FEATURE COLLABORATION Health care for everyone The Mount Carmel chiropractic clinic success story. by audrey toth , gerald olin and steven passmore The chiropractic clinic at Mount Carmel in Winnipeg was envisioned to provide care for the underserved part of the population. I t started as a simple idea during contract negotia-tions between a chiropractic association and a pro-vincial government. After many years of meetings to review feasibility issues, the Manitoba Chiropractors Association, the Manitoba Provincial Government (Family Services Department) and Mount Carmel Clinic (MCC) in inner-city Winnipeg eventually came to an agreement. They agreed that the inclusion of chiropractic services at MCC would be a welcome addi-tion to the current health services provided there. The Point Douglas area in Winnipeg, where MCC is located, includes 65 to 75 per cent of the Employment and Income Assistance (EIA) recipients in Manitoba. The EIA Program provides financial help to Manitobans who are unable to support themselves or their families. The goal was to improve access and coverage of chiro-practic services for low-income Manitobans living in in-ner-city Winnipeg. This included people who receive DR. AUDREY TOTH, DC , is the attending chiropractor at Mount Carmel Clinic. DR. GERALD OLIN, DC , is the Manitoba Chiropractors Association liaison for the Mount Carmel Chiropractic Clinic and a consultant to Manitoba Public Insurance Health Care Services department. DR. STEVEN PASSMORE, DC, PHD , is an assistant professor in the faculty of kinesiology and recreation management at the University of Manitoba. income assistance benefits, homeless people who move from shelter to shelter, those who were in the “Rewarding Work Program” of the EIA, new immigrants to Canada, or those reintegrating into society after an incarceration or lengthy hospitalization. The mandate of the project was to ensure that the low-income population had equitable health-care benefits and services. The clinic is designed to reduce financial barriers allowing a sizable population of low-income Manitobans to have access to chiropractic care in their community. Dr. Audrey Toth is the clinic chiropractor at MCC and has been a member of the Manitoba Chiropractors Asso-ciation for 25 years. As the MCC chiropractor, she provides clinical services to the Point Douglas community. This includes clinical work within MCC alongside allied health providers including medical physicians, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, midwives, psychiatric nurses, dentists, x-ray techs, pharmacists, as well as nutritionists and social workers. The MCC is a not-for-profit community health centre with a purpose to create and promote a healthy inner-city community. Services are provided primarily to the residents of the North End and Point Douglas com-munities. www.canadianchiropractor.ca 30 Canadian Chiropractor May 2016
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