Dear Friends

Last year, the BC Government announced that it would establish a clinic for complex chronic diseases, focusing on ME/CFS, FM and Lyme disease. Yesterday, the BC government announced the appointment of the clinic's Medical Director, Dr. Alison Bested. Yesterday's press release is copied below. 

Dr. Bested is an advisor to the National ME/FM Action Network. She was a member of the ME/CFS Consensus Panel which developed the Canadian diagnostic and treatment protocols, she was the Network's representative to a 2006 federal conference on Lyme disease, she authored the book "Hope and Help for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia," and she was a member of the team that has just produced the IACFS/ME Primer for Clinical Practitioners. The new BC clinic is getting a very fine medical director.

Her friends and patients in Ontario will miss her very much. MEAO has organized a farewell tea party for July 17. The details are below.

Margaret Parlor
President
National ME/FM Action Network

p.s. In my last email telling you about Dr. Eleanor Stein's manual discussing strategies for living with ME/CFS, FM and MCS, I did not give her complete website address. The website is http://eleanorsteinmd.ca

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July 10, 2012

For Immediate Release

Complex Chronic Disease Clinic Appoints Medical Director   Vancouver – A new clinic focused on treating people who suffer from a group of complex chronic diseases has appointed its first Medical Director.   Dr. Alison Bested will lead the Complex Chronic Disease Clinic, which will be located at BC Women’s Hospital and Health Centre in Vancouver. The clinic is the first of its kind in the province.   Dr. Bested is expected to start on October 1, 2012, giving her time to close up her current medical practice in Toronto where she treats patients with complex medical illnesses.   In March 2011 the Ministry of Health announced a $2 million investment to study cases and best practices for patients with complex chronic diseases.   The clinic will focus on diseases such as Lyme disease, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and Fibromyalgia Syndrome. Clinic staff will work with patients and doctors from across the province not only to provide care for people but to also learn more about these complex diseases.   Bested is a medical specialist who has worked with complex medical illnesses for the past 21 years. She is the Medical Specialist Liaison at the Environmental Health Clinic at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto. She is also a lecturer in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. Quotes: Dr. Alison Bested, MD, FRCPC “I’m looking forward to continuing my work in the field of complex chronic diseases in British Columbia,” said Bested. “This clinic will be an excellent way for us to focus our resources and energy on patients dealing with very complex medical illnesses that require specialized treatments.” Alain Gagnon, Senior Medical Director, BC Women’s Hospital We are thrilled to have recruited one of Canada’s premiere physicians in this field, said Alain Gagnon. “Her passion for knowledge translation as well as her dedication to patients will advance the care for people all across British Columbia.”   Dr. Alison Bested's Biography   Dr. Alison Bested is a Haematological Pathologist . For the past 21 years she has a medical practice in Toronto that treats patients with complex medical illnesses including: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities.   Dr. Bested is the Medical Specialist Liaison at the Environmental Health Clinic at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto. She is a lecturer in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto.   Dr. Bested uses Telemedicine to outreach individual patients in Ontario and also with her Education and Support Group.   Dr. Bested was one of the authors of the Canadian ME/CFS consensus definition that was published in the Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in 2003.   The second edition of her book “Hope and Help for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia” was published by Sourcebooks House in 2008.