Crossroads Closing

[grammafreddy]

IHA provides $92 bux per/bed per day.

Crossroads needs $132 bux/bed per day.

This whole thing is going down over $40 bux per day?

Seriously?

$40 x 38 beds, Queenie. Per day.

[Queen K]

I got that folks, and think it's a traversity.

How much does it cost PER DAY to keep courts going? Keep ER open? Keep the social workers, paramedics/ambulances/equipment going?

That's my point.

I don't care if the funding has to be upped.

[cv23]

IHA provides $92 bux per/bed per day.
Crossroads needs $132 bux/bed per day.
This whole thing is going down over $40 bux per day?
Seriously?

$40 per bed per day.
$40 x 38beds x 365days = $554,000 annual shortfall and their already $1.6 mil in the hole!

[cv23]

I don't care if the funding has to be upped.

Or if your taxes get raised to cover it?

Maybe some user pay or even user pay back?

[Queen K]

Like I said, I got that. Something is wrong with this picture. Taxes are already high enough, it's allocation. Why do the politicians have such cushy expense funds? Why do public high management figures get such golden parachutes?

That half mil is chicken feed elsewhere.

[Piecemaker]

Another news source for the same story:

http://www.kelownacapnews.com/news/186210881.html

After 37 years offering addiction treatment in Kelowna, Crossroads is shutting down.
The announcement, described by an emotional board chairman Alan Sanderson as a "very sad say" was made in part because the non-profit society that operates the centre could not reach a funding agreement with Interior Health for the publicly funded treatment beds and detox beds it provides.
Crossroads has 46 publicly funded treatment beds, 24 at its men's facility on Franklyn Road in Rutland as well as eight publicly funded detox beds. It also operates 14 publicly funded treatment beds at its women's facility on Grey Road.
In adition to the its failure to negotiate a new funding agreement with IH, it also has a $1.3 million debt. While it also operates privately funded treatment beds as away to generate revenue, those beds have not been heavily used, say Crossroads officials.
"We can't continue to operate the addiction (treatment) service and detox as it currently exists," said Sanderson reading from a prepared statement, his voice breaking at times.
"We totally hoped that restructuring, redefining and reorganizing our operation and opening frank negotiations with our funder (IHA) would create a better future for our society."
When asked about the timing, he said the decision was made now in order to avoid bankruptcy and help the 69-member staff find new jobs and not become creditors lumped in with other, larger organizations looking for money.
The society that operates Crossroads plans to sell the two Franklyn Road buildings , as well as the Grey Road building used for women's treatment, in order to pay off its debts.
Executive director Shelley Gilmore, who has only been on the job a year, said the "writing was on the wall" for Crossroads when she started there.
But she said the board tried everything it could to continue.
"We have been so good on making it work with next to nothing, it has finally caught up with us," she said.
While it's debt had a crippling effect on the non-profit society that runs Crossroads, the failure to negotiate new funding from Interior Health, coupled with the loss of its annual provincial grant from gaming revenues last year proved to be the final nails in the coffin for Crossroads.
Society officials said while IH currently provides $70 per bed per day for the publicly funded treatment beds it operates, the health authority was offering to increase that to only $92 per bed per day when Crossroads needed $132 per bed per day.
"IHA is not the only player in this equation," said Gilmore. "Really, we've had funding challenges for years."
Plans to help defray costs by providing 30 self pay/privately funded treatments beds at its three facilities had not worked out as they were not in heavy demand and faced stiff competition from other "spa-like" private treatment facilities both here and in other parts of the province, said Sanderson
The plan to close Crossroads will not only mean 69 employees will have to find other work. It will also mean there will be no publicly funded option in Kelowna for people seeking treatment for alcohol and drug addictions, and detoxification.
At Crossroads, the 46 publicly funded treatment beds were regularly full.
Sanderson said the centre will likely close before summer, as there is a 180-day notification period for the detox beds and a 90-day notification period for the treatment beds.
He said the closest facility offering publicly funded detox treatment is located in Kamloops.
Shannon Hopkins, Interior Health's administrator for community integrated health services in Kelowna said the decision to close Crossroads treatment centre is a concern for the health authority and work is already underway to provide short-term and long-term solutions. She sad that work started when Crossroads approached it asking for more money.
Hopkins said the current funding contract with between Crossroads and IH was renewed last year for a three-year term and less than a year in, Crossroads asked for an 85 per cent increase in funding citing its other financial challenges. IH offered a 30 per cent increase but that was not enough.
She said Interior Health is committed to maintaining local services for residential addiction treatment and detox, but it is still "early days" in putting together a plan to deal with Crossroads impending closure.
Meanwhile, she added, it is important to remember that there is already a "whole spectrum" of services for substance abuse available here and the vast majority is offered by Interior Health and other community agencies.
"Right now it's business as usual," she said, noting the notification periods that are in place for ending both detox and treatment in the existing contract. It is unclear, however, if new clients will be accepted by Crossroads as it winds down its operations.
"We want to reiterate, we are committed to the clients and we will be exploring short-term and long-term options," said Hopkins.

[Queen K]

Maybe if Interior Health had more administrative staff and more offices.............

Exactly! I got your point right away.

[cv23]

Of all the people who have gone through Crossroads over the years you'd think that one or even a group of patients who have their lives turned around would donate enough to keep the place open.

[theyeti]

well they never had to help me but a few of my friends went thru there . i will help cross roads i will give my time and do what i can to raise some cash for them . what r u gonna do to help crusty

500k is 5 bucks a person . if everyone pitched in a bit this would be solved

[cv23]

well they never had to help me but a few of my friends went thru there . i will help cross roads i will give my time and do what i can to raise some cash for them . what r u gonna do to help crusty

Everyone I know who has acquired self inflicted addictions has paid their own way to help clean themselves up not looked for handouts. Some even took loans for their care and repaid those loans.
Maybe your friends who's lives Crossroads saved might want to do the right thing and make some form of financial payback?

[theyeti]

ya they probably ought to toss a cpl bucks i agree .

[Piecemaker]

well they never had to help me but a few of my friends went thru there . i will help cross roads i will give my time and do what i can to raise some cash for them . what r u gonna do to help crusty

500k is 5 bucks a person . if everyone pitched in a bit this would be solved

It would be solved for the short term, so it would buy some time. Crossroads has had funding issues for a while, for a variety of reasons, as outlined in the news report. It is really tough to be a non-profit and keep the doors open.

[Bsuds]

Just curious but where does the IH think these people will now end up looking for help?
Maybe the ER where it apparently costs $950+ per visit, boy that will save us money won't it!

I don't see the logic.

[Bpeep]

Meanwhile, the city and province had no problem financing 7 million for newgate apartments.

[Queen K]

Ms. B, please tell us what Newgate Apts. are, I've haven't been able to keep up with all the news.