The Equal Access Committee has decided that the time has come for it to disband and hand its torch of community awareness and action to the citizens of the Comox Valley.
The committee was formed just a few months ago for the sole purpose of ensuring that residential and hospice care be available from secular institutions as is the case elsewhere on Vancouver Island and to ensure that citizens who desire access to Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) be able to do so without encountering faith-based restrictions or transfers imposed by the institution providing the care.
We were a small group with no money but an abiding belief in the cause. We reached out to the community with petitions, a web site, local events, a public forum, letters to the editor, a presentation to the board of directors of Island Health, a letter to the Minister of Health through our local MLA etc. A number of people volunteered to assist and did so. The community support was and is overwhelming and there can be no doubt as to where Comox Valley citizens stand.
There were three specific goals:
1. That all six community hospice beds (four existing and two new but approved) be located on a secular site.
2. That the assets and/or operations of Glacier View Lodge not be transferred to a faith-based institution.
3. That any new residential care beds created in the Comox Valley be granted to a secular institution.
Island Health has agreed to item 1 and announced its decision on June 22 immediately after hearing the EAC presentation.
Providence Health Care, a faith-based institution has just confirmed that it has at least temporarily suspended takeover discussions of the Glacier View Lodge. Glacier View Lodge belongs to the community and it provides excellent care for its residents. It needs support from the community if it is to continue to do so and the EAC would urge community leaders to step up and make sure that this valuable facility remains an asset of the community and one that allows unrestricted access to MAiD.
Island Health has at least five proposals to create much needed residential care beds in the Valley, at least one of which is faith-based. Island Health is fully aware of the wishes of the community it serves and the EAC is confident that it will make the right decision.
The Equal Access Committee feels “mission accomplished.” It’s now time for the decision makers to act and for community leaders to take up the torch that EAC lit and ensure that what has been accomplished is not lost. The committee will, as members of the community, continue to participate but as a group feel that the committee’s job is done.