Health Committee on Nov. 20th, 2018

[Stacey Livitski]

As I said, what I did was I wrote a letter explaining how I didn't like filling out forms because that again was taking away more time from my life than what I have already missed because I'm spending time taking care of my diabetes. I don't want to have to sit and calculate and time myself doing everything, wasting more time, to fill out that form to prove to them that I'm doing everything plus more.

I know that on that one, I had way above 14 hours accounted for. As I said, I'm always fighting. I'm Pavlov's dog. Without my CGM, that buzz, I don't feel it. I am Pavlov's dog. That bell rings, and then it's, “Oh, I should be feeling this”, but if I don't have this attached, it makes no difference. I don't have that bell. I don't have that warning.

[Ron McKinnon, Liberal, Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC]

Ms. Lavergne, you said that your physician would not fill out the forms because you have diabetes.

[Charlene Lavergne]

She just refused me three weeks ago. She said, “You're not going to get it. You have diabetes. It's not going to happen.”

[Ron McKinnon, Liberal, Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC]

That, again, seems to be people who are not doing their jobs, because having diabetes is not a contraindication to getting you this funding. It's a matter of time required for looking after your condition.

I put it to you that your physician is not acting in your interests in this case.

[Charlene Lavergne]

Considering I see her only every three to four months, it's—

[Ron McKinnon, Liberal, Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC]

That brings me to earlier discussions and conversations. I think all of you mentioned that there seems to be either apathy or unawareness among the health care professions.

[Charlene Lavergne]

There's stigma. There's a big stigma. In my family, there are 35 diabetics and we don't talk about it. I have to do my blood sugar under the table when I visit my mother. We don't discuss it, and they don't treat.

Last year I lost my uncle to it because they just won't treat. They won't admit to it. They don't want to deal with it because the stigma is so bad.

[Ron McKinnon, Liberal, Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC]

What's needed in terms of education?

[Charlene Lavergne]

Well, the 360° would address a lot of that, because I think that a lot of people don't understand just how bad this is.

I was at the forum last February and I spoke for world health. They have this wonderful paradigm that they want to introduce here in Ontario that would give us one-stop shopping. We would be able to go into this centre, and everything would be there. There would be foot doctors and all the specialists that we need. The problem is that they just want to do it in Toronto. So, hey, what the heck, the rest of us don't exist? That was my big beef: It was only in Toronto.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bill Casey]

I'm sorry, Mr. McKinnon, but your time is up.

We're going over to Mr. Lobb.

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

Thanks very much.

My first question is for Ms. Livitski.

You mentioned about the benefits package, I think, for your husband's job. That's a pretty tricky one, because from the business standpoint, it's part of the policy with the insurance company that it has to be confidential. You can't know which one is, but it does make it tricky when the person in the business is trying to figure out what package of benefits would be best suited for the company.

I wonder sometimes, when there are a lot of dollars invested in advocacy and lobbying by different agencies like Diabetes, etc., if they shouldn't spend more time talking to the CFIB and other businesses to convince them to enhance those specific things. A lot of times they come to government and say they need this, that and the other, and they have about a 50-year history of being disappointed. I also wonder, if you're fortunate enough to have benefits, if they shouldn't talk to the businesses to improve that.

[Stacey Livitski]

For sure. I am so thankful, because I wouldn't be able to do half of what I do to be able to take care of myself. As I said, even with my husband's insurance with his old employer, I wasn't covered for it, and I went into immense debt because, as Karen said, I don't feel those lows. It's hard. You just don't know.

Sometimes, too, it depends on who you talk to in the company who knows the plan. Sometimes they don't understand what the plan covers, because they don't understand the diabetes lingo. They see all these words, and they don't know which is which, so it's hard to even talk to them about it to see what's covered, because they don't understand.

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

One question I have for you—any of you, because I think all three of you are from Ontario—is what about your medical records? This province, I guess, should be at the forefront of e-medical records. Do any of the three of you have access to your medical records?

[Stacey Livitski]

I have some on a stick, because my doctor retired, and that's about it. I have a 14-year span of medical records, and that's all I have. I don't have back to when I was diagnosed, even though—this is funny—I was diagnosed at the same clinic where my last GP was, but I don't have that record either.

I know in Thunder Bay there has been talk that e-records are not always shared and accessed properly. You have to be a part of that clinic to be able to have access to their EMR, but if you don't go to this clinic, they don't converse, so it's still an issue.

[Charlene Lavergne]

I have no access at all.

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

I think that's a big issue, too, because I don't have access to mine. The only thing I know is that someone else looked at my records and got charged for it. That's the only thing I know about e-medical records.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[Charlene Lavergne]

I just know that I'm always another diabetic. I know that when I come in the door it's, “Oh, another diabetic”.

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

Do you think, perhaps, we need to take a longer look at nurse practitioners?

[Charlene Lavergne]

Yes.

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

You mentioned about eight minutes, and I agree with you. I'm just wondering if the provinces should look at providing more resources to nurse practitioners. They can spend more time. They can delve into if there are any personal issues as well.

I had a procedure, I guess, with a nurse practitioner, and she asked me, “How are you?” I was blown away by that, because I had never heard that before. I'm not criticizing the doctor; I'm just talking about the nurse practitioners.

[Stacey Livitski]

My doctor actually started as a nurse and then became a nurse practitioner and is now a physician. She actually spends that time and sits and talks and has that discussion, “How are you? What can I do to help you today?” versus “What's your problem? You only have five minutes and it better be only one problem,” because that is.... There are signs in the offices that say, “one problem”.

[Charlene Lavergne]

The thing is diabetes isn't just one problem. It's like an onion. You just keep peeling it.

What's really funny is I can't get any help anywhere except for one place. You're not going to believe where I get it. The City of Oshawa has a RAMP, recreation access membership program, which means that I can swim at any of their pools and walk on any of their tracks for free, as long as I can prove I have the Canada pension plan disability. I haul in my income taxes every year and I show it to them. They encourage me. They really encourage me. They help me get in the pool. They help me get out.

Why is it that they can do that and they recognize that we need it and they know it's important, but nobody else does? It's so weird.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bill Casey]

Okay, the time is up.

Now we go to Ms. Sidhu.

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, all, for being here and sharing your story. We know there are 11 million people living with diabetes or prediabetes, and every three minutes another person is diagnosed with diabetes.

Early detection is important for both type 1 and type 2. You share in your stories the stigma out there. There are so many other problems. We need a national strategy. Diabetes Canada's diabetes 360° strategy could save $36 billion if we implement that strategy.

You also mentioned a one-stop shopping centre.