Don’t cut line
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When a North Islander is in crisis, they don’t want to talk to someone from Victoria, Vancouver or any other urban centre. They want to talk to someone who knows about remote communities, their remote community.
The crisis line has been doing just that for many years on the North Island, fielding 1,100 calls last year. The line is manned by trained and experienced volunteers, many who have thousands of hours on the line. Simply put, it works extremely well.
So why would Vancouver Island Health Authority even consider centralizing the crisis line along with other similar Island services? The minimal cost of $58,000 annually is a small price to pay for a front line service for rural and remote communities.
North Islanders already know the central call centres don’t work, and can even pose a danger. When the conservation service initiated a call centre a few years ago, North Islanders were put at risk as grizzly sightings were discounted and cougar reports dismissed. While that service has improved somewhat, it took months to make those improvements and there are still challenges.
A crisis line deals with people’s lives in a time of crisis. There isn’t time to get out the kinks in a new system. There isn’t room for error. The crisis line can be the line between life and death for someone in pain.
The crisis line isn’t broken. It is inexpensive, efficient, community supported and an essential service on the front lines of mental health care. VIHA should look elsewhere for cuts to their budget.
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