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A West Vancouver massage therapist who took a laissez-faire approach to patient records and clinic cleanliness has been handed a suspension by her regulatory body.
Joanne Argatoff, a registered massage therapist who practiced out of a clinic on Marine Drive, had her licence suspended Nov. 10 by the College of Massage Therapists of B.C. following an undercover investigation by the college earlier this year.
According to the college’s decision, on Aug. 22, an undercover investigator posing as a patient observed that Argatoff’s clinic was dirty and there was a dog present.
In a subsequent visit in September, two college investigators observed that “the reception area was dimly lit, dirty, cluttered and had a strong odour.” Investigators observed a dog in the area and a kitchen area containing garbage and dirty dishes. Additionally, a friend of Argatoff’s was found to be sleeping in a back room of the clinic.
Argatoff was also “unable to provide treatment records for any of her patients,” according to the college decision.
The college suspended Argatoff’s licence as an interim measure while it considers allegations from an earlier investigation that Argatoff practiced without professional liability insurance for three months in 2019. The college has also alleged that Argatoff has consistently refused to respond in a timely manner to communications with the college, including 13 letters sent by email, registered mail, and a process server, about any of the issues.
According to the decision posted on the college’s website, the suspension was put in place after a disciplinary panel decided it wasn’t satisfied Argatoff would comply with any conditions “that would satisfactorily protect the public.”
