Board moving ahead on Health Centre policy
PORT HASTINGS - After revisiting its plans to set up Youth Health Centres (YHCs) at its high schools, the Strait Regional School Board (SRSB) has voted to piece together a board policy concerning this contentious issue.
Board members voted overwhelmingly in favour of sending the proposal to the SRSB's Policy Committee, during the board's latest regular public meeting at its central office in Port Hastings.
However, while no votes were recorded against the decision to enter policy discussions on YHCs, the move arose as several board members continued to wrestle with several thorny aspects of the proposed centres.
East Richmond representative Pam Cotton outlined her concerns over the concept that doctor-patient confidentiality issues could arise, if students of an as-yet unspecified age were to seek counselling at a YHC without parental consent.
"When they go into a doctor's office, no matter what they discuss, parents are out of the equation," Cotton suggested after the public meeting. "And I didn't even realize that until this issue came up."
Cotton pointed out that many health issues that arise in a home setting could find their way into schools via the YHC concept, and that possibility has her feeling uneasy about the discussions that are about to get underway within the board's policy committee.
"Sometimes there can be problems at home - sometimes, there can be an abuse problem," Cotton noted.
"So if they have to get permission from the parents to go to these centres, that's where the problem would be...We wouldn't like to think that these children wouldn't be allowed to access the Health Centre because their parents wrote them a note saying they weren't (giving permission)."
Frank Machnik, the board's East Antigonish representative, suggested that the YHC proposal has produced so many difficult sub-issues that he's wondering if the board can genuinely address such concerns within its various committees.
"I'm on the policy committee myself, but I would say that this is going to be so difficult that - maybe - I don't see a point in me showing up," Machnik fumed.
"My only response is that I have five children, and I'm glad they're through with the school system."
Board chair George Kehoe admitted that the prospects for confusion over confidentiality issues are affecting the manner in which SRSB members are approaching the YHC model as it moves to the policy stage
"If I had a son or daughter of mine, and they went to a health clinic (which) recommended something which I was not in agreement with, I would be very irate," Kehoe declared after the Port Hastings meeting. "And I think it would be nice if I knew the engagement took place."
However, Kehoe stressed that the process involved in creating a coherent policy on YHCs will allow board members, school officials, and concerned citizens to have several opportunities to impact the SRSB's final decision on the issue, which may not come to the board's regular meetings again until this coming September.
"It's not something that's going to happen without people being aware," Kehoe insisted.
And even with her personal concerns about doctor-patient confidentiality, Cotton insists that the positive aspects of the YHC concept must not be smothered by outstanding issues that the board will soon address.
"My biggest concern is that we're going to lose all the good things in the Youth Health Centres - like mental health (programs), suicide prevention, nutrition, being physically active - all because of this one issue," said Cotton.
"So I'm just hoping we can work out a policy that will help everybody and be in everybody's best interests, because I don't want to lose the whole picture about what Health Centres are all about."
