Community First Health Co-op: Part of a Thriving Community.

Community First Health Co-op is proud to be part of a co-operative movement that is alive and flourishing in the Kootenay region.

 With over 25 co-ops in the area, we are the only health co-op and as such we hold a special place in the B.C. Health Co-operative Association.  The dream to offer an integrated approach to wellness is becoming more real every year with the variety of practitioners in the building who are working together to support the wellness of their clients.

We have doctors, naturopaths, chiropractors, massage therapists, psychologists, acupuncturists, community service advocates, yoga therapists, midwives, and training facilities in our building. We have Rise BC Wellness Clinic with a focus on pain management, AppleTree maternity a pre – post maternity facility, a mini medical clinic with a focus on less appointments and more time spent with each patient, a business that trains young people though a mentor ship to work in the building industry, and the Community Services Center offering support in a variety of ways to those in need.

We are connected both financially and philosophically with the Nelson and District Credit Union.  Through their support and leadership we were able to purchase the building, utilize their staff with their financial expertise and depend on them to be an advocate for the co-op movement. We continue to work with Seniors in our area and to be represented on housing forums and seniors committees.

TEETH, a low cost dental program is now over two years old and is growing to include appointments for those in the most need at our Nelson clinic and now we have a mobile dental hygienist serving the communities of the West Kootenay region.

We are planning our 3^rd annual Passport to Wellness Health Fair with a focus this year on Mental Health. We will be hosting the event on Saturday, April 8, 2017 at the Lake Street Building from 10am-4pm. If you know of anyone that might offer a session on mental well-being, please contact us at cfhcoop@shaw.ca 

The New Economy is a documentary with a focus on the cooperative movement and was premiered in Nelson to celebrate Co-op Week. A big thank you to the Nelson and District Credit Union for hosting this event. One of the interesting facts given was that 2 out of 3 people know what a co-op is but only 1 out of 3 can name one. We need to make sure that our name is one of the ones they know.

We are proud to continue our work with the community and with integrated health and look forward to more development in this arena.

It is the time for falling into Fall, so be careful, as the streets and sidewalks get slippery, that you do not fall.

Signing off and out to rake some leaves and get the gardens winterized.

Eric, Erin and Marion