Public Notice
YELLOWKNIFE (April 25, 2024) The Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority is announcing that hematology-oncology services previously provided in the NWT will be relocated to Alberta. This change only impacts patients who have very specific types of cancer related to blood, and does not involve patients with types of cancers involving other body systems, such as breast, lung, bowel, etc. This decision was made by Alberta Cancer Care due to limited resources in the NWT to maintain the level of care coordination required for these specific cancer services.
Starting May 1, 2024, the first phase of this change will occur, and will involve those who are not in active treatment, meaning patients whose cancer is being monitored by regular bloodwork. These patients will be required to travel to Alberta for their bloodwork and follow up appointments with the specialist. The NWT Cancer Care team will be in direct contact with these patients in the coming week to discuss and confirm their treatment plans. It is estimated that this change will impact approximately 40 NWT residents.
Patients who are currently receiving active treatment in the NWT for blood-related cancers, such as chemotherapy or immunotherapy, will be assessed case-by-case to determine if services will continue in the NWT or be relocated to Alberta, and for how long. These individuals will be contacted directly with more information. There are currently 11 NWT residents who fall into this category.
If you are impacted by this announcement and need support or have questions, you can contact the NWT Health and Social Services Authority's Cancer Navigation program:
Phone (toll-free): 1-866-313-7989
Email: cancer_navigator@gov.nt.ca or cancer_socialwork@gov.nt.ca
Website: https://www.nthssa.ca/en/services/cancer-navigation-program
Media Contact
Questions & Answers:
What is Hematology Oncology?
Hematology oncology combines two fields of medicine: hematology, which is the study of the blood, and oncology, the study and treatment of cancer.
The most common types of blood-related cancers include multiple myeloma, leukemia, and lymphoma, although there are other diseases included in this category
For those who are required to travel what supports will be in place?
NWT residents who may be impacted by this change and who will now be required to travel more often to access care will have access to the regular medical travel supports offered to all NWT residents. These supports will be dependent on what specific benefits individuals qualify for through GNWT or Federal benefit plans, employer benefits, or private insurance.
Are any other cancer services impacted by this change?
Services for other types of cancers such as bowel, breast, lung, etc – known as solid tumor cancers – will not be affected by these changes.
What caused this change in services?
Cancer Care Alberta has determined in order to meet the same standard of care that is delivered in Alberta new resources to support this program are needed or patients need to travel to Alberta for care.
For solid-tumor cancers the NWT has an agreement with Cancer Care Alberta in which we provide funding for a dedicated Oncologist in Alberta to manage NWT patients, there is also dedicated resources in the NWT to support the coordination of care between the NWT system and the Alberta system.
For Hematology Oncology – a cancer sub-specialty - a similar agreement does not exist and NWT patients instead access services in Alberta through the broad agreement for NWT patients to be provided care through the Alberta system.
Will these services be moved to Alberta permanently?
The NTHSSA is working with partners to secure the required resources needed to return to a model that would enable NWT residents to continue accessing hematology-oncology specialist services within the NWT.
This work will take time. Further updates will be provided when they are available.