Over and over, I hear British Columbia’s Minister of Health Kevin Falcon tell us he is following “best practices,” when he explains why certain services, such as six community based crisis lines on Vancouver Island, have been dismantled. The term is held up as a rationale for cuts to an existing and responsive tried and true system of delivery of services, particularly in regard to the Nuu-Chah-Nulth on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Under the guise of “best practices,” the existing crisis-line services that have direct ties in to each of the communities are being replaced with a central call centre. The easy to remember number 811, so goes the rationale, will make it more convenient for those in crisis to get through for the help they need. That the call centre will be staffed by the lowest bidder for the job will make for great savings in Falcon’s system. Anyone who’s paid attention to the abject failure of corporations such as Telus to deliver useful service to its customers through their outsourced call centres should quickly understand the fundamental differences in service that this shift by the Minister of Health implies. The difference is often inconvenient and frustrating when dealing with one’s phone or internet service; it can be a matter of life and death when dealing with a crisis line for those living in remote regions whose only contact is the person on the other end of the line. It can make all the difference for the individual in crisis if the voice on the other end of the line is familiar with the community, the situation, and the unique social narrative that defines small and remote communities.

Perhaps these remote communities, due to their unique natures, are unfamiliar with the Health Minister’s heady concepts for cost cutting. It is possible that they are quite happy to be community based, and thus aware and responsive to their own unique needs. Falcon’s “best practices” rationale focuses on getting the information to the client at the lowest cost to the system. At first blush, the idea makes sense; of course it should be done as economically as possible. As Shakespeare might have said though, “Herein lies the rub.” Falcon has gone all out and confused the ends with the means. Granted, limiting costs for a service is important. What is more important, however, is to ensure the efficacy of that service. Falcon’s view takes no consideration of the people his “best practices” are supposed to serve, though it is clear that they serve something. That something is Mammon. I know it must be hard for you to imagine putting people before profits, Mr. Falcon, but what you are doing with this move is fixing what ain’t broke, and destroying communities in the process. Why not invest in community rather than imposing an abstract efficiency that removes it? Imagine what that might be able to accomplish.

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Tags: B.C. Health Minister, crisis lines, First Nations, Kevin Falcon, vancouver island

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