MLA thanks doctor who came out of retirement to advise over Tumbler Ridge healthcare on-call cuts ‘crisis’

TUMBLER RIDGE, B.C. — Peace River South’s MLA paid tribute to a doctor and paleontologist who has come out of retirement to fight the emergency room on-call hours cuts in Tumbler Ridge. 

Larry Neufeld told the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia that Dr Charles Helm has been a “cornerstone of healthcare, science and community leadership in the South Peace for decades.”

“Today I want to recognize an extraordinary British Columbian who has been instrumental in heading the fight to bring back that incredibly important part of the community,” Neufeld said on October 23rd. 

Helm immigrated to Canada from South Africa in 1986 and became a family physician in Tumbler Ridge in 1992.

He semi-retired shortly before the Covid pandemic to pursue a career in paleontology after being instrumental in the proposal to create the Tumbler Ridge UNESCO Global Geopark in 2014.

However, Helm told Energeticcity.ca he has come back out of retirement after being asked to advise the Tumbler Ridge council on the on-call hours emergency room cuts proposed by Northern Health at the Tumbler Ridge Health Centre. 

“I’ve kind of come out of retirement to try and assist the community with dealing with this crisis,” Helm told Energeticcity.ca. 

In September, Northern Health announced on-call coverage will now only exist between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, removing the service at evenings and weekends.

The community mobilized against the change, with residents stepping up to protest, sign a petition and make their voice heard at multiple open houses hosted by Northern Health amid the backlash. 

In the face of the controversy, Northern Health conceded the change would be “temporary,” but maintains the policy ensures “predictable daytime coverage” at the health centre amid staffing shortages.

“I have 28 years of experience of working as a rural, remote family physician in Tumbler Ridge,” Helm told Energeticcity.ca. “So I understand the community really well, and know what the devastating impact of these closures is.

“The mayor and council have asked me to kind of be their medical advisor, which I am doing.

“I think it’s a great privilege for me to kind of come out of the woodwork, come out of semi-retirement, and assist them.” 

He noted: “I’m hoping I’m doing a decent job.”

Neufeld told the legislature: “He has been working very closely, as I’ve already stated, with local officials, colleagues and health authorities to ensure that residents once again have access to their vital emergency healthcare.

“Beyond medicine, Dr Helm’s passion for the outdoors and community wellbeing has left a lasting mark.” 

Helm co-founded the Emperor’s Challenge – a 20km endurance event over a mountain – in 1999 and founded the Tumbler Ridge Museum Foundation in 2002.

He won the Rural Long Service Award from the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada in 2013. 

“On behalf of this house, I extend our heartfelt appreciation to Dr Charles Helm for his outstanding contributions to healthcare, recreation and the scientific heritage of this province,” Neufeld added.