[news] Resignation from Transgender Health Program of Jamie

[sharai]

Resignation from Transgender Health Program of Jamie
 > Lee Hamilton
 >
 > Dear Friends,
 >
 >
 > For the last five months I have sat on a transgender
 > advisory committee at Vancouver Coastal Health for
 > the
 > Transgender Health Program.
 >
 > This program sadly is being operated by staff in a
 > manner which is inconsistant with the Policy adopted
 > by Vancouver Coastal Health for its Transgender
 > Health
 > Program.
 >
 > The Transgender Health Program was set up based on
 > the
 > reccomendations of clinician Dr Lily Kopala to
 > deliver
 > desperately needed services to transsexual and
 > non-specific gender identified individuals
 > (transgender) after the closure of the Gender Clinic
 > at Vancouver Hospital. It was reccomended that the
 > model to be incorporated was based on a  'client
 > driven holistic approach'.
 >
 > In Dr Kapola's report, she made some key
 > reccomendations which were adopted by Vancouver
 > Coastal Health as policy. One key reccomendation was
 > that 'an advisory committee be set up to develop
 > strategies to reach populations under-represented in
 > consultation and planning'. Unfortunately, in
 > meetings
 > organized by the paid staff co-ordinator he has a
 > number of times went out on his own to different
 > parts
 > of BC to gather information on
 > Transsexual/transgender
 > health care needs. He never consulted with the
 > advisory committee before doing this outreach which
 > essentially took away any strategic planning or
 > influence the committee may have deemed necessary
 > for
 > positive outcomes as per Dr Lily Kopala's
 > reccomendations and stated Vancouver Coastal Health
 > policy.
 >
 > Another key reccomendation was that 'the advisory
 > committee develop a program evaluation component
 > where
 >
 > data from all clients is compiled and analyzed.
 > Outcome measures must be articulated by the advisory
 > committee and reported to the Vancouver Coastal
 > Health
 > Authority'. Again in a blatant disregard for the
 > advisory committee role, the paid staff member
 > posted
 > a job opening after the person he originally hired
 > was
 > resigning after 5 months into a two year contract.
 > Then to add insult to injury this staff member along
 > with the departing staff member determined on their
 > own what was the criteria needed for this re-posting
 > and proceeded to advertise the position without
 > first
 > consulting with advisory committee members. Then
 > these
 > two members in a period of two days short-listed the
 > numerous applications down to three individuals who
 > they thought were best for the job. Again they did
 > this without any consultation or imput from the
 > advisory committee. Moreover since an outreach
 > program
 > was instituted by the Program for Sex trade workers,
 > it was vitally important for advisory members to see
 > the preliminary data that had been collected from
 > this
 > specific program to see how it was working. Sadly
 > this
 > hasn't happened and now it appears these two paid
 > staff are selecting a new person for the job who may
 > not have the skills that the advisory committee
 > deems
 > necessary for this badly needed outreach program
 > component.
 >
 > Due to the actions of paid staff's disregard and
 > disrespect of Vancouver Coastal Health Policy and
 > hence the responsibilities and role of the advisory
 > committee, I feel it necessary to resign as an
 > advisory committee member. I will continue and
 > attempt
 > to affect change for my community in a manner which
 > is
 > more in keeping with my philosophy of inclusivity
 > and
 > client/member driven care.
 >
 > Sincerely,
 >
 > Jamie Lee Hamilton
 > Miss Gay Vancouver