Supporting Survivors of Abuse and Brain Injury through Research
On October 24th, 2023, the violence prevention program through REACH Community Health Centre presented guest speaker, Karen Mason from SOAR Canada (Supporting Survivors of Abuse and Brain Injury through Research), for a special half-day workshop titled “Moving Head: Putting Knowledge of Brain Injury in Intimate Partner Violence into Practice”. The workshop was held at the YWCA Hotel in downtown Vancouver and was attended by front-line workers from various community organizations including, Mount Pleasant Neighborhood House, Family Services of Greater Vancouver, Watari Counselling and Support Services, Coquitlam RCMP Victim Services, Vancouver and Lower mainland Family Services Society, and REACH Community Health Centre.
The workshop covered topics such as:
How to identify red flags and common symptoms of brain injury in cases of intimate partner violence
Resources that are available for survivors of brain injury
Tools available to help workers deliver a trauma-informed response to those who may be exhibiting signs of having experience a brain injury
The workshop was very informative and interactive and participants reported feeling much more confident on the topic and more equipped to serve their clients and community as a result of the knowledge gained from the workshop. Visit SOAR’s website for more resources and information on these topics https://soarproject.ca/
Special Acknowledgement: Nicole LeMire
Nicole LeMire - Executive Director of REACH
On May 9th 2023, Nicole LeMire was one of 78 B.C. women honoured at the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards Ceremony in Vancouver in recognition of her contribution to REACH and, more broadly, for her leadership in B.C.’s health sector. Among the achievements highlighted was her work in developing team-based, interdisciplinary care, and the confidence and support she has earned from a staff of over 190 people, the REACH Board of Directors and from our diverse community as a whole. The honour recognized her work during COVID, which hit our community particularly hard. During the pandemic, as the number of patients without access to primary care rose across the province, Nicole significantly increased access to REACH services. In 2020, she opened the REACH Urgent and Primary Care Centre (UPCC), the first UPCC in the province to be located in a community health centre. This enabled over 15,000 additional people to be seen annually by a team of healthcare providers including doctors, a clinical pharmacist, nurse practitioners, and social workers.
In 2022, Nicole created a unique Health Equity and Community Engagement Department (HEED) to address social determinants of health with a strong focus on seniors, Indigenous peoples and people struggling with substance use, mental health disorders, poverty, and racism. She established an Indigenous advisory team, including an in-house Elder, to identify appropriate health services for Indigenous community members. All of these programs contributed to an overall increase of 30% in the number of Indigenous patients attached to the REACH Medical clinic. Nicole also obtained cultural safety training for both staff and Board members to better support, work with and serve Indigenous community members who represent 7% of REACH’s client base.
Since joining REACH as Executive Director in 2018, Nicole has emerged as one of B.C.’s most knowledgeable and skilled leaders in primary healthcare. These achievements, and the positive impact they have had on our organisation, patients and clients, and on our community, were among the reasons that the YWCA chose to honour this remarkable woman in 2023. It is a well-deserved recognition and one extended to her by the REACH Board of Directors as well.
Respectfully submitted, Colleen Fuller - Board of Director/Former Board President (2019-2022)
Extreme Heat Safety Workshop
Learn how to stay safe this summer in high temperatures, heat related illness and near wildfire smoke. Click here for our extreme heat resource sheet
SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT - 35 Years at REACH
“It is with much admiration and great respect that I would like to celebrate the contributions of Dr. Lalya Wickremasinghe. She has served as a family physician at REACH for some 35 years. Personally, I had the privilege to exchange ideas with her on numerous occasions over the years. When in doubt, I often sought her advice and perspective. Lalya is thoughtful and thorough in her communications and not much escapes her. Humble, she will never admit to how her contributions made a huge difference to how we do business at REACH. Please take time to read what she has to say. You will not regret it!”
Nicole LeMire, Executive Director
Dr. Lalya Wickremasinghe
“REACH is a special place to work. I have been fortunate to work with exceptionally dedicated clinical staff over the years. The team consisting of doctors, nurses, counsellors, social worker, MOAs, other allied care, dental and pharmacy staff, medical residents, and volunteers, assisted by MFC and admin support has allowed a standard of patient care that I am so proud to be a part of. During my 35 years at REACH, I have seen the clinic adapt and change to better serve our changing community needs. This flexibility, I believe, is the reason for REACH’s success and longevity.
When there is extraordinary leadership at the level of the Executive director, the Board, Medical Director, and Department Managers, as we have right now, that’s when magic happens! Despite the significant challenges in the entire health care system over the past few years, REACH has not just survived, but expanded in significant ways. The building of the UPCC, expanding pharmacy services, responding to the opioid crisis, initiating actions towards Truth and Reconciliation are just some of the many examples.
The most important component of the Clinic is our patients. Their demographic has changed over time, but there are many who have been patients for more than 50 years and are quick to remind me that they have been at REACH longer than I have! I have several families in my practice where I have cared for 4 generations from great-grandparents to new babies! My patients at REACH have made my career one of the most rewarding a doctor could have.
I am grateful for the mentorship and guidance I have received and continue to receive. There are too many people to thank individually, but I have to say that when I am in a difficult situation, I still ask myself “what would Sandi do?”, of course referring to Dr. Sandi Witherspoon.
REACH has a fascinating history and the strength of an amazing staff and Board which has sustained it for more than 50 years. With the energy and talents of our newest members I know that REACH will continue to thrive long after my tenure here.”
Dr. Lalya Wickremasinghe
Looking for Volunteer Board Directors
REACH is looking for community members to serve on our Board of Directors. Could this be you?
We are looking for members of the Grandview-Woodlands community with the passion, time, energy and dedication to serve as a volunteer Board Director. As an organization committed to reconciliation, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, we encourage members of equity-seeking groups to put their names forward. We’re actively recruiting candidates in advance of our next Annual General Meeting (September 2022).
We’re looking for you, if you….
Believe that community health belongs in community hands
Believe that all people, regardless of gender, race, ability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or age should have access to an appropriate and wide range of integrated health and social services
Understand the value of community health centres as a model of primary care
Are looking for a way to give back to your local community and neighbors
Have the time to attend regular meetings
Live or work in Grandview Woodlands, or use one of REACH’s programs
Please note that you do not need to have experience in the healthcare sector in order to sit on the REACH Board – this is common misconception!
If you’re interested, please reach out to Emma Macklem, Co-Chair of the Nominating Committee mack.emm@gmail.com for more information.
About REACH Community Health Centre
REACH Community Health Centre is a community-governed organization that believes that good health is a state of physical, mental, and social well-being. We provide innovative, high-quality primary health and dental care, and social and educational services to support the physical and mental health and well-being of our community and the individuals within it. REACH’s interdisciplinary team offers a variety of health and social services under one roof:
Team-based primary health care
Dental care
Pharmacy services
Counselling and social work services
Our Multicultural Family Centre
Indigenous programs and resources
Urgent & Primary Care Centre
REACH Community Health Centre is led by a volunteer Board of Directors elected by our membership each year at our Annual General Meeting. Their role is to govern the organization on behalf of the community, in a timely, transparent, and accountable manner by overseeing the performance of the organization and ensuring fiscal integrity and regulatory compliance.
REACH Public Forum ‘Dental Care for All’
On June 23, the Board of REACH hosted an informative online public form about the proposed national dental plan and how it can greatly impact access to dental services for all community members. Speakers and advocates included MP Don Davies, Brandon Doucet from Coalition for Dental Care, Karese Mahnic from REACH and Sarah Clifford from Vancouver Aboriginal Health Society.
Watch the recording to learn more about this important change and how it could impact you and your family!
Calming the City
The Calming the City Poster Project is a community art project that includes 18 original art pieces created by youth artists. These artists were participants in Make It, a therapeutic art-based employment and support program, offered by Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House. Each artistic work was made following the prompt of creating a calming space in the city to ease anxiety, with each individual expressing what that looked like to them personally. This exploration of the meaning of calm and creating a calming space resulted in works ranging from digitally created art to multi-medium works on canvas. These original art pieces were digitized and made into posters which were placed in the City of Vancouver and now, at REACH.
REACH Photovoice Exhibition: A Gallery Worth Over a Thousand Words
Picture by picture, story by story, let’s destigmatize substance use and mental health. In the past months, REACH engaged with over 20 of our East Vancouver neighbors - who had or have experience with substance use and mental health. Participants inspiringly shared their stories in a 6-session sequence where they learned to express their stories through photographs. They are now available to the community to view!
Our Photovoice exhibition was truly moving. We are so grateful to the community members who participated and contributed their unique stories of experiences with substance use and mental health. Thank you to everyone who joined us in the space, we loved sharing this experience with you!
We have compiled the photographs into a virtual gallery below. Take a look at the enlightening artwork and click and hover on the images to learn about the story and artist behind each photograph.
GLOBAL FUNDING - Zoom Panel Discussion
On February 22, 2022, Outreach Committee of the REACH Board and the VCC Nursing Program team collaborated to host an online public forum about Global Funding. If you missed our forum, we have made the recording available for you to watch now.
Panelists Colleen Fuller - President of REACH, Nicole LeMire - Executive Director of REACH, and Stacy Ashton - Executive Director of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Centre of BC, provided exclusive insight into how the global funding model employed by other provinces allow Community Health Centers (CHCs) and Social Services to optimize their community offerings.
Watch the video to learn more about the potential of global funding and the far-reaching impact it could have on our very own community health.
Virtual Hiring Fair: Nurse Practitioner Edition
On November 25th 2020, REACH held a Virtual Hiring Fair for Nurse Practitioners to be part of UPCC team. We are pleased by the outcome and thankful of all applicants who participated. We thank Leslie Mills and Alex Briede, NP’s in the REACH UPCC, and Nicole Lemire, Executive Director at REACH, for their inspirational words.
Nurse Practitioners at REACH UPCC are instrumental in delivering high quality, low barrier care as part of an interdisciplinary team alongside physicians, RNs, LPNs, social workers and support staff.
REACH UPCC operates alongside our medical, dental, pharmacy and multi-cultural family centre with the primary goal of providing urgent primary care to any individual who needs it 7 days a week. While the emphasis is on urgent primary care, our vision of REACH UPCC strengthens our existing commitment to the social determinants of health as a foundation for patient care, with integrated supports to address these within the urgent care setting.
In addition to providing direct care on site, Nurse Practitioners are a key part of our outreach activities; leading and supporting initiatives to provide specialised clinics, public health education, culturally appropriate outreach to our Indigenous communities, and medical services to homeless and street involved persons in cooperation with our community health partners.
Information about the Nurse Practitioner position, and other open positions at REACH, are on our careers page and updated frequently. Send your application to Amanda in Human Resources at jobs@reachcentre.bc.ca if you would like to be a part of the REACH team.
Orange Shirt Day
In recognition of and to promote greater understanding of the history behind Orange Shirt Day, several links are listed below.
1) 'Every Child Matters': Residential school survivor Phyllis Webstad explains Orange Shirt Day - 4 minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP508W5zJko&t=29s
2) Healing a Nation Through Truth and Reconciliation
Chief Dr Robert Joseph | TEDx East Van - 10 minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJQgpuLq1LI
Chief Dr. Robert Joseph, O.B.C. is a true peace-builder whose life and work are examples of his personal commitment. A Hereditary Chief of the Gwawaenuk First Nation, Chief Joseph has dedicated his life to bridging the differences brought about by intolerance, lack of understanding and racism at home and abroad. Helping to heal this racism and intolerance is to recognize ‘we are all one’.
“Let us find a way to belong to this time and place together. Our future, and the well-being of all our children rests with the kind of relationships we build today.” – Chief Dr. Robert Joseph
3) 'We Were Children' is a 2012 Canadian documentary film about the experiences of First Nations children in the Canadian Indian Residential School System, as told through the experiences of 2 Indigenous children.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9daBqAddI_s&list=PL479aPRTN_XfAq7xkIsAa1y2e_YKLmKWt
'We Were Children' can be viewed through Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, or Google Play.
Introducing Our New Phone System
We’re incredibly excited to be moving to a new phone system on August 17. We recognized that the old system didn’t cope well with REACH’s continual growth, and we’re confident that the new system will create a better experience for all.
We’d like to thank our patients, clients and community partners for their feedback, all of which has been incorporated into the planning of the new system, and we welcome your comments going forward.
There may be a short outage on August 17 as the new system is activated; please be assured we’ll do our best to minimize disruption to our core services during this transition.
A Message from REACH Dental Department
Our dentists resumed operation on Monday, June 15th 2020.
Our hygienists started seeing patients again on Monday, July 06, 2020 with some restrictions: only hand scaling (no cavitron) and fluoride but no polishing for now; they are also seeing less patients than usual in a regular day and appointments are extended to 1.5 hour instead of 1 hour.
Please know that we have been working very hard to keep our patients and staff safe as we resume operations.
Infection control has always been and it continuous to be a top priority for our dental office. After COVID-19 we have enhanced our personal protective equipment to make sure we all keep healthy.
A few things to please remember at this time:
We value all our patients; however, we will be booking appointments in the order they were when we closed the clinic.
Check regularly if you have not heard back from us in some weeks.
If you are experiencing pain or have a dental emergency don’t hesitate to call us.
Schedule has been reformatted. We will be seeing fewer patients every day.
No walk-ins at this time, always give us a call to book any appointments.
If you have an appointment booked, try calling us before coming into the clinic
Re-schedule your dental appointment if you have a fever or flu-like symptoms. It will be best to call 811 or your primary care physician.
You will be pre-screened before booking your appointment and screened again, including temperature check, when arriving to the clinic for your dental appointment.
Follow recommendations about physical distancing (6 feet).
No visitors allowed, patients only (unless special circumstances).
Any one accompanying a patient to the office should remain outside the building.
Sanitize your hands upon entrance to the clinic.
We appreciate if you bring your own mask.
Bring your own blanket if you think you might need one.
Credit or debit card are the preferred method of payment at this time.
Indigenous History Month
In honour of June, which is Indigenous History Month, REACH is sharing some of the actions REACH is taking in support of the health and wellbeing of Indigenous people in our community:
In May 2019, REACH established the Indigenous Advisory Committee (IAC), comprised of Indigenous community members, REACH Indigenous Board members and staff, to provide guidance and insight regarding community engagement, policy and program development. The IAC meets monthly.
At REACH’s September 2019 Strategic Planning Session, the Board made Indigenous Health & Wellness their #1 Strategic Priority:
a) REACH operates on the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Skxwü7mesh, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.
b) We recognize a history of colonialism and its effects on wellbeing and health care.
c) We will strive to challenge the oppression of Indigenous people in everything we do.
d) The spaces and services we operate will be safe and inviting to all people.
To support these goals, we will:
1) Engage with Indigenous populations in a way that is meaningful to them.
2) Support internal mechanisms for guidance, advice, & direction on Indigenous issues.
3) Tailor programs and services to reflect Indigenous community voices and needs.
4) Build capacity among partners to promote resilience & mental wellbeing in our communities.
5) Work towards the implementation of the TRC Calls to Action related to Health, particularly numbers 18 through 24.
See the TRC Poster for details.
REACH has developed an Indigenous Self-Identification Poster to promote safety and inclusion, and to support us in developing more culturally-based programs and services for Indigenous community members, and allows for dialogue with Indigenous patients so we gauge their effectiveness.
Since October 2019 REACH started tracking how many patients identify as Indigenous. The medical team facilitated 267 visits for Indigenous persons, representing 9% of total visits. The total number of active patients who self-identified as Indigenous is now 427, representing 8.5% of patients. Indigenous people represent about 10% of total Grandview Woodland population.
In December 2019, REACH, in partnership with Journeys Around the Circle Society, commissioned an Indigenous artist to create a mural for the new Urgent Primary Care Centre. The mural’s installation was delayed by the pandemic, but will be installed soon.
Created by Hazel Bell Koski’
In February 2020, REACH hired an Indigenous Health promoter to work one to one with Indigenous patients, 26 of patients have worked with IHP to respond to other social determinants of health needs.
In July 2020, REACH will start to offer on-line and phone group activities to support the mental health and wellbeing of Indigenous community members during this pandemic.
Share Your Voice to Improve Health Care for Indigenous People
Although the Investigation is not a REACH initiative, REACH supports the investigation into anti-Indigenous racism, in BC’s healthcare system.
Share Your Voice to Improve Health Care for Indigenous People: The First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) encourages clients to participate in the provincial investigation into systemic racism in BC’s health system. Mary Ellen Turpel Lafond and her investigative team are requesting voluntary participation in a survey to understand the presence and extent of First Nations, Métis and Inuit (hereafter called Indigenous) specific discrimination in health services in British Columbia. This independent investigation led by Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond is endorsed by the FNHA, the First Nations Health Council and the First Nations Health Directors Association
If you want to share your specific story of experiencing or witnessing racism in the B.C. health care system, you can call and leave a message for the investigation team call toll-free at 1-888-600-3078.
Should you require cultural or mental supports following the completion of this survey, please refer to this list of mental health and wellness supports on the BC government website. In addition to these services you can contact REACH’s Indigenous Health Promoters to support you in completing the survey: JohnSakamoto-Kramer@reachcentre.bc.ca
REACH operates on the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Skxwü7mesh, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. We recognize a history of colonialism and its effects on wellbeing and health care. We will strive to challenge the oppression of lndigenous people. REACH Community Health Centre works towards the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action, particularly numbers 18 through 24.
Celebrating Indigenous People's Day
First Nations Health Authority Good Medicine Page
Message from the National Chief, Assembly of First Nations
Healing Tools & Methods with Gerry Oldman
Resources and Educational Material About the History and Cultures of Indigenous Peoples in Canada
Need Care?
The REACH doctors can now see you via #VirtualCARE as we all #stay_home to stop the spread of COVID-19. If you’re ill or need care for ongoing conditions, our doctors can often treat their patients via phone and video without having to see you in person. Call REACH Medical if you need an appointment!
Why are doctors using so much more virtual care so suddenly?
During this pandemic, it is important that we all do what we can to keep everyone safe. One way we can do this is through providing virtual care to our patients. Virtual care enables patients to stay safe, reducing the risk of transmission of the virus. It also keeps providers safe, so that we can continue to provide care throughout this challenging time. This is not new technology, but it has not been widely used up until now and the numbers of virtual care visits we normally do is much lower.
The BC government and Doctors of BC have agreed to significantly increase our ability to use virtual care to see patients during this pandemic.
Do patients have to pay for virtual care?
Virtual appointments are covered by the BC Medical Services Plan.
Is my privacy ensured?
The systems we use are very reliable. We will do everything we can to ensure your privacy is protected.
You can also do your part by: taking the call from a private area and using your own internet connection rather than a public connection.
What happens if I do need an in-person visit?
If your healthcare practitioner determines that you need an in-person visit, that will be arranged and will take place in a way that maximizes the safety of both you and your practitioner.
What if I really feel I have to see my doctor in-person?
Please call our office first. We will make it very easy to connect with you over the phone.
Once we have spoken with you, we will assess whether an in-person visit is needed. If so, we will arrange to do that in a safe way.
Will you take calls from patients who are worried they have symptoms of COVID-19?
Yes, we will. Patients can call us about any medical issues they are concerned about.
Patients and the public can also use the self-assessment tool here https://bc.thrive.health/covid19/en
Will you be doing testing for COVID-19?
Testing is being done through designated assessment centers in our community.
We can speak with patients and determine whether they need to go to one of those centers for testing or not.
Message from Dental
To all of our valued patients
We just wanted to update all of you on what is happening at our dental office presently. In compliance with both the BC Dental Association and the College of Dental Surgeons of BC, we have stopped seeing any patients for any and all routine, non-essential dental treatments. This includes cleanings and restorations. At the time when we can return to the office, which we don’t know right now, we will honour the appointments in the schedule and work on getting those of you who were cancelled seen as soon as possible. We will need your patience during that time.
If you have an emergency, which is categorized as uncontrolled pain, swelling, facial trauma or cellulitis (spreading infection), please text or call 604 351 4227 and leave us you name, phone number and a short description of your emergency and one of our dentists will help address your concern either prescribing medication or referring you to an appropriate facility that is properly equipped with PPE (personal protection equipment), which we do not presently have.
We know these are very challenging times for all of us, but these decisions have been made to keep everyone as safe as possible. As you can imagine, dental work, due to the creation of aerosols when a drill or ultrasonic scaler is used, is one of the riskiest activities during a pandemic involving an illness that is spread by saliva droplets.
Thank you so much for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.
Stay safe everyone, wash your hands and practice social distancing.
Updates MESSAGE FROM REACH PHARMACY DURING THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK
In order to best serve our clients in this time, our pharmacy is establishing a temporary policy starting immediately. Going forward, there is a maximum ONE MONTH SUPPLY of refill medications. This will be at the discretion of pharmacy staff and may be lower for certain medications. This will resolve in the coming weeks as wholesalers restock supplies, and for now we will transfer prescriptions to other pharmacies as needed.
Inventory usage is different from location to location so most items should be found for you. We thank you for your understand and apologize for the inconvenience.
Message from REACH Pharmacy during the COVID-19 outbreak
Due to higher than usual volumes and to prevent transmission during the COVID-19 outbreak, we are encouraging all clients to only refill medications that are urgent or presently due. There is absolutely no need to stockpile as long as you have a 2 week supply of your ongoing medications.
Orders given by phone through our pharmacy can be ready by the next business day and delivered if needed at no charge. Please be aware of delayed response times as most messages left will be handled by the end of the day.
Until further notice, our pharmacy operating hours will be Weekdays 9:30am to 6:00pm (with lunch closure from 12:30 to 1:30) and Saturdays 9:30am to 1:00pm.
We appreciate your cooperation as we work through this crisis and thank you for all of your support.
UPCC Recruitment and Information Evening
Our REACH Urgent and Primary Care Centre Team would like to invite you to our Recruitment and Information Evening!
We strongly encourage Medical Office Assistants, Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses and Nurse Practitioners to attend and bring your CV's! Here is the link to Job Descriptions on our web site https://www.reachcentre.bc.ca/careers
Date: Thursday, November 28th
Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: REACH Community Health Centre, 1145 Commercial Dr.
Second Floor, Room 217
Refreshments will be provided.