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Archival description
West Coast Medical Historical Society oral history collection Vancouver Resources Board
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Gary Mavis interview

SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Crisis centre and health care RECORDED: Vancouver (B.C.), 1976-04-08 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Personal background; got interest in crisis centre in 1969 as trainee; had worked at Oakalla from 1966 to 1969; worked as a phone helper for a year then went on the flying squad; 1972 hired by doctor at VGH to initiate Safer program to follow up suicide failures; 1972 took registered social worker courses at night and summer school; been director at crisis centre since 1975; how crisis centre came into being in Vancouver; 1 July 1969; fund raised through mental health organisation; junior league, and churches; initially was 24-hour line for people in crisis; funded now by United Way and the government, VRB and donations; youth line set up in 1970; senior line set up for homebound older people; youth line now disbanded; youth bus traveled around to rock concerts etc., involved with post partum counseling first before it was taken over by VRB; present staff 8 people in main office; publish directory of community social services and 7 people work there; directory is sold; approximately 100 volunteers; training program designed; 600 calls per month first year; peaked at 3,000 calls and gone down to 2,500 per month; information line gets 1,000 calls per month; keep lists of calls as to type, i.e. alcohol or drug abuse; depression calls, lonely calls, few crank calls; language barrier problems. TRACK 2: Feels there is a need for multilingual centre; function as crisis prevention, has emergency beds, flying squad LIP; not controlled by centre but may become so when grant runs out; Vancouver highest suicide and alcohol problem; reasons for this; other crisis services available in Vancouver; state of crisis services in Vancouver; recommend integration; would try to alter by increasing telephone lines, attempted suicide counseling team; emergency night counseling; flying squad to keep going; face to face counseling should be available; boarding homes available; try to keep ahead of community needs.

Lenore Patterson interview

SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Co-ordinator of Health Care Services, Vancouver Resources Board RECORDED: Vancouver (B.C.), 1976-04-14 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Background; brief career as a dietitian here and in UK; involvement in dental care; came to Vancouver and became a nutritionist with Catholic Child Care; last year, 1975, became the head of dietetics in the Vancouver Resources Board. Health care as it was before integration last year; decentralisation (see Foulkes Report) responsible for reorganisation of social services; mandate of Resources Board; 14 local offices and 5 special offices; Mincome delivered at Dunsmuir Street office; advent of resources boards, and their disbandment; definition of health care according to resource boards, defined by programs: old people's care and children. Staff of specialists in psychiatry department, to help children; work closely with all community resources; public health nurses' duties. Adult; care resource homes: Taylor Manor and Kinna Mair. Nutritionists help recipients and community groups to budget food and balance with goodness; also help baby home. Children in care of the Resources Board present with a variety of health problems. One medical clinic under Resources Board; one full-time physician and a part-time pediatrician. Dental health arranged. Post-partum group handles new mothers with problems; program for counseling these women. Types of problems handled. Men's group started. Child abuse dealt with. TRACK 2: Other programs of Resources board: nutrition program for healthy babies; drug and alcohol abuse an ongoing problem. Taylor Manor, for adults with mental and physical problems who are not able to function in the community, and are not expected to get into the community; 894 new contacts in 1974 under the psychiatric counseling. Taylor Manor has 58 beds and a waiting list; government pays for all. Per diem rate for five levels of care, set by government. Relations with other community health services. More involvement with Attorney-General's Department hoped for. Future of Resources Board.