To the editor:
Re: “Pine Free clinic soon won’t be free,” May 2.
Pine Clinic was originally known — and is still often referred to — as the “Pine Free Clinic.” Since the early 1970s, Pine has provided free health care and contraception to a young and transient population that lived in Kitsilano. But Kits has changed dramatically and today the majority of youth who require these services come to Pine from outside the neighbourhood. A full 30 per cent of Pine’s clients are from Vancouver’s east and southeast neighbourhoods while another 30 per cent are from outside Vancouver. Another 29 per cent of Pine’s clients are adults despite its mandate to serve youth.
After careful consideration and analysis, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) has decided to better meet the needs of vulnerable and medically complex youth by providing primary care at a new high needs and stabilization primary care clinic at Raven Song Community Health Centre, 2450 Ontario St. We are also increasing resources for the inner-city youth clinic at Three Bridges and at the East Vancouver Youth Clinic.
In addition to primary care, vulnerable youth who attend these clinics will have direct access to public health, mental health and addictions services.
There is no room to offer these important services at Pine Clinic due to its small and aging infrastructure. As with all VCH owned and operated primary care services, youth need not be enrolled in MSP to receive better care at Raven Song, so it is untrue to say services are no longer “free” or suggest that clients will no longer have access to the care they require.
Rather, Raven Song will be open seven-days-a-week, 12-hours-per day, making it more accessible to youth at times that are more convenient for them.
We acknowledge that change is difficult for some and that is why we are working towards a smooth transition towards better care for our clients.
