Beginning the story
An update regarding Plastic Surgeons in Interior Health Authority for Kootenay Boundary
Dr. DeGreef was temporarily unable to practice in our area due to a licensing issu. When he was writing his renewal exam last fall, it was interruoted by a fire alarm and one section of the test was mixed into others and was missed. This spring, he redid the exam and has had his license re-instated.
While Dr. DeGreef was off, IHA advertised for and hired a plastic surgeon to work in this area. It was also noted that their expectation was for Dr. DeGreef to practice once licensing issues were straightened out. This meant two,plastic surgeons would be working in the region.
Dr. DeGreef has returned and is ready to re-open his practice, but IHA has changed their mind, first stating that only 1.5 positions were available and now dropping to only 1 position, as anyone on the wait list realizes, one plastic surgeon is not enough in such a large area. Dr. DeGreef showed his commitment to the community and IHA when he kept his clinic intact throughout this whole process.
Please support our request to IHA to provide two plastic surgeons in the area by re-instating Dr. DeGreed alongside the new plastic surgeon. We need them both - the new plastic surgeon's specialty and Dr. DeGreef's specialties are melanomas and reconstructions, without them, people in the area (East & west Kootenays and Boundary areas) will be forced to travel - again!
A petition was located at the Mall near 'No Frills' and at 'Got Juiced'. Downtown, petition copies are available at the 'Colander', ' Comfort Walk Shoes' and several other locations. This is a large area and people deserve access to treatment without waiting long periods of time .
Note: The petition of over 1200 local signatures was hand delivered to Interior Health office in Kelowna. Since general public are not allowed to access the office floor, they were given to the lobby staff, with a phone call and email to say it was received. There have been no responses back from any IH staff since that time regarding the petition. (Updated note added Feb 10th)
In advance - thank you for your support
An update regarding Plastic Surgeons in Interior Health Authority for Kootenay Boundary
Dr. DeGreef was temporarily unable to practice in our area due to a licensing issu. When he was writing his renewal exam last fall, it was interruoted by a fire alarm and one section of the test was mixed into others and was missed. This spring, he redid the exam and has had his license re-instated.
While Dr. DeGreef was off, IHA advertised for and hired a plastic surgeon to work in this area. It was also noted that their expectation was for Dr. DeGreef to practice once licensing issues were straightened out. This meant two,plastic surgeons would be working in the region.
Dr. DeGreef has returned and is ready to re-open his practice, but IHA has changed their mind, first stating that only 1.5 positions were available and now dropping to only 1 position, as anyone on the wait list realizes, one plastic surgeon is not enough in such a large area. Dr. DeGreef showed his commitment to the community and IHA when he kept his clinic intact throughout this whole process.
Please support our request to IHA to provide two plastic surgeons in the area by re-instating Dr. DeGreed alongside the new plastic surgeon. We need them both - the new plastic surgeon's specialty and Dr. DeGreef's specialties are melanomas and reconstructions, without them, people in the area (East & west Kootenays and Boundary areas) will be forced to travel - again!
A petition was located at the Mall near 'No Frills' and at 'Got Juiced'. Downtown, petition copies are available at the 'Colander', ' Comfort Walk Shoes' and several other locations. This is a large area and people deserve access to treatment without waiting long periods of time .
Note: The petition of over 1200 local signatures was hand delivered to Interior Health office in Kelowna. Since general public are not allowed to access the office floor, they were given to the lobby staff, with a phone call and email to say it was received. There have been no responses back from any IH staff since that time regarding the petition. (Updated note added Feb 10th)
In advance - thank you for your support
One of our membership has been in contact with Dr. deGreef. He is still interested in returning to this area to practice. Despite his interest and past promises, Interior Health has not offered him operating time. This is truly a concern in our area - Dr. Lutfy is doing a fine job, but we have been hearing of many people being referred to both Kelowna and Vancouver for plastic surgery in the recent months. Interior Health stated that there was not a full time job for two plastic surgeons and yet people are finding themselves forced to travel to other areas for some of those services.
There have been no reports regarding Dr. Cook's (ENT specialist) waitlist but there is concern that is growing. Since Dr. deGreef left, we are pretty sure there has been no back-up for Dr. Cook.
One of the researches for Interior Health told our members of our group that it has been found that a lack of specialists in an area, also leads to difficulty recruiting new GP's. In the last while, our area has lost a clinic along with several doctors - this has a big impact on those remaining to try to fill the lack. It also creates more pressure on Emergency Services since people are forced to see a doctor there. We believe that a positive step for our area would be for Interior Health to welcome Dr. deGreef back into practice. Please sign our petition by clicking on the link below - and help even further by forwarding to friends and family.
https://www.change.org/p/margaret-crawford-reinstate-plastic-surgeon-dr-andre-degreef-at-kbrh-trail-b-c?
Update added January 2021: The petition with 1200 signatures was hand delivered to Interior Health Authority Office in Kelowna. Sadly, there has never been a response given to the petition.
There have been no reports regarding Dr. Cook's (ENT specialist) waitlist but there is concern that is growing. Since Dr. deGreef left, we are pretty sure there has been no back-up for Dr. Cook.
One of the researches for Interior Health told our members of our group that it has been found that a lack of specialists in an area, also leads to difficulty recruiting new GP's. In the last while, our area has lost a clinic along with several doctors - this has a big impact on those remaining to try to fill the lack. It also creates more pressure on Emergency Services since people are forced to see a doctor there. We believe that a positive step for our area would be for Interior Health to welcome Dr. deGreef back into practice. Please sign our petition by clicking on the link below - and help even further by forwarding to friends and family.
https://www.change.org/p/margaret-crawford-reinstate-plastic-surgeon-dr-andre-degreef-at-kbrh-trail-b-c?
Update added January 2021: The petition with 1200 signatures was hand delivered to Interior Health Authority Office in Kelowna. Sadly, there has never been a response given to the petition.
April 2018:
On Dr. deGreef's last day employed by Interior Health, he responded to an emergency call. This is the event as told by Clinton Carlson (from Kaslo,B.C.) to members of SPCS.
I was in Trout Lake, 80 km. north of Kaslo, near noon. I slipped and fell, grabbing hold of a moving piece of logging equipment which sliced and crushed my dominant left hand (degloved the hand), palm-side down. My crew and I did on-site first aide to control bleeding and at that time my team called directly to ‘High Terrain Helicopters’ out of Nelson. There was a slight delay and the helicopter finally arrived around 1:40 p.m.. By the time I arrived at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail, it was close to 3:30 p.m.
The helicopter had to land at the Trail airport and then I had to be road ambulanced to KBRH because not all helicopters are cleared to land at a hospital. I think only BC Ambulance helicopters are allowed to land at the hospital. The trouble is that the large BC Ambulance helicopters often can’t land where the patient is located so you are in a double bind. Then you do the hospital skipping—first Kaslo which tells you that they can’t do anything, then Nelson which says the same thing and finally KBRH. KBRH nearly said the same thing as well except that the ER nurse called and pleaded with the Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Andre deGreef, to please do the surgery as my hand had turned dusky in colour and time was quickly running out for saving my hand. A 4- hour road ambulance trip to Kelowna at this point would have put me over the time limit. There were no orthopaedic surgeons available at KBRH that fateful Friday afternoon and Dr. Andre deGreef was the last hope. Dr. deGreef arrived at KBRH-ER around 5:30 p.m. in a three-piece suit. After having seen photos of my hand which had been sent to him, he asked me if I would like him to operate on my hand and I said I would. Dr. deGreef then left and arranged an OR room and two nurses to assist. This took until early evening. The surgery was then undertaken and it was long, at least a couple of hours. During this time, Dr. deGreef had to wire one of my fingers and he did a large amount of reconnecting of various tissues. The nerve damage was extensive and he had to remove a lot of crushed tissue. After the surgery was completed, Dr. deGreef talked to me about what he had done in the surgery (it was very challenging —over 200 stitches were involved) and then he left. I was kept in the hospital overnight. I was given prescriptions written by Dr. deGreef to fill. The following day, Dr. deGreef came to see me in the hospital, but only to tell me that he could no longer be my doctor and could not discharge me when I was ready. On the way home, I tried to get the prescriptions filled at the Pharmasave in Castlegar. The Pharmacist said that she couldn’t fill the prescriptions under Dr. deGreef’s name, but that she could put them through under her name which she did. I was also referred to ‘Black Bird Physiotherapy’ in Nelson (specialists in shoulders and hands) who organized post-care for me. The physiotherapy started a week later and I continued to go for physiotherapy there for a year and a half up until about a month ago.
Throughout this ordeal, I was thinking, ”Will I ever be able to work again?” “Will I end up with a steel hook like my friend?” The day after my surgery before Dr. deGreef came into see me, I realized that I could see the ends of my fingers move even though there was no feeling in them at that point and I decided that I could get through this.
Work Safe BC is now going to assess me on April 19th in Kelowna. I do worry about arthritis setting in as I age and that in time I might not be able to do my job, but for now I can function reasonably normally although I do drop things if I’m not careful. The hand is good for grabbing and letting go,, but not for fine work. Trying to get a nut started on a bolt is a challenge. I am definitely left-handed and so this is a heavy impact. Using a chain saw is not something I feel comfortable doing to any extent now.
If this surgery hadn’t turned out to be as successful as it did, and given the fact that the hand injured was my dominant hand, I would not be able to do what I can today and resume my career as a logger. I have my own business and it is a challenge not being able to use a power saw. Now I have to hire someone else to do the work I could have done myself. Dr. deGreef saved IH/WorkSafeBC hundreds of thousands of dollars by doing this surgery. I know this because I see the costs involved with an employee of mine who also had an injury.
I am very thankful to Dr deGreef and the staff at KBRH. Without them my life could be much more difficult. I am angry and disappointed at the bureaucracy, and in my opinion, small mindedness of other health professionals that would keep Dr deGreef from doing his job.
April 2018 - Update re Dr. deGreef
Members of our group have been in touch with Dr. deGreef in the last week. Despite all the events, he would still like to return to our area and re-open his practice. If you have a story to share, please get in touch with SPCS members or write a letters to Katrine Conroy and ask her to forward to Interior Health. In your letters, you could:
- relate a personal experience
- mention that we want him reinstated here
- recognize the need for more than one plastic surgeon in the Kootenay/Boundary areas
- mention if he had helped you on his subspeciality - Ear, Nose or Throat issues
- mention if you are on the waiting list, have been delayed or had to travel for plastic surgery or Ear, Nose or Throat problems
Thank you for your efforts to have Dr. deGreef reinstated in our area.
Dr. Andre deGreef Oct 2018
Here is a second story shared about Dr. deGreef and the service he provided. He currently is employed in Sudbury, Ont, but has told our members he would love to return to the area - it is his home. Let us know if you would like to share your story!
To Whom It May Concern:
“I had a cyst growing on my lower left eye lid and it was growing very quickly. This was the first time I saw Dr. Andre deGreef in about 2013. It turned out to be just a benign cyst, but since then I have had basal cell cancer on my nose. Dr. deGreef had to peel my nose like a carrot; there is no sign of it today except that it took away the tip of my nose. Then I had another basal cell carcinoma on my left cheek and it was deep and Dr. deGreef saved my life and my eye with that one. He also removed cancers from under my left jaw and forehead and above my eyebrow. I used to work in a greenhouse so I was exposed to a lot of sun. Also, I stepped on a glass and broke it and a piece of glass lodged in my foot. Dr. deGreef took out the glass; he saved my life, bar none.
My doctor referred me to Dr. deGreef to have my eye lids lifted because they were interfering with my vision.
When I first went to Dr. deGreef he took the time to calm me down; he was so good at distracting his patients while they were being worked on when they are super stressed. He always talked about all kinds of things and it made it so you felt he was as much a friend as a doctor.
On his very last day of work here (end of October 2016), Dr. deGreef said that he couldn’t find any more cancer on my face, but I was with my partner, Ken, and he removed a plugged gland behind his right ear and a lump on his chest that wouldn’t go away. We never got the results of these.
I was so sad and I cried when he said that he had to leave.
He was never impatient with me as a patient or his nurse who was assisting him.”
Sincerely,
Donna Anderson
Here is a second story shared about Dr. deGreef and the service he provided. He currently is employed in Sudbury, Ont, but has told our members he would love to return to the area - it is his home. Let us know if you would like to share your story!
To Whom It May Concern:
“I had a cyst growing on my lower left eye lid and it was growing very quickly. This was the first time I saw Dr. Andre deGreef in about 2013. It turned out to be just a benign cyst, but since then I have had basal cell cancer on my nose. Dr. deGreef had to peel my nose like a carrot; there is no sign of it today except that it took away the tip of my nose. Then I had another basal cell carcinoma on my left cheek and it was deep and Dr. deGreef saved my life and my eye with that one. He also removed cancers from under my left jaw and forehead and above my eyebrow. I used to work in a greenhouse so I was exposed to a lot of sun. Also, I stepped on a glass and broke it and a piece of glass lodged in my foot. Dr. deGreef took out the glass; he saved my life, bar none.
My doctor referred me to Dr. deGreef to have my eye lids lifted because they were interfering with my vision.
When I first went to Dr. deGreef he took the time to calm me down; he was so good at distracting his patients while they were being worked on when they are super stressed. He always talked about all kinds of things and it made it so you felt he was as much a friend as a doctor.
On his very last day of work here (end of October 2016), Dr. deGreef said that he couldn’t find any more cancer on my face, but I was with my partner, Ken, and he removed a plugged gland behind his right ear and a lump on his chest that wouldn’t go away. We never got the results of these.
I was so sad and I cried when he said that he had to leave.
He was never impatient with me as a patient or his nurse who was assisting him.”
Sincerely,
Donna Anderson