Medicare needs to be truly universal
Re: 鈥淚n search of a family doctor,鈥� letter, Dec. 22; 鈥淐omment: Institutionalizing mentally-ill people is a failed idea,鈥� comment, Dec. 22.
Again we read of another distressed patient who is left without a family doctor. I hear this refrain, with increasing frequency in my walk-in clinic practice where about 25聽per cent of patients do not have a family doctor.
Our governments need to increase the number of family doctors, so that all patients in B.C. have access to a family doctor. In addition, the Ministry of Health needs to address the deterioration of mental-health services for all patients in B.C. This will require a significant increase in funding.
The medicare legislation, enacted July 1, 1968, stipulated that medical care be comprehensive and universal. We can see that today, it is neither comprehensive nor universal. I have written to provincial and federal ministers of health, as well as to members of Parliament to no avail. I encourage the public to contact your above politicians who are responsible for the funding of medicare, and to do it frequently. This is the only way I can see we can bring about the changes that are necessary.
Bob Browett, MD
Victoria
Helping people with mental illness
Re: 鈥淣anaimo Mayor Leonard Krog: Send mentally ill to institutions in 鈥榚xtreme cases鈥�,鈥� Dec. 13; 鈥淚nstitutionalizing mentally ill people is a failed idea,鈥� comment, Dec. 22.
Thank you for the series of articles and commentaries in the Times 91原创 over the past 10 days about how to best provide support and treatment to people who suffer from mental illness and/or substance addiction and are homeless, which led me to read the Mental Health Commission of Canada 2014 report on its two-year, five-city, demonstration project titled At Home/Chez Soi.
That report indicated that a housing-first (HF) approach, combined with greater or lesser support, could assist the majority of homeless people suffering from mental illness and/or substance abuse.
At the same time, on page 19 the report states 鈥溾�ousing stability was not achieved for a small group (13 per cent)鈥� and it goes on to conclude on page 20 that 鈥淗F in its classic format is not a panacea 鈥� a small number of individuals鈥� mental health and medical needs, and/or level of functioning are such that they are best served in living arrangements where a more intensive level of support and more structure can be provided.鈥�
It seems to me that Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog is looking for ways that small group, who face the most challenges and require a different program, can be provided the more intensive support and structure recommended by the Mental Health Commission of Canada. A goal I am sure representatives of the 91原创 Mental Health Association share, while clearly at the same time wishing to propose an alternative approach.
I am not sure they are that far apart on the core issue 鈥� that this group needs more support and structure.
I appreciate Mayor Krog initiating this discussion, the 91原创 Mental Health Association contributing to it, and I hope that the Times 91原创 will continue to focus on what needs to be done to provide the necessary intensive level of structure and support to these vulnerable members of our community 鈥� not to minimize societal distress, but to minimize theirs.
Kim Carter
Victoria
Free housing for everyone is not a solution
I found the op-ed piece criticizing Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog鈥檚 call for an institutional response to the growing homeless addict problem well intentioned but empty. Housing First has become the mantra of the modern social worker.
Essentially, it calls for giving addicts and mentally unstable adults a comfortable and safe place to live before you start to worry about their other problems. This idea is not new. Housing First was pioneered in New York 30 years ago. Since then, it has not been successfully implemented on a wide scale anywhere in the world. Yes, it holds up well in small sample sizes, but think about the ramifications of a widespread rollout. You鈥檙e talking about providing a comfortable and free apartment to anybody who wants one.
We do not live in that ideal world. Every day, hard-working 91原创s perform jobs they despise in order to pay their way and taxes. When did the social contract of Canada guarantee anybody a free place to live? On a broad scale, Housing First would be massively expensive and totally unfair to the paying neighbours of these troubled 鈥渃lients.鈥�
Psychiatric institutions of the past were pretty awful places, but we can do better now. Build new institutions, employ thoughtful programming within them, and create a balanced legal framework capable of forcing people into them when it becomes clear they can no longer care for themselves. I don鈥檛 want an Our Place or a modular-housing headache like Nanaimo鈥檚 in my community; neither is working.
Bryan Tronsgard
Victoria
Are non-signalling turners ignorant or lazy?
I am noticing that more and more drivers seem to be making turns or changing lanes without indicating with turn signals.
I have often thought that ICBC should put up billboards with a picture of a turn-signal arm. 鈥淒o you know what it is and when to use it?鈥� is all that it would have to say.
Drivers must also use them early enough to allow other drivers time to react, or they are of little use. Turn signals are a great safety device and a sign of courtesy to other drivers. Do you not know how and when to use them, or are you just too lazy?
William (Bill) Bryant
Saanichton
Sometimes shoppers have no choice but to go online
Re: 鈥淥nline shopping takes a toll on the environment, and us,鈥� comment, Dec. 8.
I have made two separate online purchases solely because the two items that I required were seemingly no longer available in local stores. I made several inquiries for the items with no success. I tried substitute products, which I found lacking.
One item was a hairdressing product, the other a fine art product. In desperation, I resorted to the internet and instantly located exactly what I wanted. Both items cost me far more than I used to pay when the products were locally available, but I had no option.
Unfortunately, there seems to be no easy answer to this problem and I feel online shopping is going to continually increase.
I personally prefer to purchase items in-store, so as to be sure of what I am buying and support local business and employees, but if the local shops can鈥檛 manage a sizeable on-hand inventory of what they purport to sell, what option is there?
David Smith
Victoria
Time for churches to聽open their doors
Re: 鈥淪even churches in Parksville and Qualicum Beach to run rotating shelter for homeless people,鈥� Dec. 21.
I applaud the churches in Parksville and Qualicum Beach. I challenge the churches of Greater Victoria to do the same.
True, we have organizations like Cool Aid, Our Place and the Salvation Army, amongst others providing shelter space for people living on the streets. But obviously, it鈥檚 not enough. Too many people are sleeping in doorways. Time for churches to open their doors.
A quick search of the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness listings shows only one church providing shelter, the First Metropolitan United Church. There may be more, but there鈥檚 no doubt that church space is underutilized.
After all, isn鈥檛 that what religion is supposed to do? Care for people? I am not religious, but I do know that congregations are shrinking, religious purpose is declining. Wouldn鈥檛 these good works give churches more purpose and maybe even help build congregations?
Indeed, many churches are not flush with money as this work has a cost. So does homelessness. As a taxpayer, I would be more than happy to support churches, if they worked together to fulfil this pressing need for basic shelter, coupled with the assistance of social and medical services to help beat down the cycle of poverty and mental illness. Again, time for churches to open their doors.
Bill Currie
Victoria
Driving skills on the Malahat
Re: 鈥淒rivers are the problem on the Malahat,鈥� letter, Dec. 20.
A road is only as good as the worst drivers using it.
Chris McDowell
Saanich
Who will pay bill for helping tower residents?
Re: 鈥淟angford hopes to recoup costs of displaced tower tenants,鈥� Dec. 24.
Mayor Stew Young and the City of Langford are to be commended for stepping into the void in the interest of public safety to rescue residents of the 11-storey Danbrook One, especially at this time of the year, but am I the only one confused as to why the responsibility is not being laid on the building owner, Centurion Property Associates. It has been reported that Langford 鈥渉as set a maximum budget of $400,000 to relocate residents and will try to recover the costs through insurance.鈥�
Shouldn鈥檛 the building鈥檚 owner cover the cost of relocation and look to its insurance to recover the costs? The Times 91原创 reported Dec. 22 that the owner 鈥渄id not respond to interview requests.鈥� What are we missing here?
Wayne Cox
Saanichton
A kindness from a聽stranger ahead in line
To the person at Starbuck鈥檚 Goldstream Avenue location on Wednesday, Dec. 18 around 11 a.m. in, I think, a white truck.
I was having a bad day with so very much back pain and was feeling sorry for myself, so to make it easier I drove to a drive-through Starbucks for an eggnog latte to improve my spirits.
Once at the drive-through window, the barista told me that my drink was paid for by the vehicle two in front of me.
I was so touched and it made me almost cry. That lifted my spirits, and drove away the clouds. I would like them to know how much that meant to me and, please, God bless them!
K.L. Ruddick
Colwood
Send us your letters
鈥� Email: [email protected]
鈥� Mail: Letters to the editor, Times 91原创, 2621聽Douglas St., Victoria, B.C. V8T 4M2.
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