NorWest Community Health Centres and Evergreen Pharmacy Announce Partnership to Enhance Health Care in Rural Communities.
NorWest Community Health Centres and Evergreen Pharmacy are partnering to deliver a new model of health care to rural communities. The partnership improves access to primary health care, walk-in clinics as well as at-home care services to people living in the Municipality of Oliver Paipoonge, the Municipality of Neebing, the Township of Conmee and the
Township of O’Connor.
NorWest Community Health Centres has been providing Mobile Health Services to rural and remote communities for over 15 years. The goal is to provide quality health care to communities where people experience barriers to accessing care. The COVID19 pandemic has demonstrated the need for care close to home and highlighted the importance of meeting clients where they’re at. NorWest Community Health Centres recognizes the value in collaborating with Evergreen Pharmacy to enhance its service delivery model, and is ready to explore the benefits of offering a hybrid model of care.
Says Juanita Lawson, CEO of NorWest Community Health Centres; “Canadians living in rural communities often lack access to the health care services they need, causing reduced physical and mental health compared to people living in larger cities. These trends are predominant in rural Northern Ontario where challenges retaining health care providers increase these difficulties. Our new model will focus on enhancing the physical and mental well-being of individuals residing in these communities by providing access to interprofessional care, and prioritizing making connections with the community. This new partnership with Evergreen Pharmacy is a step towards enhancing the care of residents residing in Oliver Paipoonge, Neebing, Conmee and
Evergreen Pharmacy officially opened its doors in Kakabeka Falls, Oliver Paipoonge in 2017. They have been servicing the residents of Oliver Paipoonge and surrounding communities for over 5 years. With the demand for expanded services and continued community support, the pharmacy built and moved into their new, state-ofthe-art location in Kakabeka Falls on May 30, 2022. The facility was constructed to accommodate allied health professionals in order to increase the accessibility to multiple disciplinary healthcare teams in a rural setting. Nurse practitioners and community health workers will operate from within the NorWest Community Health Centres unit of the facility. Vulnerable and at-risk clients will have access to group programming and at-home care. Referrals to other specialists in diabetes, foot care, mental health and dietary care will also be available.
Says Devon Myers and Henry Templeman, owners of Evergreen Pharmacy; “We are delighted to collaborate with NorWest Community Health Centres to achieve a common goal: improve the health and the wellbeing of our patients and their families. As healthcare leaders in our community, we have seen firsthand the need for accessible healthcare in rural Northwestern Ontario. The opportunity to collaborate with NorWest Community Health Centres is a tremendous achievement for our healthcare workers and patients alike. This partnership brings enhanced healthcare access and wellness supports to individuals and families in Oliver Paipoonge and the surrounding areas who would otherwise have to travel to Thunder Bay for care.
Our pharmacy is committed to providing high quality healthcare services and supports close to home for local residents who have been underserved for too long.”
NorWest Community Health Centres and Evergreen Pharmacy will officially open for enhanced health care services in fall 2022.