Path to wellness

By Vanessa Hammond

In the 2015 Victoria Vital Signs report, health, wellness, and social services are identified as being important to all of us. At the Victoria Health Co-op we completely concur and work hard to support the wellness of individuals and community.

The Vic Health Co-op provides monthly Wellness Clinics and the Health Access Fund for our members. And lifetime membership is only $50! We work with community partners to provide access to outstanding wellness programs such as “Choices” and “Hans Kai.” Hans Kai was brought from Japan to Manitoba and then, through a large training group in July, to Victoria. We work with groups, could be a knitting group, choir, soccer team through a year-long program that cost about the same per person as one night in a hospital. Another community outreach program is the Co-op Wellness Fair, Nov 7 and 8 at Fairfield United Church where the theme is ‘‘Your path to wellness IS your path to wellness.” Join us! You’ll see presentations and displays about everything from gardening for wellness to the healing power of art and music and the bliss of reflexology.

We also run the Co-op Health Centre in space rented from the James Bay Community Project at 547 Michigan. Until funding changed in 2010 the Project ran a clinic in that space. When we heard it would be closed we were very concerned about the 5,000 patients. We stepped in. Since then the members of Vic Health Co-op supported the Health Centre through thousands of hours of management, fund raising, and generally working to cover all the overhead. Because of the Canada Health Act, we cannot require patients to join the co-op. Despite the signage and flyers in the Health Centre and the sandwich board outside, some patients do not even realize that there was this major change five years ago. But many do.

We want to thank all, especially the patients at the Co-op Health Centre, who have joined the Vic Health Co-op and those who made a donation (charitable receipt available) to the Creating Community Wellness Society which supports wellness and health education. Will you join? If you have any questions, please email vichealthcoop@gmail.com or call Vanessa at 250.415.9272. Find out more at the Co-op Wellness Fair, 1303 Fairfield at Moss, Nov. 7 and 8.