First Board Meeting of 2017: Lots Happening!

It is cold outside these days but a warming trend is on theway!! Some of the Board were talking about how they do not recall such a long stretch of cold weather.  We do enjoy the sun and blue skies and white mountain tops, though we do say, looking out your window, is definitely preferred by many.

 Our first Board meeting for 2017 was a busy one and we met a new person to our community who has now volunteered to be on our Health Fair Committee and will allow her name to stand for becoming a Board member!!

 Jacqueline Carr, the Executive Director and Patient Navigator for Rise Above Pain Society gave the board a great presentation on a new society that will work with Rise BC Wellness Centre and Dr. Joel Kalia and staff, to support those living with chronic pain. 

The program being offered in Nelson and area is a 3-pronged approach -  Chronic Pain workshops- Self Management – Movement/Support classes. The 8-week program will begin on February 8,2017 for 10 participants, as a pilot project. There are spaces available for 2 more participants. You must commit to 2 hours a week, and some homework to be involved. There is no cost to the program and it will run out the Rise BC Wellness Centre at the Community First Health Co-op.  The workshops will focus on the emotional, physical, and science of living with chronic pain.  Jacqueline reminded us the 22,000 people in the Southern Interior live with chronic pain. 

The Lake Street Housing Committee is holding a Community Planning Meeting at CFHC, February 17,2017 from 4:00- 5:00 pm in the Resource Room.  The meeting is to hear about the plans for the units and commercial space.  We know from the plans that there are 42 units of space available. This is a project that has been in the works for many years and we are excited that we may be able to move forward.

We would like to Welcome T.O.P. S. as a corporate member of CFHC and a partner in the building.  Check them out  TOPS and How It Works

First Community Health Co-op  (TOPS BC 1705) 518 Lake St  Room 204 Nelson,  BC  V1L 4C6  Canada Mondays:  5:45/6:30 PM

 We encourage groups that take care of their health and support others to do the same.

The first two Health Fairs have been amazing!

So, do not forget to mark April 8, 2017 as a date to take part in our 3^rd Passport to Wellness Health Fair, with a focus on Mental Health.

From all of us, be careful out there, we have heard of several people with broken hips and legs and arms from an ice related fall. 

Our fellow blogger Erin is taking a break, so we wish her the best and we sign off for January 2017

Eric and Marion 

Satellite TEETH Clinics Improve Access to Low Cost Dental Care

Dr. Donato DeSandoli and Staff at Saddle Mountain Dental Clinic in Nakusp

West Kootenay Community TEETH Clinic Society (TEETH) has been providing access for community members with a net family income of less than $30,000 since June 2014. Back in January of this year, TEETH won 1^st prize, from Pacific Blue Cross 75^th Anniversary “Share the Care Giveaway.” This prize has enabled the TEETH board to seek, organize and create partnerships in the region such as, satellite clinics and mobile dental hygiene services, in order to increase access to low-cost quality dental care in outlying areas from Nelson.  As up until now, the primary location for TEETH services had solely been running out of Dr. Osepchook’s dental office in Nelson;  when his own practice is closed.

With much delight, TEETH would like to announce current satellite partnerships have been established with Record Ridge Denture Clinic, located in Trail; Dr. Donato DeSandoli, located at Saddle Mountain Dental Clinic in Nakusp; Dr. Howard Fox, located at Cedar Avenue Dental Centre in Trail and additionally, Mobile Dental Hygiene services, provided by RDH Andrea Noel can now be accessed at various Interior Health Authority locations throughout the Kootenay Boundary region.

 Clients interested in seeking dental services from TEETH clinics must first register to become a TEETH client. There are various ‘Intake’ locations throughout the Kootenay-Boundary region where trained volunteers can assist individuals in the registration process. Applications are also available online: http://www.healthco-op.ca. Once you are a registered TEETH client either the TEETH administration staff or the satellite dental clinic staff will call you to set-up your initial dental appointment.

Please note: All locations of TEETH do NOT accept walk-in clients as all appointments are pre-arranged.

For more information on TEETH such as intake locations or how you can get involved in a partnership such as satellite dental clinic please contact: TEETHClinicWK@gmail.com or 250-352-6560 (TEETH info Hot Line).

The support for our low cost dental clinic continues to amaze,

Marion, Erin and Eric

Upcoming Workshops on Dementia: In Nelson on January 25; February 16, 23 and March 2, 2017

Busy, Busy, Busy... Working Toward a Healthier Community

We at Community First Health Co-op are all involved in some kind of activity to support our community in wellness and health.  The TEETH Clinic is pleased that two new dentists, one in Trail and one in Nakusp, have signed on to provide services to low income patients.  Our Mobile Dental clinic has made 3 stops with our hygienist providing services and we have hired a new administrator to handle all the bookings and other paper work for the society.  We are always in need of more dentists to provide a day to work on our patients, so encourage people to talk with their dentist to see if they can help out.

  Welcome to a new partner at the Lake Street Building – Aaron Young from NAPA Forest Consultants is working in the resource based industry with local companies to help provide employment opportunities in the community.   We know that one of the social determinants of wellness is having an income to support our needs. 

The Health Fair Planning Committee is working hard to get space, sponsors and presenters for the 3^rd fair being held on April 8, 2017. With a focus on Mental Health, we are currently looking into a keynote presenter to kick off this fair.  We know that our community, like many, is looking for some support and solutions for mental health issues and we want to be part of that conversation in bringing this out into the open.  We are pleased that once again the Nelson Star is on board as one of our major sponsors.

So what happens as a senior when you need to go to an appointment and you do not drive or do not have access to a ride? Who can help you with going to get re-tested if you have lost your driver licence due to your age? What resources and routes are available in your community? How can drivers help our seniors out?

Corrine Younie, left, and Dana Burgess (Nelson Star, Bill Metcalfe photo)

Dana Burgess is the Seniors Transportation Co-ordinator for our area - Nelson to Kaslo, Meadow Creek and Argenta. Salmo, Trail, Castlegar and the Slocan Valley to Nakusp.  One of her challenges is finding enough drivers for the Volunteer Driver Program ( VDP). The Handy Dart is one option, but it is often fully booked, it does not transport across regions, and it does not service some communities.

The VDP is in need of YOU!  The service is Monday to Friday during daytime hours to access medical appointments.

To volunteer you need:  A drivers Abstract from ICBC, a criminal record check, $3,000,000 liability on your vehicle, and a vehicle in good working conditions. You would need to be screened by the program coordinator, agree to the Volunteer code of conduct, and attend a volunteer training.

Drivers are reimbursed $.45 a km. Once you are a driver, it is easy. The client asks for a driver, the co-ordinator phones the volunteer to see if they are available and tells them who the client is, any special needs and where they are going – and the driver can say Yes or No. 

So if you would like to contribute to our community by being a driver, then please contact dana@nelsoncares.ca or call her at 250-352-2708 ex. 10

November 11^th is here and we at Community First Health Co-op would like to thank all of those who served so that we have the peaceful country we live in today.  My mom was in the Airforce and is now 92, and although she no longer remembers that she was, I especially want to thank her for paving the way for future women to take on the jobs that once were only considered for men.

Erin is busy helping move the Kootenay Co-op – rumor has that it will open in the new Nelson Commons on November 29^th, Eric is battling the leaves and wind and working hard for TEETH, and Marion, well she is out riding her bike and packing her bags to spend a month in Australia.

Signing off for this blog

Erin, Eric and Marion 

Community First Health Co-op: Part of a Thriving Community.

Community First Health Co-op is proud to be part of a co-operative movement that is alive and flourishing in the Kootenay region.

 With over 25 co-ops in the area, we are the only health co-op and as such we hold a special place in the B.C. Health Co-operative Association.  The dream to offer an integrated approach to wellness is becoming more real every year with the variety of practitioners in the building who are working together to support the wellness of their clients.

We have doctors, naturopaths, chiropractors, massage therapists, psychologists, acupuncturists, community service advocates, yoga therapists, midwives, and training facilities in our building. We have Rise BC Wellness Clinic with a focus on pain management, AppleTree maternity a pre – post maternity facility, a mini medical clinic with a focus on less appointments and more time spent with each patient, a business that trains young people though a mentor ship to work in the building industry, and the Community Services Center offering support in a variety of ways to those in need.

We are connected both financially and philosophically with the Nelson and District Credit Union.  Through their support and leadership we were able to purchase the building, utilize their staff with their financial expertise and depend on them to be an advocate for the co-op movement. We continue to work with Seniors in our area and to be represented on housing forums and seniors committees.

TEETH, a low cost dental program is now over two years old and is growing to include appointments for those in the most need at our Nelson clinic and now we have a mobile dental hygienist serving the communities of the West Kootenay region.

We are planning our 3^rd annual Passport to Wellness Health Fair with a focus this year on Mental Health. We will be hosting the event on Saturday, April 8, 2017 at the Lake Street Building from 10am-4pm. If you know of anyone that might offer a session on mental well-being, please contact us at cfhcoop@shaw.ca 

The New Economy is a documentary with a focus on the cooperative movement and was premiered in Nelson to celebrate Co-op Week. A big thank you to the Nelson and District Credit Union for hosting this event. One of the interesting facts given was that 2 out of 3 people know what a co-op is but only 1 out of 3 can name one. We need to make sure that our name is one of the ones they know.

We are proud to continue our work with the community and with integrated health and look forward to more development in this arena.

It is the time for falling into Fall, so be careful, as the streets and sidewalks get slippery, that you do not fall.

Signing off and out to rake some leaves and get the gardens winterized.

Eric, Erin and Marion 

So Much to be Thankful For...

October Board Meeting is in the books. The leaves are turning colour, the sky is so blue, when it is blue, and the frost is on some of the roof tops, but what a spectacular time to get out and walk or cycle or run. 

West Kootenay TEETH Clinic Society is thrilled that the mobile dental clinic is up and running. In collaboration with IHA, who are letting us use their facilities, one has been held in Castlegar and the next one will be in Grand Forks.  We also have a dentist in Trail and one in Nakusp, who have indicated an interest in helping out and we have one in Castlegar, doing Adopt a Patient dental services from his office.  

As many of you know, we won $50,000 last year from Pacific Blue Cross to support initiatives with TEETH and that money is being spent on new equipment, training of chair side assistants and enhancing our denture service. 

We have had over 635 patient visits but still have 135 people waiting since January for a first appointment. You can help us, but talking to your dentist and seeing if they are willing to be involved in helping us with this vital service.

On a great note, we have a Toonie for TEETH donation and recently we have had former clients, who no longer need to access low- cost dental because of a change in their economic status, donate considerable amounts back to support the program – most notably one for $700.  It is indeed better to give than receive when you are able.

They say if you build it, they will come and we continue to have people looking for space in our building. The latest partners in the Wellness Centre are Street Culture Collaboration, who are working on the streets of Nelson under a contract with the Nelson Community Services Society. We are pleased to have them as part of our integrated services in the building.

Congratulations to the organizers and sponsors of the 2^nd VERY SUCCESSFUL Seniors Fair held on Friday, September 30^th at the Prestige. With between 250-300 seniors in attendance, the organizers were happy with the great feedback and participation in this event.

 One of the most important things for to know about your health is that having a community that offers support, respect and opportunities to participate helps us ALL to be HEALTHY. 

Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving... and be thankful for friends, family and your health.

 Eric, Erin and Marion 

What Makes a Community Health Centre?

What Makes a Community Health Centre?

That's one of the core questions Nicole Chammartin asks, in her latest blog, in which she shares her reflections on the two-day Canadian Association of Community Health Centres  annual general meeting summit which took place last week in Winnipeg.

Nicole is Executive Director of Klinic Community Health and Sexuality Education Resource Centre, in Winnipeg, and serves as a Board Member for both CACHC and MACH. Her blog post is essential reading for Community Health Centre staff and board members.

Check out Nicole's blog:

http://klinic.mb.ca/2016/09/what-makes-a-community-health-centre/

Also, if you have a moment, take a look at what happened at the AGM:

CAHC Annual General Meeting 2016

Let us know what you think.

Marion, Erin and Eric