On November 9, Open Health Niverville announced that Dr. Mairi Burnett will resume her medical practice at the clinic at the end of November after a medical leave of absence.
“Her planned return to practice date is November 26, and she will be working Tuesday and Thursday afternoons virtually by phone or video,” says Kristen Fyfe, Open Health’s business manager.
In the announcement, Open Health says Dr. Mairi will be returning with a reduced workload and will not be able to resume the large practice she had before. However, she is happy that many of her patients are now with Dr. Eguaoje.
The clinic also understands that other patients have found new clinicians during Dr. Mairi’s absence and that they may wish to stay with their new clinician.
Dr. Mairi plans to begin seeing her previous patients, but considering the Niverville area is under code red right now, like the rest of the province, appointments will be completed virtually by telephone or video only. Dr. Mairi is also not accepting new patients at this time.
“With the recent code red announcement, we have moved to further increasing our virtual appointments in addition to our previous COVID procedures already in place,” explains Fyfe. “We are accepting in-person appointments on a limited basis with strict screening procedures. Our lab has been running by appointment only for several months, which also helps decrease the number of patients in the clinic at one time. We ask that patients with an appointment for the lab or in the clinic arrive only at their scheduled time. We also want everyone to know that if you are experiencing cold/flu symptoms, you will still receive care from your practitioner, however we ask that you start with a virtual/telephone appointment.”
Appreciation for Support
Drs. Mairi and Chris Burnett also wish to express their appreciation for all the support they have received from patients and members of the community.
In the fall of 2019, Dr. Mairi was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells in her bone marrow. The Burnetts are happy to report that Dr. Mairi is in remission from cancer and is very excited to return to practice.
The atmosphere at Open Health is also one of excitement.
“The clinicians and staff are all very happy to hear of her return. Everyone has been thinking of her and wishing her well over this last year,” says Fyfe. “We anticipate an evolution as she returns to our team and we will be working closely with Dr. Mairi to ensure her continued health and well-being as she returns to practice.”
Previous patients of Dr. Mairi are welcome to call the clinic to make a virtual appointment with her. The patients who had recently been under her care (after July 1, 2019) and who wish to return are encouraged to call the clinic for an appointment. Open Health will work with Dr. Mairi to re-evaluate her work arrangement at the end of January to see about potential in-person visits.
