By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

widening access to healthcare

The Mustard Seed opens new wellness centre

Jan 30, 2020 | 12:24 PM

The Mustard Seed Red Deer’s new wellness centre is now open to its clients.

Acting as a sort of walk-in clinic, the facility will offer Mustard Seed users, and others in the community struggling to make ends meet, another avenue to help get on track or stay on the path to wellness.

“When we think about the homeless or the poor, the stigma is that they’re lazy or just drug addicts, but not that many of them actually are. I think of people who are lonely, and rejected by society,” says Joshua Adams, a registered psychologist, and manager of clinical operations and programs at the Mustard Seed in Red Deer.

“Our wellness centre is about coming alongside them and finding out what they need, it’s about going to them and not waiting until there are issues so severe that they’re in an emergency room.”

The wellness centre, which is inside the Mustard Seed’s building in Riverside Meadows, will offer various mental health supports, as well as case management and advocacy, with hopes to add dentistry and chiropractic services in the future.

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“We’re focusing on building relationships with our guests, and we want to find those people who have barriers to accessing regular medical care. A big barrier is often trust as some have had negative experiences with the healthcare system,” Adams adds.

“The big impact is that people can feel that they are important and can be part of a community that actually cares about them.”

Byron Bradley, executive director at Mustard Seed Red Deer, believes the wellness centre will have a positive effect on the surrounding community.

“From day one in Red Deer, the Mustard Seed has partnered very intentionally with the entire community, and groups like the RCMP, the City of Red Deer, the Riverside Meadows Community Association, and we have seen an absolute turnaround in the amount of loitering and crime on and near our property,” he says.

“Being an organization that strives to care for the whole person, healthcare is crucial, so any time that you widen access to healthcare, it’s an absolute win for the community.”

Bradley noted that Carpet One, True-Line Homes, and Eagle Builders all partnered on the centre’s completion. All supplies and equipment in the wellness centre were donated by two local doctors.

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