Dr. Sarah Jones's drug trafficking charges leave patients in a lurch

Patients of Dr. Sarah Jones are searching for a new family physician and will soon begiven the "boot out the door" of the Tantallonclinic where she worked before being charged withdrug trafficking.

Bridgewaterpolice accuseJones of writingprescriptions for 50,000 oxycodone and oxyneo pills to one patient, who never received the medications.

• Nova Scotia group calls for review of prescription drug monitoring program
• Tantallon doctor's alleged trafficking lasted up to 20 months, records show
• Tantallon doctor's alleged trafficking scheme called 'dirty trick' by former patient
• Nova Scotia drug monitoring program 'not working the way it was intended'

Jones worked at the Crossroads Family Practice in Tantallon. The clinic refused to talk to CBC News, but its website states that as of April 10, it will no longer provide ongoing care to Jones's former patients.

"I wish they would reconsider rather than just kind of giving us the boot out the door," said Andrea Sutton.

Her two small children and 72-year-old mother were all Jones's patients.She estimatesJones had about 1,500 patients, who are now without a family doctor.

No continuity of care

Sutton said her mother, like many patients, has several health issues and needs a family doctor to guide her through her medical treatment.

"We've been forced to jump from walk-in clinic to walk-in clinic, so you're not getting continuity of care, you're seeing this doctor, that doctor, you know it's frustrating."

Crossroads's website has an entire section explaining why the practice will no longer serve Jones's patients.

It states that since October the clinic has been attempting to care for all of Jones's patients with the help of a locum physician, but that doctorwill not be available after April 4.

"The other physicians in our clinic have full practices and are unable to continue to provide ongoing care for additional patients," said the statement.

Patients must pay for records

The Crossroads Family Practice sent a letter to patients March 10, informing them it isrecruiting a new doctor, a process that could take months or more.

It saysthe clinic can arrange, at a patient's request, to transfer medical files to a new physician for a feeof $40 or more. The fees areset out under the Privacy of Health Information Act, the letter says.

Even after a new physician is found, patients like Sutton won't be given any kind of preferential treatment.

"We will advertise when a new physician begins accepting patients and you will be required to call to register," the clinic said in the letter. The same statement is repeatedon itswebsite.

That doesn't sit well with Sutton.

"That's the frustrating part," she said."Her former patients don't get first dibs, or we don't get placed on a waiting list."

Doctor hunt

Since she received a lettera week ago, Sutton has been trying to hunt down a family doctor for her children and mother.

She's called practices, buthasn't had any luck finding a family doctor. Some clinics are short staffed and aren't taking new patients.

"I've had other clinics just tell me, 'No we're full, we're not taking new patients,' so it hasn't been an easy search."

Jones will appear in court May 11 to face a raft of charges including drug trafficking, theft, defrauding a patient,and breach of trust.