Latest news with #CalgaryHealthFoundation
CBC
4 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Calgary Refugee Health Clinic avoids closure with 2-year emergency bridge funding
After facing the threat of closure, a Calgary health clinic that treats thousands of refugees annually will be able to stay open for another two years — though on a much smaller scale. Since last fall, the Calgary Refugee Health Clinic team has been scrambling for resources after learning its long-time funding of $1.6 million a year was pulled by the Mosaic Primary Care Network because the clinic's "patient volume and complexity of care have grown significantly," according to the network at the time. The clinic, which takes in up to 1,500 new refugees a year, helps patients access health, social and settlement services and, after some time, helps them transition to permanent care. After learning the clinic was on the verge of shutting down, the Calgary Health Foundation stepped forward with a promise of $550,000, ensuring the northeast facility can keep its doors open for two more years. "It's been an absolute thrill that we've been able to make this happen," the clinic's medical director and family physician, Dr. Rachel Talavlikar, told CBC News. "It was heartbreaking, what we went through." She's referring, in part, to the loss of dozens of staff. While 27 physicians still work at the clinic part-time, they now only have five support staff — down from the 30 nurses, social workers, mental health therapists and more they used to have. Those people are still employed with Mosaic Primary Care Network, Talavlikar added, but now patients must be referred and sit on long waitlists to see them. "We are learning what it looks like to see these patients without that extra support. And we definitely have a bit of a backup starting to form," said Talavlikar. Talavlikar said that means they now have to transition patients out of their clinic and to permanent family doctors more quickly — especially if they have the English skills to navigate the health care system. They've also had to shut down their mobile support program, and they no longer have a nurse in-house at the Margaret Chisholm Resettlement Centre to treat new arrivals. For Calgary Health Foundation CEO Paul Rossmann, the clinic's work is more important than ever, now that Calgary is a direct entry point for refugees. "Many of these people arrive with complex medical and social needs. If those needs don't get met, people fall through the cracks and then ultimately they have the potential to end up in emergency rooms with more acute health challenges," said Rossmann. "This is a far more proactive way to ensure the health and settlement of the refugee population." Rossmann said the foundation is still fundraising to round up the $550,000 commitment they've made to the clinic. What happens after the two years? Talavlikar said she sees this funding scare as an opportunity to rebuild the clinic to be more effective and cost-efficient. Her goal is to treat each refugee that arrives in Calgary at least once. Meanwhile, as she actively hunts for funding opportunities to hire more nurses in the near term, she's also looking to the province for some long-term solutions. Talavlikar said she's been speaking with the leadership of Primary Care Alberta — one of the province's four new health agencies created amid the health care system overhaul — to see how a specialized clinic like hers will fit in the long-term. "The team at Primary Care Alberta were very keen to see us be part of the health system," she said. According to Talavlikar, this could be an opportunity to shape the new agency. "Those of us that did work with those communities, all those equity-deserving populations, we have to fight all the time to be like, 'Don't forget about them,' right? Whereas this new system is really being structured with them at the forefront," she said. "I'm very optimistic that we'll find a place to be anchored. I guess I won't stop until they do."
CTV News
11-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
SportChek Mother's Day Run
Thousands skipped Mother's Day brunch to raise money for the Calgary Health Foundation's neonatal unit and Canadian Tire Jumpstart. Tyler Barrow reports.
Calgary Herald
11-05-2025
- Health
- Calgary Herald
'Very important': Neonatal intensive care among causes Calgarians turn out for in Mother's Day Run, Walk and Wheel
Article content Thousands of Calgarians laced up their runners and gathered in the east parking lot of Chinook Centre on Sunday morning for the 2025 Sport Chek Mother's Day Run, Walk & Wheel — an annual event to celebrate moms while raising vital funds for charitable causes, including neonatal intensive care in Calgary. Article content Article content Now in its 47th year, the event is one of Calgary's largest family fundraising traditions, supporting both Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities and the Calgary Health Foundation. Participants could choose from a five-kilometre walk/run, a 10-kilometre run and a 1-kilometre kids race. The course stretched north along Elbow Drive over into Mission, with road closures in place to accommodate the steady stream of runners, walkers, wheelers and stroller-pushers. Article content Article content That spirit of connection was shared by many families and fundraising teams throughout the morning, including Annie Dalton, part of a team of about 20 people called 'Lisa's Dandelions,' made up of friends and family of Lisa Lavertu, who is facing a stage 4 cancer diagnosis. Article content '(It's) going to be two years since her diagnosis in August . . . she's already beaten the odds,' Dalton said. 'It's all about getting together. It's a way to celebrate her (and) show support.' Article content The team's name was inspired by the dandelion as a symbol of resilience — something that is 'gentle yet resilient and strong,' Dalton said. Article content Article content For longtime participant Lara Vogel, the event carries personal significance. She's taken part in the run for a decade, but it now holds deeper meaning since the birth of her one-year-old son, who required care in the NICU after birth. On Sunday, she walked the 5K while pushing him in a stroller. Article content Article content 'The reason I started was because the money went towards NICU support, which I think is very necessary,' she said. 'Now that I'm a mom and the cause has helped me, I want to continue doing it and raise money. Article content Funds raised for the Calgary Health Foundation will benefit the NICU at Foothills Medical Centre — the busiest of its kind, according to the foundation. Article content 'In Calgary, one in eight kids have to go to the NICU. The national average is 1 in 10, and we don't know why that is,' said Rebecca Bowman, chief development officer and vice-president of philanthropy at Calgary Health Foundation. 'Part of the money that we raise for NICU is going into research to help find the source of that problem, so we can fix (it).' Article content Article content While the CHF supports NICUs at all the hospitals in Calgary, most of the funds will be directed to the Foothills unit, home to the busiest Level 3 NICU in Canada, which deals with the 'most serious' cases, Bowman said.
