COBDEN — It’s taken a long time, but after almost five years of it being closed, the Cobden site of the Whitewater Bromley Community Health Centre recently opened.
This facility at 70 Main Street was important when it was operational and has been greatly missed by the community, said John Jordan, executive director of the Lanark Renfrew Health and Community Services, which the WWBCHC falls under.
“The residents of Cobden have been watching and waiting for this project to be completed for a long time,” he said. “In spite of the many challenges we have faced, from funding constraints to site plan surprises, the renovations have resulted in a very functional, light and bright program room, kitchen, office space, exam and meeting rooms”.
Looking back to when the trouble started, Mr. Jordan said at the start of the year in 2010, staff were complaining of headaches. The air was tested and instead of 200 particle parts per million there was 1,000 particle parts per million, he said. As well, there were sewage vapours in the air and moisture damage in the ceiling’s insulation.
“The air quality was unsafe to work in,” he said. “It was not a healthy environment.”
Over the next few years, decisions were made, changed and re-arranged. At first the building was going to be torn down and a new one constructed, Mr. Jordan said. It was hoped there would be funding from the Ministry of Health capital branch to build the new facility.
“But, that was time consuming and could have taken up to a decade to get completed,” he said.
Eventually, it was agreed the building would be renovated, Mr. Jordan said.
“The community was anxious for something and the building was an eye-sore on Main Street in Cobden,” he said. “We were also getting cramped for community space in Beachburg. We decided to fix it and start using it.
“It took a lot of work,” he said. “It cost about $200,000.”
Money was raised though the Whitewater Bromley Community Health Centre advisory board, which is now a part of the Lanark Renfrew Health and Community Services, donations and the Champlain Local Health Integration Network (Champlain LHIN).
“The Cobden Civitan Club has always been a great supporter of the Cobden site,” Mr. Jordan said.
Last spring the renovations began and the building recently re-opened, Mr. Jordan said. People in the community would check out the facility as it was undergoing its transformation, although much of it was on the inside. As for the large, cement block that was taken out of the ground, Mr. Jordan said the building has a long history, so it could have been almost anything. He knows it was there one day and gone the next, but still doesn’t know what it was.
There has been no official opening of the renovated site, but it will be scheduled, he said. There are some proposals being worked on, and he said possibly when those proposals are approved, the opening and announcements could be done at the same time.
Mr. Jordan noted partnerships have been arranged to offer services there, such as yoga, which will help keep people healthy. The WWBCHC provides a number of health promotion program there, as well as the social worker providing programs, he added.
Bonny Johnson, director of health services for the WWBCHC, said, “We are now able to offer a wide range of health promotion programs and services, that are free and open to all members of the community, including: Falls Prevention; Chronic Disease Self-Management; and the “Change Your Mind” program in mindfulness practices”.
The much-needed program space in Cobden is also being used by community partners who can rent the facility to deliver health and wellness programs and services, she said. Local non-profit and business partners have come forward to provide weekly yoga classes, prenatal education, breastfeeding workshops, foot care, flu shot clinics and more, she said.
Mr. Jordan is hopeful that recent funding applications to the Champlain LHIN, and the development of partnerships, will result in additional primary care services being offered through the Cobden facility
“The provision of programs such as Primary Care Outreach to Seniors, or the ability to provide lab services through the Cobden facility, require resources beyond what we currently have,” he said. “We’ll continue to pursue every opportunity we can to bring additional programs and services into this location.”
Brenda Powers-Ross, administrative co-ordinator, noted there will be public health flu shot clinics at both Beachburg and Cobden sites. The Cobden site will be opened 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 19 for the flu shot clinic and Beachburg’s lower level site will be opened 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 27 for the flu shot clinic.
Ms. Powers-Ross reminds people the urgent care clinic in Beachburg provides service only to residents within Whitewater and Admaston/Bromley. If it were open to anyone, there is concern residents in the area may not be provided coverage, as the clinic is only opened for one hour each weekday.
For those who want to use the clinic’s services, it is only for those who are clients, she added.
However, programs offered, such as Falls Prevention or breastfeeding workshop, etc, are opened to anyone, she noted.
For information regarding the programs and services offered at Cobden and Beachburg sites of the WWBCHC, visit the website at www.wbchc.on.ca or speak with receptionists at 613-582-3685. To inquire about booking space at the Cobden site, please contact Ms. Powers-Ross at 613-582-3685 or by email at [email protected]
