(if too many words are too much for you)
[ Date, place ]
[ Name, MLA ]
[ Address ]
Dear [MLA name],
I am asking for your help.
Dr. Arseneau and Dr. McKay of the BC Centre for Long COVID, ME/CFS, & Fibromyalgia have been helping me with managing my chronic disease through their virtual medical groups program since [Approximate DATE].
To my shock, they have informed me that they have to put their program on hold because of changes made by the Ministry of Health.
As you can imagine, this is very upsetting as this program has helped me greatly. Through the Centre’s care and program, I am better able to deal with the disease I am suffering from, and now, I have to somehow prepare myself for the possibility that I will regress.
I ask you for your help to make sure the Centre can continue its virtual group visits after September 1st, the date that the changes will take effect.
Without the program, I will have to face the limited options there are for people with chronic diseases. [Fill in your symptoms: For example: I am mostly bedridden, and can only function a few hours a day. Travelling to the Lower Mainland is not an option, health wise or financially.]
I am afraid I will have to start visiting primary care, and emergency care again. Which in the past turned out to be a lot of effort with very little effect and much frustration.
Can you please ask the Minister to let the Centre continue its work that is making such a difference in the life of many?
Looking forward to your reply.
Kind regards,
[Your name]
CC: The Minister of Health, Josie Osborne
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Dear Minister Osborne,
I’m writing with urgency on behalf of the 5,000 patients at the BC Centre for Long COVID, ME/CFS, and Fibromyalgia- the only provincially accessible clinic for complex chronic disease in B.C.
A recent policy change limiting virtual group medical visits is placing this clinic, and the care patients rely on, at risk. Many of us are too sick to access in-person care, and have no viable alternative in the public system. Without this clinic, thousands will be left without any access to care at all.
We need your leadership to protect and sustain this innovative, cost-effective model. Please:
Take urgent action to ensure uninterrupted funding for the BC-CLMF clinic
Recognize large virtual group medical visits as essential, long-term care
Protect access for patients with no other options
Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Address/Constituency/City]
[Optional: Phone Number]
Dear Minister Osborne,
Thousands of British Columbians with Long COVID, ME/CFS, and Fibromyalgia, most of them women, many from BIPOC and rural communities, are now at risk of losing access to the only provincially accessible care model that meets their needs.
The BC Centre for Long COVID, ME/CFS, and Fibromyalgia (BC-CLMF) delivers care virtually through group medical visits, reaching 40–60 patients at once. These visits are non-invasive, cost-effective, and accessible to people who are too sick to travel. For many, they are a LIFELINE, and the only medical care they can access at all.
This is not just a healthcare issue. It is a disability, equity, and poverty issue, and one that disproportionately affects women and marginalized communities.
I urge you to take immediate action to ensure continued funding for this model and protect access for the 5,000 patients who depend on it- before it’s too late.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Address/Constituency/City]
[Optional: Phone Number]
Dear Minister Osborne,
I am writing as part of the Threatened Complex Chronic Illness LIFELINE campaign to urge your leadership in protecting care for patients with Long COVID, ME/CFS, and Fibromyalgia- many of whom are housebound and have no other access to medical support.
The BC Centre for Long COVID, ME/CFS, and Fibromyalgia serves 5,000 patients across B.C. through virtual group medical visits. These sessions reach up to 50 patients at once and reduce pressure on ERs, GPs, and specialists- all while increasing equity, education, and access for those too ill to travel or living in rural areas
This is a matter of inclusion, health justice, and survival. Please act swiftly to ensure this care model remains funded and accessible.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Address/Constituency/City]
[Optional: Phone Number]
Subject: BC’s Long COVID Care Is Being Cut — Please Intervene Before Sept 1
Dear [MLA Name],
I’m one of over 5,000 British Columbians receiving care through BC’s only provincially accessible clinic for Long COVID, ME/CFS, and Fibromyalgia. When no other care was available, this clinic became my lifeline.
The Problem:
A September 1 MSP billing change will cap group medical visits at 20 patients. This change will quietly dismantle the only working model of care for people like me- many of whom are homebound, medically complex, and have no alternatives in the public system.
Why It Matters:
80% of patients in this program are unemployed and severely disabled
These illnesses make even basic daily tasks intolerable, let alone attending in-person care
We’re 3x more likely to need 10+ GP visits, 2x more likely to be hospitalized
This model reduces ER use, safely manages medications, and reaches rural and housebound patients through scalable virtual care
The Ask:
Please speak with the Minister of Health and urge her to take immediate action to protect and sustain this clinic’s care model. This isn’t just about a billing change, it’s about preventing the collapse of care for 5,000 British Columbians with no other options.
We’re not asking for special treatment. We’re asking the government to act quickly to preserve a proven, cost-effective, and life-saving service that should be the future of complex chronic illness care in BC.
Thank you for your time, and for standing up for equitable healthcare.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Address/Constituency/City]
[Optional: Phone Number]
Subject: Please Protect BC’s Only Long COVID Clinic That Works For Me
Dear [MLA Name],
I’m writing as one of thousands of British Columbians who rely on the virtual group medical visits offered by the BC Centre for Long COVID, ME/CFS, and Fibromyalgia. These sessions have been the only effective, accessible care available to me.
Here’s my story:
[Insert your experience here. Share when you got sick, how long you waited for help, and how the clinic supported you. Even a short paragraph makes a difference, or simply delete this and the title.]
This model works. It’s cost-effective, scalable, and the only way many complex, chronically ill patients- especially those who are housebound or rural- can receive timely care.
But a new MSP cap on group sizes, set to take effect on September 1, 2025, will make the current clinic model unsustainable. Without urgent action, thousands of patients will be left with nowhere to turn.
The Cost of Doing Nothing:
Leaves patients without access to physicians trained in these complex chronic diseases
Forces in-person care on those too sick to leave their homes
Pushes more people into ERs, walk-ins, and long specialist waitlists
The Ask:
Please speak with the Minister of Health. Urge her to take immediate action to protect this clinic and ensure this proven model of care can continue- whether through MSP or another funding stream.
We’re not asking for more. We’re asking to keep what’s already working.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Address/Constituency/City]
[Optional: Phone Number]
Subject: 🆘 Threatened Complex Chronic Illness LIFELINE – The True Impact of Shrinking Online Group Medical Visits
To: HLTH.Minister@gov.bc.ca
CC (optional): josie.osborne.MLA@leg.bc.ca
Dear Minister Osborne,
I am writing as part of the Threatened Complex Chronic Illness LIFELINE campaign to urge your immediate action to protect care for British Columbians living with Long COVID, ME/CFS, and Fibromyalgia.
A policy change capping MSP billing for virtual group medical visits at 20 patients will soon dismantle the only accessible, physician-attached care model serving these complex, often invisible diseases. The clinic, run by Drs. Ric Arseneau and Jane McKay, currently supports over 5,000 patients — most of whom are housebound, rural, BIPOC, low-income, and unable to access traditional care.
Large-format GMVs (40–60 patients/session) are cost-saving, clinically effective, and equity-driven. These visits reduce ER use, improve quality of life, support medication safety, and deliver interdisciplinary care that includes physiotherapy, OT, nutrition, mental health, and more. They also educate the next wave of primary care physicians on how to treat these misunderstood illnesses.
By shrinking these programs without a replacement strategy, thousands of patients will lose access to the only care they’ve ever received.
This is not just about billing. It is about whether BC will lead on complex chronic illness innovation, or abandon one of the only effective models it has.
We urge you to:
Take immediate steps to protect and sustain the BC-CLMF clinic model, regardless of MSP billing limits
Ensure chronically ill patients can remain in GMV programs as long as medically needed
Integrate large GMVs into chronic illness, equity, and cost-efficiency planning province-wide
[Optional: Add your personal story here- how long you’ve been sick, how this clinic helped, what losing it would mean, or just delete this.]
Thank you for your leadership, and for standing with some of BC’s most underserved and resilient citizens.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Address/Constituency/City]
[Optional: Phone Number]
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