Passport to Wellness II: Health Fair Saturday, April 16th, 2016 in Nelson, BC - You Just Gotta Go!

This was an incredible event last year - those of us that attended were looking forward to the next one and HERE IT IS!

Let us know what you think of this year's health fair and we will see you there!

Marion and Eric

Community First Health Co-op Update: Passport to Wellness Health Fair, Home Help Organizer and Health Care Co-operative Federation of Canada

Passport to Wellness 2015

               Rain – sun – rain – sun !! It must be spring rounding the corner in the Kootenay’s and with daylight savings about to begin, the light at the end of the winter tunnel is here.

            

Passport to Wellness 2015

  CFHC is gearing up for our second Passport to Wellness Health Fair on April 16, 2016 from 10am-4pm at 518 Lake Street. We are just confirming all of our presenters and information kiosks for the event.   We will have presentations by the Canadian Cancer Society, The Kootenay Division of Family Physicians, Mark McBride (pharmacist and sleep expert), Sandy McLean (Mental Health, Resilience and Illness), Elephant Mountain Counselling and Shauna Robertson (Essential Oils) and more to be added this week, so check for our posters, and in the Nelson Star Community Calendar for more information on our sessions. We will also have kiosks from TEETH and IHA Dental, BC Lung Association, MS Society, Nelson Hospice, Friends of the Family, ALS and Heart and Stroke with more to also be added.

 Plan to join us for a FREE day of information and interaction as you take responsibility for your wellness.

The Seniors Co-ordinating Society has hired a Home Help Organizer, Lynn Goodison. She helps Seniors stay in their homes by providing help with light cleaning, grocery shopping, respite and other areas in which they may need help. She can be contacted at 250-352-6008 or through the Senior Co-ordinating Society Website. The rate of pay for the services varies, but can be subsidized. She organizes for Nelson and the outlying areas of Nelson. She has hours to use, so please give her a call if you or someone you know can use her help.

  Did you know that CFHC is part of a much larger organization – The Health Care Co-operative Federation of Canada?  Established in 2011, the HCCFC serves the health co-op sector across Canada. The mission is to support and promote health and wellness co-operatives in Canada through work within and beyond our sector.  Community First Health Co-op is one of 18 members in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and B.C. They support us through fostering relationships between members and providing access to programs that will enhance our ability to be a more complete health co-op, find evidence and research to convince the public and policy makers of the benefits of community wellness and cost savings that are created by health and wellness co-ops, and they are advocates for health co-ops with the governments of Canada. If you would like to know more about the role they play check out their website – www.healthcoopscanada.coop

    Eric is thinking gardening and Marion is getting her bike springerized to begin her training for her next cycling adventure.    

Yours in health,

 Eric and Marion

We are Celebrating AND Asking for Your Help: Low Cost Dental Clinic Working for Your Community

MLA Michelle Mungall and Board Members Celebrate the receipt of $50,000 from Pacific Blue Cross

News Release: February 24, 2016

Subject:  West Kootenay Community TEETH Clinic Society requesting partnerships with dentists, dental professionals and community members of the Central Kootenay and Kootenay Boundary Regional Districts.

West Kootenay Community TEETH Clinic Society (TEETH) is a registered not for profit society, whose sole purpose is to increase access to dental care for all. The Society is currently operating a low cost clinic within a dental office in Nelson. This one office, currently serves all residents in Central Kootenay and Kootenay Boundary Regional Districts. Clients of TEETH receive dental care with a 40% discount. Many dedicated paid staff, volunteers, donation of clinic space and other discounts and donations has enabled the program to be viable and sustainable.

TEETH recently won 1^st prize, $50,000 from Pacific Blue Cross 75^th Anniversary “Share the Care Giveaway.” This prize enables the Board of TEETH to invite dentists, dental professionals and community members of the Central Kootenay and Kootenay Boundary Regional Districts to unite with the work of TEETH’s mission “To increase access to dental care for all citizens in the communities regardless of income level.”

The Board is seeking partnerships, for the purpose of increasing access to low-cost quality dental care.

We are seeking your ideas of how you can partner with TEETH in your community. Although we have envisioned similar clinics operating in the rest of the Kootenay Boundary region, we realize each community is unique. Because we understand what is effectual in one community, may not be in another, we are asking for your suggestions. 

Let us know what might work best in your area to increase access to low-cost quality dental care.

The Board of TEETH welcomes the opportunity to partner with you and hear all your suggestions. Let us know what is your community's ‘best-fit’ to provide low-cost quality dental care.

Thank you for helping us help you, and your community, to increase access to low-cost quality dental care that is closer to home.

 Please contact us at:  TEETHClinicWK@gmail.com or 250-352-6560 (TEETH info Hot Line).

The Board of The West Kootenay Community TEETH Clinic Society:

Barry Nelson, Debby Zeeben, Eric Ramsden, Mara Sand, Pegasis McGauley, Christine Chore

If you have any ideas, or would like to volunteer or work with us, you can leave a comment or contact us as noted above.

Eric, Erin and Marion

Let's Celebrate: TEETH Clinic Society's BIG WIN for Our Community and You are Invited!

West Kootenay Community TEETH Clinic Society

 Let’s Celebrate

                                 

Invitation to Staff, Volunteers, Supporters & their Families of WK Community TEETH Clinic 

When:  Saturday February 27^th

Location:  Bigby Place in Nelson -509 Front St.

Time:  6:30 pm

Please bring your favourite finger food.  The TEETH Clinic Society will provide beverages. 

We look forward to celebrating the progress of TEETH increasing access to dental care.

Because of everyone’s dedication and efforts, TEETH helps so many.

This celebration is for all of you!

Your RSVP by Thursday, Feb. 25^th would be greatly appreciated: 

TEETHClinicWK@gmail.com

or 250.352.6560 (TEETH Info. Hot Line)

                                  

                                  

West Kootenay Community TEETH Clinic Wins BIG for Our Community!

Check out the Vancouver Sun Article:

Pacific Blue Cross "Share the Care" Winner

The Board:  Barry, Mara, Debby, Eric, Pegasis
Missing:  Christine

Needless to say, we (the board, the many volunteers, Dr. Osepchook and his dental staff) are very excited about this unique success and the opportunity that it provides to the West Kootenay Community TEETH Clinic.

Now that we have been confirmed in receiving the $50,000 grant from Pacific Blue Cross a different kind of challenge – how to best utilize these funds to provide the best possible improvement to our low cost dental services to our West Kootenay Boundary community.

Can we provide an additional clinic to reduce travel and bring direct services to more members of our community?  Are we able to increase our denture program and other clinical services?  So much to think about – what a great problem to have.

Dr. Osepchook and his amazing staff

As well, we have to thank all of those that helped us to garner this success. The local media was a great assistance in the drive to get the word out.  The ability to link into social media to spread the word using Facebook and Twitter provided us a interesting opportunity to spread the word beyond our local borders.  We had people all across the country responding to our plea for assistance in helping our community.

We roll up our sleeves with our next board meeting that is set for Friday, February 5^th at 1:30 p.m. at the Resource Centre in the Community First Health Co-op Building at 518 Lake Street in Nelson.

We would love to have our communities’ involvement on where we go from here.

Thanks again to Pacific Blue Cross for its Share The Care project, part of the not-for-profit health insurer's plan to celebrate its 75th anniversary by giving away $75,000 to by selecting five existing recipients (of their annual funding), making short videos about their work and then asking people to vote online for their favourites.

Thanks you so very much for supporting your community,

Erin, Marion and Eric

November 30th Board Update: #voteforTEETH, Resource Centre, Home Care Outreach

TEETH is in FIRST PLACE

We are so excited that after 2 weeks of voting. TEETH is in first place in the Pacific Blue Cross completion to win $50.000. We want to thank everyone who is voting and sharing the video so that we can continue to provide low cost dental in the Kootenay and Boundary area.  The final day for voting is December 6, 2015.

 Have you visited the Resource Centre at Community First Health Co-op at 518 Lake Street?  We now have 20 health related organizations that provide information kiosks or hold their meeting there.

OverEaters Anonymous meets on Wednesdays at Noon and T.O.P.S meets on Monday at 5:30 pm.

The Alzheimer Society hosts regular sessions on a variety of dates and the Breast Cancer Survivor group also meets in our Resource Room.

The Resource Centre is staffed from Monday to Friday 1-4 with volunteers.   Lonnie Facchina is our Volunteer Coordinator and if you would like to volunteer please contact her

Lonnie.facchina@mssociety.ca  or 250-505-3997

We were pleased to announce that the Seniors Co-ordinating Society has been awarded a Columbia Basin Trust donation to be able to hire a person to co-ordinate the Home Care outreach. This will go a long way to ensuring that Home Care continues to be provided in our community.

And do not forget to save April 16, 2016 for our Passport to Wellness 2 Health Fair.  

Thanks for stopping by... and don't forget to Vote for TEETH.


Marion, Erin and Eric

VOTE for TEETH: Your Local Low Cost Dental Clinic Needs Your Help!

Dr. Osepchook and his dental staff

VOTE FOR YOUR LOCAL LOW COST DENTAL CLINIC

The West Kootenay Community TEETH Clinic opened in June of 2014 providing service to the West Kootenay/Boundary region.

The need for better dental health, for those with low incomes, has been a driving force for us to develop a way to bring access to dental care to our communities.  Through the success of the WK Community TEETH Clinic there is a way to access local care. In TEETH’s first year the clinic served 192 people with many having multiple appointments.

Hickman and Honsinger Families

As you likely well know dental health is essential for good health, nutrition, self-esteem, and job opportunities.

Through the dedicated work of the board of TEETH and the grantors to this organization, the clinic exists.

Today you have an opportunity to help the clinic. TEETH has been shortlisted for the Pacific Blue Cross 75th Anniversary contest, Share the Care, where the winner receives $50,000. When you vote for TEETH you will help us win the grand prize. We know, with your help, we can win this prize and open more clinics in our region and say YES to more people.

Vote for our video and share the vote with your friends:

http://www.pac.bluecross.ca/75thanniversary/video/West-Kootenay-Community-Teeth-Clinic-Society

  and help us say YES to helping more people access the dental care they need. 

The Board:  Barry, Mara, Debby, Eric and Pegasis