Telling Our Stories

Julie is a dedicated Primary Care RN at the West Elgin Community Health Centre.  Julie's role focuses on providing patient-centered care, emphasizing health promotion and disease prevention through patient education, triage, and administering vaccines.  Her passion for teaching and deveoping meaningful relationships with clients keeps her motivated each day.  Julie's most rewarding moments come from celebrating "wins" with her clients, such as improved health outcomes, welcoming new babies, or achieving cancer remission.  To Julie, community health care means accessibility and enhancing quality of life.

Outside of work, she loves spending time with her family, enjoying local parks, soccer games, and the beach.  Julie is proud to live, play, and raise her boys in the community where she grew up.  Thank you, Julie, for your committment and care!

#HumansOfWECHC #CommunityHealth #NurseLife #WECHC #WestElginProud

As part of the Centre's Health Promotion Team, Kaitlyn plays a vital role as a Youth Advocate, promoting and protecting the well-being of young individuals.  She is dedicated to advocating for their rights, providing support, and empowering youth ages 10-18 through various programs at the Centre.  

What motivates Kaitlyn each day?  It's the opportunity to tackle diverse challenges, assist youth with complex problems and continually learn and grow.  A particularly memorable moment for Kaitlyn was witnessing a shy, hesitant teenager find their voice and confidently participate in programs - truly rewarding!

For Kaitlyn, community health care means ensuring accessible and equitable services tailored to local needs, promoting wellness, preventing disease and fostering a supportive environment where everyone can thrive.  Outside of work, Kaitlyn loves running the Dutton Farmers Market and participating in sports.  She adores the supportive nature of the Elgin West community, where everyone wants to see each other succeed.

#YouthAdvocate #CommunityHealthCare #WECHC #HealthPromotion #EmpowerYouth #HumansofWECHC #ElginWest

Meet Rick, the Centre's awesome Primary Health Services Director!  Rick loves coming to work each day because of the amazing people he works with.  Watching his team step up to help each other and solve problems together brings him joy.

For Rick, community health care is all about the well-being of the whole community, taking into account the Social Determinants of Health.  Luckily, the Centre's programs are designed with this holistic approach in mind.  

When he's not at work, Rick is all about enjoying local eats - whether it's tasty Vietnamese food, sushi, or the delicious pies in Wallacetown.  He and his wife also love kayaking in Port Glasgow on calm days.

#WECHC #CommunityHealth #MeetRick #humansofwechc

Stephanie is a Registered Nurse with our Health Promotion team.  In her role as a Health Promoter, Stephanie provides tools and resources to support people in improving their overall wellness.

Every day Stephanie feels provileged to serve her community and witness the positive impact of the Centre's efforts.  She treasures moments like helping someone quit smoking, providing food to those in need, seeing program participants smile, harvesting from the Community Gardens, and helping people make new friends.

For Stephanie, community health care means giving people the opportunity to take charge of their health through engaging activities, advocating for supportive public policies, and creating safe, nurturing environments.  

Outside of work, Stephanie loves spending time outdoors, whether fishing at Port Glasgow or exploring trails like the West Elgin Nature Preserve and John E. Pearce Conservation Areas.  She cherishes the friendliness of her community, the helpfulness of local businesspeople, and the safety of her neighbourhood.  West Elgin is her home, a place where she finds both work and joy.

#WECHC #MeetStephanie #CommunityHealth #humsofwechc

Kristie works as a Client Services Liaison within the Assisted Living Program at the Centre.  She onboards new clients, creates care plans, and ensures client needs are met with the assistance of PSWs and our Assisted Living Coordinator.  

Kristie finds this work incredibly rewarding - from being able to help a client start their day to achieving their goals and listening to their life stories.  Knowing our team might be the only visit a client receives that day gives her a new perspective.  To Kristie, a community health centre is a hub where anyone can feel connected and cared for, offering not just medical care but whole health care.  It's a place where people are seen, heard, and valued.

Outside of work, you can find Kristie cheering on her kids at local sports events.  She loves the strong sense of community in her rural area where people are always looking out for each other.

#HumansOfWECHC #CommunityHeros #WECHC #MeetTheTeam #ServingOurCommunity #meetkristie

Dr. Bond referred a client to the Good Food box program.  Our client receives a free box per month thanks to the generous donations from a few community churches.  The client shared that they cried when they opened the box this month and stated "everything in that box was beyond needed and when you need food, especially food that is nourishing!  So much energy is spent on trying to find ways to get food, worrying about not having food and the stress of knowing that health hurdles are aggravated by that stress and the lack of nutritional food.  Those boxes allow me to exhale for a while... that is just as important as the food itself.  So thank you to all of you!  You are effecting lives in ways that you are not always aware of.  I, for one, am thankful that you are you!"

My 93 year old mother-in-law has been receiving services from you which has enabled her to stay in her apartment.  Recently she experienced a fall resulting in fractured ribs and was in hospital for a couple of days.  In order to have a successful discharge, it was necessary to make a new plan of care with your program.  It was a pleasure to see how thoroughly and quickly you were able to accommodate her needs.  The communication with you and your staff has been exemplary.  We are so pleased to have her back in her apartment and thankful for all that you do.  Sincerely, JR