Local health workers fear Squamish has seen the end of effective local addictions outreach following a Vancouver Coastal Health cut of three Sea to Sky Community Services programs.
The adult addictions program will be "redesigned," while child and youth addictions and school-based drug prevention and education will cease to exist completely, stated Leanna Buffie, manager of SSCS outreach services in a letter to The Chief.
"It is with immense regrets that SSCSS announces to our respected community members and stakeholders that we have received a 90-day termination notice from Vancouver Coastal Health Authority," writes Buffie.
VCH senior media relations officer Anna Marie D'Angelo said the programs will not be scrapped, but rather "repatriated," meaning the services would no longer be provided through SSCS.
Those services will now be provided "in house," by VCH staff in a Second Avenue office. Two more staff members will be added to deal with the new load, said D'Angelo.
"We have reviewed our contracts to see if we can do it in a better setting, but we will be providing the same services to the people," she said.
But the effects might not be so minimal, according to Buffie.
She said 100 clients accessing the services and 40 others on a waiting list would feel the repercussions.
She also raised questions about VCH's ability to provide services related to child and youth addiction.
"Basically, it won't exist with the VCH because it only deals with the adult services in this corridor," said Buffie.
Squamish resident, Laurice Martin, also sent a letter to The Chief protesting the decision to scrap the SSCS contracts.
"Any money the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority thinks they are saving will be spent 1,000-fold once our schools, hospitals, and families start to feel the immediate fall-out from these cuts," she wrote.
She encouraged locals to write authorities, including West Vancouver-Sea to Sky MLA Joan McIntyre, to dispute the decision.
McIntyre said she was not aware of VCH's decision to change SSCS outreach programs.
SSCS is not the only contractor under review. The VCH is currently reviewing 300 contracted out programs in its jurisdiction to bridge a $90 million budget gap.
"We are making tough decisions, knowing that we had budget challenges. We are trying to protect core patient services and trying to do this with minimal effect," she said.
Cuts in health services came to the forefront of public debate this month when Vancouver-Kingsway MLA and NDP health critic Adrian Dix leaked a management plan by the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.
Dix charged the VCH planned to fix a $90 million deficit gap by delaying more than 6,000 surgeries and cutting more than 100 jobs.
D'Angelo said the leaked document outlines one possible approach towards "sustainability," which has not been accepted yet.
She said last year, the health authority conducted 82,000 surgeries, 3,000 more than the previous year.
She also said the health authority had a budget of $2.9 billion, and $90 million was a relatively small number.
McIntyre said it's misleading to say that heath services are being cut, while there has been a six per cent increase in the health budget since last year. But she said the health authorities demanded a 10 per cent increase, which is not feasible.
"We have been saying that health care is not on a sustainable course because the demand is outstripping supply and the revenues are just not there," she said.
She said the shrinking economy mean less revenue for the province to spend on everything, including health. She was also critical of NDP's "fear-mongering" and called leaking documents irresponsible behaviour.
