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Review Vol.17
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Number 12
Thursday, March 19, 2015
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Serving the communities of Keremeos, Cawston, Okanagan Falls and Kaleden
Province speaks on teen drug rehab closure Tara Bowie Review Staff
Concerns about patient care and funding are among reasons for the sudden closure of a teen addiction rehabilitation centre near Keremeos. Operators of the facility called The Crossing run by Portage British Columbia abruptly halted operations on March 5 laying off 30 staff members including full time, part time and seasonal workers. Since October no new clients had been accepted into the residential addictions facility because of ongoing issues relating to level of care, Dr. Connie Coniglio, provincial executive-director of Children and Women’s Mental Health and Substance Use Programs said. The program is an agency under the Provincial Health Services Authority. “A ministry and health authority review of the facility found issues with the model of care provided, including inadequate staff training and access to community services post-discharge,” an emailed statement from Provincial Health Services Authority stated. “A subsequent inspection by Interior Health Licensing found issues of non-compliance with the
residential and community care legislation, including failing to have a full-time manager on site and reports of misconduct between a staff member and client.” Concerns have surfaced regarding how Portage spent the $2.5 million it received from the province annually to operate the facility. “We had some concerns with some of the spending and asked for an external audit on how they were using funds,” she said. It’s unclear if an external audit will be completed since Portage is no longer operating the facility. Coniglio said PHSA is currently in talks to determine what the future of teen addictions rehabilitation will include in the future. “It’s too early to say what will happen at the site,” she said. Roger Parsonage, regional director of health protection for Interior Health wouldn’t comment specifically about the alleged misconduct between a staff member and client. “I’m not going to comment any further recognizing that this facility served a highly vulnerable group of clients,” he said. Interior Health was tasked with completing reviews and inspections at the facility periodically as it falls in the regional health authority’s
Tara Bowie
The gate is locked at the former site of The Crossing once operated by Portage British Columbia. The centre closed abruptly March 5.
geographical jurisdiction. Parsonage, who has worked for Interior Health since the late 1990s, said he wasn’t aware of any concerns at The Crossing prior to spring/fall 2014. “There was inadequate and absent policies and procedures, gaps in staff records, and staff qualifications and conditions in the
facility that potentially posed a risk to the youth that were in care so that prompted us to advise them they were in non-compliance,” he said. Both PHSA, Interior Health and Portage spokespersons have said they’ve been working for a longtime to find a solution. The issues surrounding licensing were addressed and in January the
facility could have started taking new patients. Seychelle Harding, communication director for Portage said talks have been ongoing with province for about two years. The facility had been running
in 2009. Central City Foundation continues to maintain the building and offer a free lease to the province for use of the property and its amenities. The province is just in its firstyear of a five-year lease that can be extended multiple times with the foundation for the property. Linda Larson, MLA BoundarySimilkameen said the Provincial Health Services Authority along with the Minister of Health, and regional health authorities are working on a sustainable plan for the future delivery of specialized residential treatment for youth with
severe substance abuse issues. She has hope that the Keremeos facility will be used as rehabilitation centre for addicted youth again. “PHSA is maintaining the Crossing while developing an enhanced Tier 4 model of care for high risk youth. Personally I will continue to work with health to try to re-establish a program at the Crossing. I know how valuable the jobs are to the Keremeos area and I believe the location of the Crossing helped with the healing process of the youth being treated there,” she wrote in an email to the Review.
Keremeos Mayor Manfred Bauer said losing jobs in the area is always a concern and that he believes the facility is the perfect setting for youth battling addictions. He has already written a letter to the Minister of Health Terry Lake voicing his concerns. “I encourage him to engage in negotiations and to get the facility going ASAP,” he said. “I am in contact with responsible authorities that are engaged in the decision process that will lead to reopening the facility,” he said.
Continued on page 6
Addictions facility property not changing ownership Tara Bowie Review Staff
The organization that owns the 58-acre property outside Keremeos where a teen addictions facility was operating has no plans to divest the property. Jennifer Johnstone, president and CEO of Central City Foundation said the facility known as The Crossing is currently under lease to the province and that there are no plans to develop it any differently. “We still have a lease with the Provincial Health Services Authority and I’m still hopeful and
feel pretty confident they are working on a solution to find another operator to open The Crossing and provide longterm treatment for youth,” she said during a telephone interview. The Central City Foundation is a Vancouver based foundation that dates back over 100 years and focussed on issues surrounding poverty. Central City Foundation partnered with From Grief to Action, a parent support and advocacy group, to renovate existing buildings on the property and open The Crossing. The Crossing opened its doors