Refugee clinic hoping to expand
KITCHENER — A refugee clinic that started in the library of a downtown church five years ago is hoping to expand its current home.
On Friday, the Sanctuary Refugee Health Centre is kicking off a $100,000 fundraising campaign to raise money to increase its physical space at its King Street East location.
Clinic founder Dr. Mike Stephenson said the money will be used to add more space, including for medical equipment and computers, as well as pay for staff from the K-W Multicultural Centre and Canadian Mental Health Association to work at the clinic.
Stephenson said he wants to partner with other agencies that already work with refugees.
“We want to create a hub of services,” he said. “We are trying to make sure their health issues are addressed.”
Stephenson said it’s important to help refugees when they arrive before problems become more serious.
“The capacity at first arrival to help them become citizens, members of the workforce and members of the school system is huge at the time of arrival,” he said.
“The longer they wait for care, the worse they do.”
The clinic currently occupies 2,500 square feet and hopes to grow to 4,500.
It opened in 2013 in the library of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. Now Stephenson works full-time leading a team of five doctors, two nurses, a nurse practitioner, a physician assistant, two settlement workers, a social worker and a dietician. Most work parttime.
The clinic, which moved to the Kitchener Market plaza last year, had six patients on its first day. Today, it has almost 3,000 patients and 300 more on a wait list.
The patients — all refugees — hail from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Myanmar, the Congo and Venezuela. The biggest group are Syrian refugees, he said.
Another clinic helping refugees in Kitchener is the Centre for Family Medicine Refugee Health Clinic, which assists government-sponsored refugees.
The Sanctuary clinic, which has an annual budget of $400,000, receives some provincial and federal funding, but also relies on donations.
Stephenson said the clinic has additional costs, including interpretation services and staff to help with health administration, such as explaining prescriptions and coverage, and how to get to a specialist.
Stephenson said patient issues can include jet lag, culture shock, bipolar disorders, anxiety and pain from torture some have experienced.
“There is so much value in helping newcomers to be part of the community,” said Stephenson, who started working with refugees during his residency in Montreal.
He then worked with refugees in Toronto and moved to Waterloo Region when his wife got a faculty position at the University of Waterloo.
Stephenson said he’s inspired by patients who have struggled and faced barriers many of us can’t imagine.
“We are trying to create a safe place they can come and see a friendly face,” he said.
Donations for the expansion can be made online through the Canadian Medical Foundation.