ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Peter Jackson
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A provincial domestic violence hotline mentioned by Premier Dwight Ball Thursday caused some confusion and even a little backlash from women’s rights advocates who questioned its authenticity.
Ball quoted the number during the daily video briefing on COVID-19 in Newfoundland and Labrador. He said the number has been around for 35 years, and the staff who answer calls are trained and available 24 hours.
Questions immediately swirled on social media by a couple of women’s advocates who have been crying out for a provincial hotline for domestic violence.
It turns out the number — 1-877-753-1492 — is the direct line for Iris Kirby House in St. John’s, the busiest transition house in the province.
When contacted Thursday, executive director Michelle Greene said she, in concert with the Status of Women’s office, is the one who approached the government to clarify that the line is more than just a local service.
“The line is answered in a transition house, but it’s not only if you want to come flee,” she said. “We can look at all options and provide non-judgmental support. We can make a safety plan for you to come here or to go somewhere else. We can connect you with services. We can just talk, if you want to talk, if you feel that you want to check in and see if you’re feeling what you want to be feeling.”
Other facilities also have 24-hour lines, but only Kirby House has two staff available all the time.
“All of our staff have professional post-secondary training in crisis support," Greene said. “Many of our staff now have degrees — social work or psychology, or education — but they’re all trained in crisis response as well.”
She said the staff handle calls from across the province, and even a few from elsewhere in the country.
“I think the benefit is that there’s a real, live woman answering the phone, 24 hours a day. There’s none of this ‘press 1 for Corner Brook, press 2 for Gander,’” she said.
“If people are concerned about it being a transition house … let’s not call it a transition house line. If people want it to be a domestic violence support line, we’ll call it that. What’s the phrase? ‘A rose by any other name still smells as sweet.’”
Officials have said transition houses have been advised how to handle physical distancing and hand hygiene when it comes to the threat of COVID-19.
Women’s rights advocate Jenny Wright was one of those confused by Ball’s message Thursday.
She said she’s glad Kirby House has come forward, but it’s troubling the premier would only stumble across it now. And she said it’s not quite what advocates have been calling for, pointing to the provincial sexual assault crisis line as an example.
“They have very well trained volunteers who respond 24-7 and they are dedicated to only that,” Wright told The Telegram.
“But three months in, the government still has no plan. It is women’s organizations who stepped up, not the premier. It’s just not good enough.”
New symptoms
Meanwhile, for the second time since April, the province has chalked up a full week of no new positive cases of COVID-19.
Nonetheless, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald announced three new symptoms to add to the list for those doing self-assessment as to whether they should get tested.
The total list is as follows:
• Fever, or signs of a fever
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Painful swallowing
• Headache
• Runny nose
• Unexplained loss of appetite
• Diarrhea
• Loss of taste or smell
• Small red or purple dots on hands and feet.
Fitzpatrick said she is unaware of any instances of the latter symptom, but that officials have regularly added symptoms to the list as a precaution, based on what has been observed in other jurisdictions.
Health Minister Dr. John Haggie added his own light-hearted take on the new week-long streak of zeroes.
“One week with a flat line is really good,” he said. “That’s not something you usually hear from physicians.”
When asked about talk among Atlantic provinces over easing travel restrictions to create a sort of Atlantic “bubble,” the premier said it’s very preliminary, and pointed out Nova Scotia is still struggling with its numbers.
”None of this, as I said to my colleagues in other provinces, can ever be considered in our province without the support of public health officials,” he said.
“It’s too soon to make any judgment on that at the moment,” Fitzgerald added.
In other developments Thursday:
• The premier welcomed $469 million in federal aid for fish harvesters announced Thursday morning.
• Haggie said cancelled vacations are an important consideration, among many, for resuming surgeries. “We cannot do frontline health care 52 weeks of the year and expect people to just continue as if they were machines.”
• The premier said most people seem to appreciate daily briefings as they are for now, but they may change the format at some point.
Peter Jackson is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter covering health for The Telegram
