‘ GoHere’ decals open washrooms
Campaign intended to help people living with Crohn’s and colitis
A handful of Calgary businesses and city facilities are opening their washrooms to those who really have to go as part of a national initiative launched by Crohn’s and Colitis Canada in Calgary on Thursday.
Through a simple red, black and white decal displayed on a store’s window, the GoHere program is designed to help the thousands of Canadians living with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, by allowing them easy access to washrooms.
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are serious, lifelong diseases that come with many health complications, including a sudden, urgent need to use a washroom, sometimes more than 20 times a day.
A GoHere decal on the window of a store or city facility will inform people with Crohn’s, colitis or other health issues resulting in incontinence, that a washroom is readily available at a premises, no questions asked.
Already 15 Calgary businesses and some city facilities have signed up to display the decals and open their washrooms, and the mayor is urging more to follow suit.
“It’s not a big thing. It’s putting a sticker in a window,” said Mayor Naheed Nenshi at the GoHere program launch at Calgary’s Oolong Tea House on Thursday.
“But it makes a huge difference,” Nenshi said.
He applauded the initiative and said the GoHere program ensures Calgary remains welcoming to all people.
“There’s good business sense in it and more importantly, there’s good community sense in it,” Nenshi said.
The need to be near a washroom can limit the whereabouts and frequency of public outings for people affected by the disorders, said Mina Mawani, the president and CEO of Crohn’s and Colitis Canada.
“Many people with Crohn’s and colitis live in isolation,” she said.
Roughly 25,000 Albertans have Crohn’s disease or colitis, according to Gil Kaplan, associate professor at the University of Calgary IBD Clinic.
Most patients are diagnosed when they’re young, at the prime of their lives, Kaplan said, and many quickly become anxious about planning outings around access to public toilets.
“A universal concern is the social stigma that is attached to going to the bathroom in public. Diarrhea does not wait for an available toilet,” he said.
Jennifer Wakeford is an avid soccer player who has lived with Crohn’s disease for years.
At Thursday’s event, Wakeford described the extreme anxiety she has experienced while trying to plan soccer games and practices around washroom access.
She welcomed the new GoHere initiative and urged more Calgary businesses to sign up.
It’s not a big thing. It’s putting a sticker in a window. But it makes a huge difference. ... There’s good business sense in it.