On January 4th the Gimli Community Health Centre officially opened its first home care clinic!  Attached to Gimli’s community health centre, the clinic will provide additional support to local and surrounding home care clients requiring regular health care aid from home care nursing staff. Home care clients who are mobile or able to be driven by family can now book regular appointments with this new clinic rather than waiting for a nurse to attend them at home.

Gimli residents are also very happy to have this service offered to the community and surrounding area. So much so that local citizens took the initiative to raise $1,500 towards the purchase of a $1,700 exam table to be used at the new clinic. Tristen Tergesen, chair of the Westshore Community Foundation, spoke to why the foundation felt it was important to support Gimli’s new home care clinic.

“The Westshore Community Foundation is happy to provide a $1,500 grant towards the cost of an exam table for the new home care clinic. This contribution to the health of our community is consistent with our mandate of ‘Building a Lasting legacy.’ Our Foundation congratulates everyone involved who made this clinic a reality and we are pleased to be a part of this effort.”

Pamela McCallum, executive director of the region’s newly established Interlake-Eastern Health Foundation, noted how important donations like this are for community health and wellness “The Foundation provides essential assistance to all of our region’s facilities and that assistance wouldn’t be possible without the generosity and care we receive from our communities. All contributions large and small make a significant impact on our region.”

The clinic is now open daily to home care patients in Gimli and surrounding areas. Other home care clinics are operating in the communities of Beausejour, Selkirk, Stonewall, Pine Falls and Oakbank.

Photo from L to R: Matthew McKelvey (home care case coordinator), Karen Wood (regional director of home care), Karen Sterzer (direct care nurse), Tristen Tergesen (chair, Westshore Community Foundation) and Pamela McCallum (executive director, Interlake Eastern Health Foundation)