(L-R) Janice Perrino, Esther Pace, Erin Kenning, Marcia Fukunaga, Wilma Arruda, and Tracy Hogeweide. (supplied)

By Jordan Davidson

important service

Nanaimo Hospital Foundation funds youth wellness health van

Aug 4, 2022 | 4:52 PM

NANAIMO — Mobile services with a focus on youth wellness will soon be hitting the streets of Nanaimo/Ladysmith.

The Youth Wellness Van was made possible thanks to a $146,000 donation from the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation (NDHF).

Newly appointed CEO Barney Ellis-Perry said this is an important and exciting partnership between local public health service providers and public schools.

“To bring the services the students have asked for through a series of focus groups to the schools, to public spaces that are safe and easy for kids to access so we can get to them when they need information on sexual health, birth control, pregnancy testing, STI’s, all the stuff that’s high on the minds of people of that age.”

The new initiative staffed by public health nurses also provides information on immunizations, harm reduction, along with mental health and substance abuse support.

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Providing nimble health services for those up to 25-years-old is focused on reducing barriers for young people trying to access healthcare in a safe and confidential way.

“It’s private and it’s well put together so the public health folks can have these conversations with students that’s easy to access and respectful to the kids,” Ellis-Perry told NanaimoNewsNOW.

Ellis-Perry said their focus groups provided great feedback on the concept with accessibility to health services flagged as needing attention.

“They (youth) are obviously starting their search online, but that’s only going to take them so far. They need to actually talk face-to-face with people and if they’re going to get screened for STI’s and other important things, they need to do that in-person with the professionals.”

Manager for Public Health for Nanaimo/Ladysmith for Island Health Esther Pace said there are currently only two wellness centres for youth in Nanaimo, located at John Barsby Secondary School and the Nanaimo Aquatic Centre.

But they heard these locations were not adequate to meet the needs of local young people, so they decided the best option was to bring the services to them.

“We have been providing some clinics in the other high schools, but they are infrequent, and schools have a lot of space demands too. So we approached the NDHF and explained that we would like to lower the barriers for access, be more mobile and go to where the youth are.”

Beginning this fall, the van will be staffed by public health nurses and will make scheduled visits to Nanaimo high schools and other locations around the community.

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