Nurses, truckers in Ontario denied health-care services over COVID-19 risk

Some essential workers in Ontario say they’ve been denied health-care services because their jobs put them at risk of contracting COVID-19.

Hinda Hassan, an ICU nurse at Grand River Hospital in Kitchener, Ont., said it happened to her during a scheduled massage therapy and chiropractic appointment last week.

She was given a COVID-19 screening questionnaire at a Waterloo, Ont., clinic that asked if she had come into contact with confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus.

Hassan checked yes and clarified that this contact was due to her job at the hospital, where she’s required to wear personal protective equipment. 

She said she was told to come back after being tested for COVID-19. 

The Ontario Ministry of Health released a COVID-19 patient screening guidance document in June to ensure that “all health providers are following the same screening protocol” and to “help ensure consistency when dealing with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19.”

A ministry spokesperson said in a statement that the document is only for risk assessment and that it’s up to individual regulatory colleges to decide how to proceed if a patient screens positive.

Anyone who feels they have been denied service unfairly should take it up with their relevant regulatory college, the spokesperson said.

Hassan said there is no practical way for her to take time off work while she awaits a result. And, she said, it was tough news to hear given that she has put her own health and safety on the line during the pandemic.

“If you need my service, I can’t say, ‘Hey, you’re high risk. I’m sorry. I can’t take care of you.’ But then here you are — you’re denying me those rights,” she said. “It felt a little frustrating.”

Clinic apologized for denying service

The College of Massage Therapists of Ontario said someone like Hassan shouldn’t have had problems, based on the province’s current screening guidelines.

“An ICU nurse who works with COVID-19 patients (wearing appropriate personal protective equipment) should absolutely be able to receive massage therapy treatment, assuming they are not showing symptoms of COVID-19,” a spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for the College of Chiropractors of Ontario declined to comment on individual situations but said its professionals follow Ministry of Health screening guidelines. 

The clinic has since called Hassan back, apologized and updated its policies. She said she’s happy it made the change, and she plans to make another appointment.

Vicky MacLean, a fellow ICU nurse in Waterloo Region, in southern Ontario, said a similar situation happened in her family.

At the beginning of June, MacLean said, she tried to book a speech therapy appointment for her toddler but was screened out because of her contact with COVID-19 patients.

MacLean said she was offered a virtual appointment, but she felt her two-year-old wouldn’t be able to focus during an online session.

After reaching out again last week, MacLean learned that the clinic had updated its screening policies based on provincial guidance, and she booked an in-person appointment.

She said she was “overwhelmed with joy” at the news but wishes she had managed to get an appointment sooner.

“We’re doing everything we can at home, but … she would be much further along if she’d had speech therapy,” MacLean said of her daughter.

Vicki McKenna, president of the Ontario Nurses’ Association, said she hasn’t heard of similar problems from other nurses. But she said she’s sorry to hear that such incidents are happening.

“Nurses, they’ve been under incredible stress over the last number of weeks, as many people have,” she said. “They deserve services as well — and certainly their families.”