After launching a new position in B.C. health-care in 2024, Island Health\u2019s 2SLGBTQIA+ nurse liaison pilot position has ended with little notice to patients.<\/p>\n
In a trailblazing move to \u201cenhance the physical and psychological safety, as well as the overall comfort, of 2SLGBTQIA+ people who attend the hospital,\u201d Island Health announced the launch of the 2SLGBTQIA+ nurse liaison pilot position in 2024.<\/p>\n
While the initial pilot was only meant to last a year, talk of expanding up Island was entertained early, and after success in its first year, the position then expanded to Victoria General Hospital.<\/p>\n
Registered nurse Emily Wyatt was hired to the position in December 2023 after bringing the needs of her 2SLGBTQIA+ community to Island Health decision-makers.<\/p>\n
READ RELATED: Island Health announces new 2SLGBTQIA+ Liaison Nurse position at Royal Jubilee Hospital<\/a><\/p>\n In January 2024, Wyatt started the position at Royal Jubilee Hospital, and with its success, then expanded to Victoria General Hospital in 2025.<\/p>\n But the position no longer exists.<\/p>\n Earlier this fall, a former patient of Wyatt\u2019s told CHEK News she learned the position had been discontinued when she arrived for her appointment at the hospital.<\/p>\n Upon arriving, Wyatt was not there to sit in on their appointments, advocate for their needs, and in general help them feel safe and supported, greatly improving their health-care visits, the patient says.<\/p>\n In early October 2025, CHEK News reached out to Island Health and a spokesperson confirmed \u201cIsland Health\u2019s 2SLGBTQIA+ liaison nurse position has concluded.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOriginally this role was a one-year pilot project. The position then shifted to Victoria General Hospital in 2025,\u201d said the spokesperson.<\/p>\n Full details were not disclosed as to why it ended, except that it was not budget-related. <\/p>\n \u201cDue to provincial privacy legislation, Island Health cannot share or discuss details about a person\u2019s employment history. This change is not related to budget decisions,\u201d Island Health told CHEK News.<\/p>\n And while the pilot position has ended, the health authority says it\u2019s still \u201cassessing the learnings from the role and remains committed to providing inclusive and affirming care to people from 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s something that Wyatt was passionate about, ensuring the needs of her community were supported in spaces like hospitals and public spaces that have seen high rates of discrimination. <\/p>\n READ MORE: Vancouver Island trans basketball player speaks out about verbal, physical mistreatment<\/a><\/p>\n In 2020, A.J. Lowik, PhD candidate with the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice at the University of British Columbia, spoke to the need for more informed care approaches in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.<\/p>\n READ: Transgender people bear brunt of misinformation about gender identity, experts say<\/a><\/p>\n At the time, Lowik shared their thoughts and experiences with Island Health.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are struggling \u2013 the limited research into our lives shows that we are less likely to have a family doctor than cisgender people and when we do have one, less likely to feel comfortable with them,\u201d Lowik writes.<\/p>\n A 2017 study<\/a> estimated that 17.2 per cent of transgender Ontarians in the study did not have access to a regular family doctor. <\/p>\n Lowik adds that \u201cmany trans and non-binary people delay or avoid health care, both out of fear of what will go wrong,\u201d adding that many have stories of appointments that did not go well<\/a>. <\/p>\n READ: B.C. nurse gets suspension, fines for comments about transgender people<\/a><\/p>\n