Vancouver Coastal Health has closed Pine Free Clinic, a place that many have considered the last refuge for Vancouver youths’ sexual freedom.
That beautiful bench.
Kitsilano’s Pine Free Clinic provided an invaluable service to the youth of BC. Youths that cannot turn to their parents for guidance due to issues of religion, sexual orientation, or any other reason, had a place to feel safe at the Pine Free Clinic. This sanctuary offered open communication and acceptance to its patients, with the hope of preventing the unnecessary health risks associated with poor support systems. The staffs were attentive and considerate of their patients’ unique circumstances, ensuring that confidential information would remain so.
Growing up in Kitsilano, and fortunate enough to have the support of our parents, my friends and I were still proud to visit Pine Free Clinic and feel like we were a part of something important. Our wait times were often long, but well worth it. The reward was an extensive session with doctors who never rushed us, and encouraged us to talk about more than our superficial health. We were never pushed to reveal more than we were comfortable with, but were always given the opportunity to talk about our partners and our overall well-being.
Pine Free Clinic staff were the heroes we needed.
But we were the lucky ones. We knew that there were other young women and men who needed to be there, and who would potentially be risking their lives without the support of the clinic. And so when we heard that Pine Free was in trouble, we stopped going.
Any youth aged 24 or under had access to medical services and counselling. Visitors 25 and older were still welcome, but had to prove a lack of health care and their residency in Vancouver. Pine Free’s services were not limited to sexual health, but also issues of drug abuse and mental health.
As recently as last month, Pine Free Clinic showed that they were still fighting. The Zombie Walk to Save Pine Free took place on October 26th, but apparently, this was not enough to prove to Vancouver Coastal Health that the clinic is an essential asset to the city. Pine Free Clinic closed on October 31st.
When I called Pine Free Clinic for clarification, I was told that the clinic is officially closed to all patients, and is not even functioning as a pay-for-services clinic. The automated message on their answering machine still lists their services and hours of operation, but the clinic’s doors remain closed. The woman I spoke to was not authorized to comment further on the matter, demonstrating the secrecy and lack of transparency surrounding the entire issue.
The change.org petition is still open, and still needs over 100 signatures! So sign the petition, and tell your friends to do the same. Who knows if our voices are still being heard, but it couldn’t hurt to add yours.
May 24th public rally – Vancouver residents of all ages recognize the importance of youth sexual health.
Pine Free Clinic’s services have apparently been reallocated to Raven Song Community Health Centre in Mount Pleasant, but for only twenty hours a week – less than half the hours offered by Pine Free.
Regardless of the clinic’s status moving forward, this is a love letter to Pine Free Clinic. It is and was a unique and necessary service in Vancouver, and its loss leaves many without a safe place to turn. By cutting the funding to this clinic, Vancouver Coastal Health has classified the sexual freedom of its at-risk youth as expendable.
And cutting funds.
If we as students can recognize the importance of this service, why is that this institution for BC health cannot?
Please visit Options for Sexual Health for more information regarding sexual health in BC.
And if you find that you have more to say about Pine Free Clinic, and that signing the petition is not enough for you, Point Grey MLA David Eby’s information is below:
MLA David Eby’s Community Office
2909 West Broadway (at Bayswater, two blocks west of MacDonald)
Vancouver, BC V6K 2G6
Phone: 604-660-1297
Email: david.eby.mla@leg.bc.ca