Cancel the Cuts!The BC Government has advised the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority to balance their $2.9 billion dollar budget and recoup their $90 million deficit. The Vancouver Coastal Health authority initiated financial reviews of 200 Community Based Health Organization’s (CBHO’s) contracts, under their funding jurisdiction, to find areas where they can recoup some of the health authority’s huge deficit.

These financial reviews amount to three phases of funding cuts. The first rolled out on World AIDS Day 2009 (December 1) and the next two phases of cuts are set to hit Community Based Health Organizations in the fiscal year 2010/2011.

These first set of cuts equate to around $0.75 to $1 million in savings to the Health Authority, a miniscule dent to their $90 million deficit. But these cuts have a devastating and long lasting impact to Community Based Health Organizations.