November

I am the pregnant woman you reference in your article “Listeriosis awareness among pregnant women and their health care providers in British Columbia” [BCMJ 2008;50:398-399]. The paper was also quoted in the Vancouver Sun on 18 September 2008. I was really surprised to read about my case and I was shocked when the author said “Although she had been counseled about food during her pregnancy, she was not aware of listeria or its potential risk to her and her baby.

We refer to the ICBC article in the April 2008 issue of the BC Medical Journal, 2008;50:127, titled “Inquiring minds: Insurance lawyers and their requests to talk with physicians.” The article states, “There is no obligation on the physician to cooperate with the defence lawyer and submit to an interview. However, a refusal may have inconvenient consequences.” 

I am writing to thank the writers of two articles in the July/August BCMJ, outlining some of the glaring inadequacies in mental health services to children and the developmentally disabled.

As a director of Community Living BC (CLBC), I am disappointed that the authors of “The other dual diagnosis: Developmental disability and mental health disorders” [BCMJ 2008;50:319-324] did not contact CLBC management to discuss, or provide notice of, their serious criticisms of the organization prior to publishing this article. CLBC embraces the vision of a community that recognizes and meets the needs of people with developmental disabilities, including their medical needs. CLBC is pleased to work with health care professionals to that end. 

The authors would like to apologize to both the patient and her health care providers for any distress our actions may have caused. We apologize for publishing a case report in which the person described recognized herself, and for inadvertently presenting inaccurate information on the counseling re­ceived by the case.