from the clinic.

·       Appointments: Each appointment is for the patient who booked it only. If you want a second person in the room they must be pre-approved by physicians.

·       Punctuality: Arriving more than six minutes late will result in not being seen. Patients who arrive on time will not be penalized for tardiness.

·       Evidence-based prescribing: We will not prescribe controlled substances or treatments that fall outside evidence-based practice, regardless of pressure. Patient safety is always our top priority. 

·       Mutual respect: Our team brings over 40 years of combined experience in providing compassionate, skilled care.  We are the medical experts here to guide you in your care. If our approach is not a fit for you please discuss this with us.  Alternatively you are welcome to seek care elsewhere.

·       Living Room Pharmacy Deliveries. As of December 12, deliveries will no longer be dropped at the clinic. Patients may coordinate directly with Living Room Pharmacy for pickup outside the clinic.

We are proud of what we’ve accomplished together. a clinic that reflects both community care and professional excellence. Respectful, kind patients make our work deeply rewarding.  To the vast majority who continue to support us with kindness, patience, and trust — thank you. Because of you, our clinic continues to grow stronger every year.

 Together, we can ensure that the Denman Island Medical Clinic remains a safe, caring, and high-quality healthcare home for this community — now and for generations to come.

With gratitude and resolve,
Dr. Jody Taylor
Medical Director and all staff
Denman Island Medical Clinic