It takes a big person to admit when a mistake has been made and Canadian Red Cross regional manager John Ritchie sure came across as a sincere and caring man during and following his presentation to Town of Osoyoos council Monday afternoon.
Ritchie, who is the regional manager of operations for the Red Cross in the Southern Interior, apologized to members of council and the many seniors in attendance for the organization’s decision to close the Health Equipment Loan Program (HELP) depot in Osoyoos.
When longtime volunteer co-ordinator Charlotte Sanktjohanser told Red Cross management back in May that her failing health was forcing her to retire in late July, Ritchie and senior management made the decision to close the Osoyoos depot and amalgamate the service out of a newly-expanded depot in Oliver, said Ritchie.
He acknowledged the residents and community leaders here in Osoyoos were not properly informed about this decision and he now understands why the decision has caused such an uproar in this community.
Mayor Stu Wells said the most difficult thing to accept in this controversy was the fact Red Cross management made the decision without consulting the citizens and community leaders involved.
“It struck a nerve,” said Wells.
It most certainly did and Ritchie saw first-hand just how passionate local citizens are about this particular service.
The decision was made because the Red Cross had been trying, regardless of what many think, to try and recruit volunteers to help Sanktjohanser operate the depot for several years without any success, said Ritchie.
While the service that loans out medical equipment such as canes, crutches, walker and bathroom aids has been helping out citizens in and around Osoyoos for almost 30 years, the reality is only five people, on average, were accessing the depot every week, said Ritchie.
After hearing from councillors and members of the public, Ritchie showed a lot of class and grace saying a bad decision might have been made and he’s willing to reconsider.
While many top brass with powerful organizations like the Canadian Red Cross would take a firm stand and say the decision is final, Ritchie was humble and apologetic and that’s not something many were expecting when the meeting started.
The Red Cross will reconsider its position to permanently close the HELP depot in Osoyoos after he meets with members of a newly-formed committee that will include town councillors Sue McKortoff, Michael Ryan and several volunteers.
While there’s no guarantee the HELP depot will be back in Osoyoos any time soon, all parties agreed the service is a valuable one and there are enough volunteers ready and willing to help run the depot should it return.
All parties also appeared to agree that a new location is needed if and when the depot returns to Osoyoos and it will be up to the new committee to find a new location as quickly as possible.
Everyone makes mistakes in life and kudos go to Ritchie and the Red Cross for admitting a lack of communication has been at the core of the controversy surrounding the closure of the depot.
Kudos are also in order to Susan Bayliss, who recently moved to Osoyoos seven months ago, and has stepped forward to offer a free ride to Oliver to any Osoyoos and area citizen who needs one to pick up medical equipment.
Following Monday’s council meeting, it appears very likely that a larger and more effective HELP depot will be returning to Osoyoos in the next couple of months.
Hopefully a lesson has been learned that making important decisions that affect the lives of regular citizens should be made only after consulting with the members of the community where you do business.