New Centre to Keep Richmond Healthy
30 March 2006
The City of Richmond and Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) will officially open Garratt Wellness Centre on Saturday, April 1, 2006 helping Richmond retain its recognition as one of the healthiest communities in Canada.
Established on a former elementary school site, Garratt Wellness Centre is a ‘one stop shop’ for people of all ages living with chronic health conditions that provides a seamless continuum of service from diagnosis to self-management.
“The idea was to move diabetes, cardiac rehabilitation and education services into the community where people live, so that they are accessible on a daily basis,” says Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “Helping people to improve their quality of life is the best way we can showcase our city as we prepare to play host to the world in 2010.”
Renovations to transform the school into a wellness centre include a teaching kitchen; fitness centre equipped with treadmills, bikes, cable weight machines; group counseling room; exam rooms; teaching rooms; and counseling offices where a nurse or educator can have some confidential time with a client.
Garratt Wellness Centre offers:
- Specialized physical activity programs
- Smoking cessation support sessions
- Post partum counseling group
- Outpatient dietician and physiotherapist sessions
- Relaxation and support groups for those receiving cancer care
The multidisciplinary staff roster includes a nutritionist, physiotherapist, physical activity leaders, music therapist, respiratory therapist, and several community nurses who assist and educate people with diabetes, congestive heart failure, asthma, hypertension and other chronic conditions.
The Canadian Diabetes Association and S.U.C.C.E.S.S. have also come on as key stakeholders at Garratt Wellness Centre. The Canadian Diabetes Association leads courses on healthy cooking and nutrition to manage diabetes while S.U.C.C.E.S.S, one of the largest immigration and social service agencies in BC, operates its Changeways and food safety programs at Garratt.
According to Statistics Canada, residents of Richmond have the greatest life expectancy and the lowest smoking and obesity rates in the country.
