Vancouver Coastal Health will no longer fund a range of community-based mental health groups, in a decision that was reportedly based on VCH’s imperative to focus on “core health services”
Five community-based nonprofit groups on the west coast have lost their funding from Vancouver Coastal Health in an unexpected decision that the health authority says will increase focus on “core health services.” The affected organizations include: The Art Studios, Access Community through English (ACE) Program, British Columbia Schizophrenia Society, Mood Disorders Association of B.C., and West Coast Mental Health Network.
In a message to the membership of the West Coast Mental Health Network, executive director Adrianne Fitch wrote on the society’s website:
It is with a heavy heart that I bring you some unfortunate news affecting the future of the West Coast Mental Health Network Society. On Tuesday, June 4, 2013, Richard Ingram, Kristine Stratford and I met with our contract managers at Vancouver Coastal Health. We were informed that our contract with VCH has been terminated effective December 1st, 2013.
This means that VCH will continue to fund us for the next six months, with November being our last month of operational funding.
Our contract managers assured us that this was strictly a financial and budget decision, with no bearing on our worth as an organization or the quality of our programming. They said the decision was based on VCH’s imperative to focus on “core health services.”
The silver lining in this is that we do have six months, and we will continue our normal programming for that duration. However, we will also need to make some important decisions regarding the future of the Network.
It is my hope that we will be able to survive as an organization, even if at a reduced capacity. It is also my hope that you, our members, friends and peers, will take part in the conversation regarding how we can best do that.
In their monthly meetings, our Board of Directors will be considering various options, including challenging VCH’s decision, seeking alternative sources of funding, being absorbed into a larger organization, and continuing our services at a limited capacity.
Your input and feedback are not only welcome, they are urgently needed at this crucial time. We also strongly encourage you to attend our Annual General Meeting this September, which could be our last AGM.
While West Coast Mental Health Network was given six months notice, The Art Studios recovery program faces complete closure in 60 days. Global B.C. reports that Studio members are devastated:
There are more than 600 members from teenagers to seniors that use the Arts Studio recovery program to deal with their mental health diagnoses. The program has been in operation for 21 years and has been funded by VCH for the past decade. The cost of the program, which has five full-time staff, is $357,000 a year – and after a review, the health authority says it’s too expensive to run.
It won’t be a savings if people end up in the hospital or the loss of lives, says Jessica, an Arts Studio member.
Members and staff say they hear repeatedly that the Arts Studio “saved their lives.”
“This is the only place other than my four walls at home,” says another devastated member Lisa Chan.
“All these bodies around me are part of my family and I don’t know if I’m going to see them anymore – what am I going to do? This is just so depressing.”
The innovative rehabilitation program has produced a lot of talent with art shows and sales being well-attended by the public – and there is a long waiting list for the East Vancouver studio.
“We’re not denying it’s beneficial to clients, and clients have benefited from it, “ says Anne Marie D’Angelo, Vancouver Coastal Health. “But it’s not something we can put our resources to as far as mental health funds, when there are other areas where there is greater need.”
Affected groups plan a rally in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery on Friday July 5, 2013, and on-line petitions are underway at change.org and avaaz.org.
We speak with West Coast Mental Health Network executive director Adrianne Fitch and with Vancouver artist and writer Sandra Yuen MacKay, who has attended classes at The Art Studios.
487_july_04_2013_sm Left-click to listen; right-click to save.
Image: West Coast Mental Health Network spring party, from the organization’s Flickr pages.
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Global News Hour B.C. (June 14, 2013): Arts recovery program latest casualty
Straight.com online (July 5, 2013): Members and supporters of mental-health services gathered at the Vancouver Art Gallery to protest program cuts, including the closure of the Arts Studio. Speakers at the rally included Meena Wong, a former federal NDP candidate for Vancouver South and studio member since 2010, and Sue Hammell, NDP critic for mental health and addiction.
