INTERIOR HEALTH PERFORMS BADLY ON BATEMAN HOUSE ISSUE
Bateman House is now closed.
While that has upset many local mental health clients and supporters, Interior Health's closure of the mental health drop-in centre isn't the worst thing it has done in the whole Bateman House fiasco.
The biggest blunder is Interior Health's refusal to let the Osoyoos mental health clients and the larger community know in a clear and timely fashion exactly what its plans were for the facility.
The users of Bateman House and the people of Osoyoos had every right to know how their public health authority intended to change or continue programs and supports for this vulnerable segment of our community.
It now seems apparent that, as the local support group argued, Interior Health planned all along to move the bulk of its mental health support services to Oliver, 20 km away.
But during these past few months of uncertainty, nobody could get a straight answer out of Interior Health officials on this question. Worse, those officials reportedly threatened to come down hard on the local support group if those who care about mental health services in Osoyoos talked about the issue publicly or in the news media.
Only now has Interior Health given a clear indication that it will continue most of the Bateman House programming at a facility in Oliver, with a limited program being continued for the time being in Osoyoos at a church.
Interior Health says to talk openly about local services could somehow jeopardize the programs or spark local opposition.
That's no reason to sneak around and squelch public debate on important matters.
Interior Health's performance on this issue has been unbecoming of a public agency. Shape up!
