Advocates hope some services will return to Osoyoos —
(OSOYOOS TIMES — Nov. 8, 2006) —
By Julie TurnerrnOsoyoos Times
Disappointed to see Osoyoos lose Bateman House, the drop-in centre in which Interior Health ran its mental health support programs, local advocate group Osoyoos Family Mental Health Support Society is at least somewhat satisfied that the mental health consumers it represents now have a meeting place in Oliver.
But the society would also like to see programs return to Osoyoos to serve the needs of the local consumers, whether it means renting a space at the Sonora Community Centre or finding another location.
In May, IH closed the local clubhouse and moved its contents, amid protest from the society and mental health consumers, to a temporary location in Oliver. That location turned out to be permanent.
The property on 74th Avenue had been sold for redevelopment before a new location had been secured in Osoyoos, leaving OFMHSS and consumers to scramble for a place to meet. The basement of the Baptist Church was offered on a temporary basis, but consumer advocate Caroline Staple said clients were looking for a place they could call home.rnThe Oliver clubhouse retains the Bateman House name, and programs are now running Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the basement of the old Catholic Church, at 9932 350th Avenue.
Interior Health is also currently negotiating the purchase of the Rectory next door. IH media rep Cathy Renkas says the building would be ideal for the programs, increasing the size from 1,000 square feet in the former Bateman House to 3,000 square feet in the new building.
This space is ideal because there is already a large space for the club house/meetings on the lower level and three large bedrooms, each with their own bath, on the upper level. The bedrooms are a bonus and increase our options as we could look at having some sort of a housing component, which would give us some revenue to offset expenses.
She adds a permanent space also gives IH more stability for our clients, saving them from yet another move if the space IH is leasing is sold.
Staple told the Osoyoos Times although she is glad to see some stability come back into consumers' lives, she is disappointed in the way the Bateman House situation was handled by Interior Health and the stress it caused consumers. She believes IH wasn't truthful about its intentions to move its mental health programs to Oliver.
Advocate Bev Moreira feels OFMHSS received some backlash from Interior Health due to its outspoken protest over how the situation was being handled. She says she was basically told it was because of criticism that IH decided to relocate to Oliver and not pursue a location in Osoyoos.
However, Renkas says IH had initially explored other options in Osoyoos but became aware of the Oliver option in mid-May and after some careful evaluation decided this would better suit the needs of our clients. She says attendance averages 11-15 per day, and goes up to 24 for special events.
This is slightly higher than prior to the move to Oliver. Initially there was a drop in attendance, but now all but one of the previous Osoyoos members are attending. There are also new Oliver clients that are now participating.rnThe voices of the consumers have been largely unheard in all the debate about where the IH programs will be offered, and last week consumer group president Tyrone Paterson and consumer Sandra Roos spoke to the Osoyoos Times about how the upheaval has affected them.
Paterson lives in Oliver and says the closure in Osoyoos was a real blow to his health. He says although the Bateman House staff tried hard to make things work for them, the pressures of not knowing where he was going took a toll.
I had been feeling fine for a long time, and when Bateman House closed I started to get ill again. Was the club going to be in Osoyoos or Oliver? We didn't know. I felt like we were being pushed aside because it seemed like the higher-ups were not listening to what we were saying.
Paterson is now getting better but says it's a slow process. He says now that Bateman House is running in Oliver, it's easier for him to attend, but he adds he would also like to see something in Osoyoos. We're two communities.rnOsoyoos resident Roos took the Bateman House closure really hard. She was in Vancouver and came back to find Bateman House was gone.
I was shocked. It really hurt me and there was a lot of confusion, which we don't need. I was in my depression at that time, so Bateman House was my whole life. It was the only place I could go where I felt safe, where I wouldn't be judged.rnShe says now that the programs are being run in Oliver, she can't attend as often. With two children in school, it makes it difficult for her to get there. I can't afford the gas to drive back and forth, and I also don't want to drive because I never know if my mood is going to be up or down. When Bateman House was here, my children would just walk over to meet me. It's hard for me to reach out to people in Oliver. I think we should have our own thing in Osoyoos. She adds she would like to see a support person in Osoyoos to call if we need help, someone we can turn to.rnBoth Paterson and Roos agree the consumers know what they need, and that includes more funding to bring back the programs they once had and to create new programs, including music, crafts, exercise and self-help. They feel politics have interfered with the programs and they want to see more funding trickle down to Osoyoos and Oliver.
The stigma surrounding mental illness is something that frustrates Staple, Moreira and the consumers, who feel there are campaigns for cancer, diabetes and AIDS, but nothing for mental health. For some consumers, the clubhouse is their only social outlet; their peers their only friends and family. It's a lonely life if you don't have the clubhouse, says Roos.
A possibility still exists to run some programs out of the Sonora Community Centre, although a permanent space is not permitted. Renkas says IH is still thinking about the possibility of perhaps some recreational programs located there. There will need to be further conversation with the Town on this.
Councillor Allan Carswell, who first suggested the Sonora Community Centre as a venue for the IH programs, feels communication between the Town and Interior Health has been lacking. He says it has been well over a month since the Town has heard from them.
I think the problem here is similar to what the Town is experiencing with the proposed assisted living facility IH is planning for Osoyoos. Community involvement and dialogue between IH and the people of Osoyoos is not at the level it needs to be. IH is the one providing a service but it's our citizens they serve and we need to be kept in the loop rather than reading about IH decisions in the paper, he says.
Moreira says the new arrangement in Oliver is fine, as long as they're happy and where they want to be. I'm glad at least they have a place to go. But she adds, We're not going away and will be watching every single move [Interior Health] makes. The society pledges to continue working for its clients in Osoyoos by supporting them through the fundraising it has always done.
