York health clinic cuts services

Jacqueline Perlin
Recruitment Manager
The York Lanes Health Clinic, run by Appletree Medical Centre, recently fired the clinic’s last practicing chiropractor, Amy Lavigne, who said she was given no logical reason for her dismissal.
“[Clinic administration] said that [chiropractors] were diverting resources from patients, and that the health care patients are suffering,” said Lavigne.
Appletree is a private medical corporation that took over management of the York Lanes clinic on March 1, 2010. According to a Feb. 10 Excalibur article, the management takeover came after the old management was unable to reach an agreement with York University Development Corporation (YUDC).
Lavigne said she is looking to open up her own chiropractor practice at York but she is running into some difficulties.
“Would I like to stay in York Lanes? Of course. But now that Appletree has the exclusive rights to chiropractor work, they won’t give it to me,” she said, adding she intends to move somewhere close to campus.
Excalibur tried to reach Shafiq Bhanji, Appletree clinic’s executive director, for comment multiple times but Bhanji did not reply as of the date of publication.
Dr. Jantinder Dhillon, former manager of the York Lanes clinic and previously an employee with Appletree Medical Group at their York Lanes clinic, said he was not surprised with Appletree’s actions.
“All the comprehensive services that we have set up, not everything makes money but students need it. And for [Appletree] it’s all about money,” said Dhillon.
Yusuf Mohammed, vice-president of equity of the York Federation of Students, noted the thought it was strange the Appletree Clinic was cutting all of its chiropractors.
“I think it’s pretty weird that they want to cut the chiropractors from the clinic when they provide an essential service to students. I think they should shift their focus towards student needs and not streamlining their budget and saving costs,” he said.
Katie Howard, Lavigne’s patient and a York student, expressed her frustration towards Appletree.
“I haven’t seen any benefit come from Appletree clinic. In fact I don’t go [there] if I have a medical issue – I will wait and go to my family doctor at home. But a lot of people don’t have this option,” noted Howard, adding Appletree’s defence is rooted in their claim chiropractic services are available elsewhere.
“This chiropractor [Lavigne] has a great York student clientele based on the fact that she is in a great student location, and York is just allowing them to come in and shove her out like she’s nothing when she serves their students,” said Howard.
Alex Bilyk, director of media relations at York, said he is no position to comment on Appletree because it’s a private business.
When asked how students can address their frustrations toward Appletree’s actions, Mohammed said he believes students need to speak and mobilize in order to voice their concerns.
“[Students] can more than likely bring this up to Rob Tiffin, [York’s vice president students], and while Appletree is part of the YUDC, at the same time York administration and the YUDC have a working relationship where they can sit down and discuss these things,” said Mohammed.