As Centre de santé Saint-Boniface celebrates its 25 anniversary, the primary care clinic is honouring the hard work of those who established the centre, but also welcoming more members of the community into their circle.
Lorette Beaudry Ferland, a retired health care administrator and board member, was part of the group of dedicated francophones who helped get the Centre up and running in 1999. “In the 1990s, there was a real desire in the community to have better health care services in French,” she explains. “We had ensured that education and culture were thriving, but finding a francophone physician in Winnipeg remained a struggle.”
While there was community will involved, it was a government-issued study called the Chartier Report that launched what would become Centre de santé Saint-Boniface. “The report said that we needed a francophone community health centre in an urban setting,” continues Beaudry Ferland. “The government agreed, and we got to work. There were three founding members: the Grey Nuns, the Société franco-manitobaine and the Université de Saint-Boniface, which was still a college at that time. We worked together to create a multi-disciplinary team with the main goal of offering comprehensive health care services en français.”
Suzanne Nicolas, a nurse and health care leader, was hired as the first Executive Director and was responsible for operationalizing a new centre, which was no small feat. Stéphanie Roy, the current leader, is thankful for all the hard work of those who came before her. “There is a spirit in this organization that makes me very proud,” she shares. “We never say we can’t do something; we always figure out a way. We are continuing to grow and evolve in community to meet the needs of those we serve, and we’re proud to say that we’re listening to those we serve as well.”
Centre de santé Saint-Boniface cares for over 8,000 patients and offers services such as access to physicians, but also internal medicine specialists, dietitians, and other care providers that ensure a holistic approach to health. Even while serving many clients, the staff at the centre wanted to use the 25th anniversary celebrations as a chance to be even better known in the community.
A free picnic was held on September 18, with 300 people attending from community groups, daycares, and the centre itself. “We are a little hidden in our location in the Access Centre on Goulet Street,” admits Roy. “We are here to help, and we’re here to be a resource to the community. When we started to plan these activities, our staff thought it was critical to have an open, inviting, barrier-free event to help make everyone feel welcome.”
The picnic included great food, musicians, children’s activities, yoga and other sneak peeks of programming. The centre offers many services to the public, including diabetes care, osteoporosis supports and more, so the more people who learn about these services, the better the health of the whole community can become.
Beaudry Ferland is happy to see the centre continue its mission with such enthusiasm and care. Her wishes for the centre on this milestone are simple: “Congratulations for 25 years, and let’s keep going another 100!”