Uncovered

A concerned social worker at a psychiatric hospital asked us if we could help a patient whose OHIP coverage had been suddenly cancelled. We discovered that the man had immigrated to Canada more than 50 years ago, and was under the guardianship of Ontario’s Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee, but had no legal status. He had been temporarily given OHIP coverage several times under a program that allows psychiatric patients to be covered while they are in hospital, until they can provide the requisite documentation. We also made inquiries with the man’s immigration lawyer about the man’s application for permanent residency. It was granted and he was able to obtain a health card and remain in treatment.