Lack of staff limits Community Health Centre's hours

Lack of staff limits Community Health Centre's hours. Diebetes nurse and educator Suboshana Saravanaparanandam to local residents at The Hub-Mid Scarborough Friday. (Feb. 26, 2010) Staff photo/DAN PEARCE

The space - a two-storey plaza health club given a $3.8-million makeover on a corner of Brimley Road and Eglinton Avenue - was opened by United Way CEO Frances Lankin and Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews last month.

But the province has so far neglected to pay for the health centre's medical team.

That means for now, a clinic serving residents of neighbourhoods the United Way calls Kennedy Park and Eglinton East, many of whom don't have medical insurance or find it hard to get medical care for other reasons, will be open only Mondays and Thursdays.

West Hill Community Services can manage that by sending staff to The Hub satellite community health centre (CHC) from another satellite it operates at Kennedy Road and Sheppard Avenue.

"If we had more staff we could certainly be a lot busier," said program manager John Elliot, who said West Hill's goal is operating the clinic five days and one evening a week, the same as at its Kennedy Road satellite and base CHC at Markham and Kingston roads.

The staffing request was made over a year ago, he said.

But though the clinic was closed Friday, dozens of people were in The Hub learning how to live healthier lives.

Diabetes nurse educator Suboshana Saravanaparanandram was telling people in a diabetes education program to trim their toenails and wear clean socks. Diabetes damages nerves so they might hurt their feet and not know it.

Sessions are held at different times, including some evenings, for people who have Type 2 diabetes or are at risk for it. Family and friends can come with them, said

Parnaz Sadighi, program coordinator, who is also working on providing a diabetes support group.

In the community room, Pam Cardwell of the Central East Local Health Integration Network led a Living a Healthy Life With Chronic Conditions Self-Management workshop, training a group of volunteers to teach the same course, which aims at prompting small changes in behaviour, in the community.

"We have 14 different languages represented in this room," Cardwell said.

"We can train lay people and they can do just as good a job as health-care professionals."

The Toronto Public Health dental clinic, one of only two in Scarborough (the other is at the Scarborough Civic Centre) was providing free basic dental care, including examinations, extractions and pain management to patients with low family income under age 18 and over 65.

Open five days a week, they are already booking for June.

Waiting for an appointment was Trevor, who didn't want his last name used. Now 65 and on a disability pension, he'd been searching for years for help with his teeth and had to dig into his retirement savings plan to pay for root canals before he was referred to the civic centre clinic. Because it was "booked solid," he was sent to The Hub.

Trevor said the city does not do enough to publicize the service. "If you have it, why not let the people know?" he asked.

Health promoter Anne Crasto is one of many advocates who want free dental care expanded and are asking the province to stop denying immigrants health insurance during their first three months in Canada.

Crasto was also encouraging the public to visit The Hub and give their advice on possible programs.

"We need to continually find out what are the needs and what the gaps are," she said.

Some 40 per cent of clients at The Hub's health centre have no health insurance. Visits are free but, depending on their ability to pay, patients may be charged for part of what needs to be done.

Appointments are necessary but becoming a member of the CHC makes same-day appointments possible. Elliot said staff never share information on immigration status with governments.