ANNUAL REPORT - Canadian Mental Health Association

volunteer program (cont’d)city centre health carehave contributed over 8500 volunteer hours over the last fiscal year,helping us continue to achieve our mission of Mentally Healthy Peoplein a Healthy Society. This contribution is significant and we thank ourvolunteers for their generosity.Ghandi said, “The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in theservice of others.” All of our volunteers have found themselves lost inservice to our cause. The contribution of these volunteers can not befully realized, however the lives that have been touched because ofthe money raised or the time spent visiting, listening and the supportprovided is the measurement of success for the Volunteer Program. Weare looking forward to another success year in 2012!Pictured at right CMHA Staff Christy Stevenson and Silvana DennisonThe 2011 Black and White event committee.The City Centre Health Care Operating as a satellite of WECHC,continues to provide comprehensive primary care service forpersons living in the prescribed downtown catchment area and forpersons having a serious mental illness in Essex County.Our number of clients served and the service events continue toincrease over time.CCHC podiatrist coordinated a shoe drive last year, afterrecognizing the high number of clients coming into the centre withpoor foot wear. Through the shoe drive we were able to secure 37pairs of new running shoes, which was distributed to clients basedon need. Due to the enormous success of this effort and the evergrowing needs of our clients the CCHC team have decided to makethis an annual activity.One of the CCHC physicians was able to provide a primarycare physician new to Canada, the opportunity to complete anobservership for two months. The physician was originally fromEgypt, and found the experience most rewarding.Several Nurse Practitioner students were able to complete theirrotation with the centre, and provided us with very positivefeedback regarding their experiences.Our Health Promoter supervised six fourth year nursing students,who assisted with providing education to the community regardingthe Bed Bug epidemic in our area. They further provided assistancewith our Community Needs Assessment, groups, and also providedmuch needed support in us completing our annual surveys. Uponcompletion of their internship with the City Centre Health Care,two of the students determined that instead of working in ahospital, they wanted to work in a Community Health Care setting.City Centre Health Care created an injection clinic providing longlasting injections to clients which contributes to their quality of life.Having the injection clinic has enabled clients to remain stable, andreportedly have had fewer visits to the emergency room.15 16