In a formal letter sent Tuesday, Rural & Remote Health Shadow Minister Jared Clarke cited potential fraud, criminal neglect and failure to provide the necessities of life to Susie Silvestri, a former patient at the Dr. Goodenowe Restorative Health Centre in Moose Jaw.
Clarke’s call comes as Premier Scott Moe refused to even rise and answer any questions Monday about the tragedy surrounding the horrible treatment of Silvestri. His Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill dodged repeated calls to investigate the matter during Question Period and then ran away from reporters in the Legislature Rotunda who were demanding answers and accountability over the tragedy.
“We have a Premier who won’t step in and take responsibility for the sorry state of healthcare in this province — and we have a Health Minister who will literally run from his responsibilities,” Clarke said. “This isn’t leadership. We’re the Wild West when it comes to the regulation of healthcare and we have a Sask. Party government that, after 18 years, has not only failed to fix healthcare, they’ve clearly stopped even trying.”
Silvestri suffered from ALS and journeyed from her home in North Carolina to the Dr. Goodenowe Restorative Health Centre believing she would be cured. The man behind the centre, Dayan Goodenowe, has constantly advertised and touted his “success rate” when it comes to treating ALS. His claims led to previous calls on the Health Minister from the Official Opposition and ALS Society of Saskatchewan to investigate earlier this year.
According to detailed reporting by CBC:
- Silvestri was 70 years old and dealing with rapidly progressing ALS.
- She came to the centre from North Carolina after seeing the public promises made by Dr. Goodenowe who claims a “100 per cent success rate in stopping the progression and in restoring function of people with ALS.”
- Silvestri, out of desperation, put her home up for sale to try to raise the $84,000 USD fee required to receive care at the centre.
- A former Goodenowe staff member stated that “It was our impression, I think, that she required a way higher level of care than we were prepared to give based on our training.”
-The former employee also stated that Silvestri was “under the impression she would leave the building walking in three months.”
-Once at the centre, Silvestri was too weak to feed herself and begged for a feeding tube to be inserted. Former employees have alleged that request was refused because her insurance would not pay for the surgery in a Canadian Hospital, and the Moose Jaw Hospital would only do the surgery on a non-Canadian in an emergency situation.
- Silvestri texted her brother Charles Silvestri at one point, stating she was “nervous and scared,” and “This is not what I ever thought my life would look like at this point.”
- Silvestri eventually left the centre in an ambulance she rented for a four-hour drive to Montana, to a hospital that would take her insurance with little help from Goodenowe or his company.
- She died in late 2024 at that hospital.
“I believe with everything that has been alleged about neglect and complete disregard for Susie Silvestri that a criminal investigation is warranted,” Clarke said. “It’s clear that Scott Moe and the Sask. Party won’t do a damn thing to deliver accountability for her loved ones or to ensure that something like this never happens again — so we’re stepping in.
“Healthcare here is worse than it’s ever been and the Saskatchewan NDP won’t rest until we deliver the big, bold change needed to end the crisis we see playing out in this province every single day.”
-30-