About Mid-Main Community Health Centre.
Our Philosophy.
We are a non-profit society committed to helping you maintain and improve your health. Because good health involves many factors, we provide a range of services in one building that emphasize health education and illness prevention. At Mid-Main, we believe that healthy people make healthy communities. In building a better future, we are guided by the following beliefs:
People who use our health services should help decide what our services will be and how they will be offered in the community. We will ensure that community input helps shape our vision and goals.
Social and economic factors can profoundly affect the health of the people we serve. We will coordinate our services with other agencies to provide optimum care for high needs and high risk clients.
Health care services should be based on evidence and best practice. We will promote a healthy work environment for our staff so that they in turn can deliver appropriate high quality care to our clients.
Health care services are only part of healthy communities. We are committed to being financially responsible to ensure that our services are used effectively and efficiently.
Our History
Mid-Main started in 1986 from an idea that envisioned a collection of Community Health Centres in the Lower Mainland. These health centres would share resources in offering multi-disciplinary health services under one roof, and in doing so, offer an alternative to private practice in medical and dental care. The Mid-Main area was chosen due to the need for increased health services in the neighbourhood. In 1987, a group of community minded individuals spearheaded the development of the Mid-Main Community Health Centre. They began by gathering a volunteer Board of Directors and hiring staff. Mid-Main Community Health Centre officially opened on June 22, 1988. During the 35 years since inception, many dedicated volunteers and staff members worked together to create our present modern day CHC in the spirit of the original vision.
What’s a CHC?
Community Health Centres (CHCs) have been in existence in Canada since the 1920’s; today there are over 400 CHCs in Canada. They can be found in every province but the numbers are strongest in Ontario, with BC growing our movement rapidly in recent years. BC now has over 30 CHCs as members of our BC Association of CHCs (BCACHC). CHCs apply a unique approach. Community Health Centres (CHCs) are multi-sector health and healthcare organizations that deliver integrated, people-centred services and programs that reflect the needs and priorities of the diverse communities they serve.
Community Health Centres are created by not-for-profit organizations and co-operatives that are committed to providing comprehensive, accessible, affordable, and culturally-appropriate services through a collaborative team approach.
Distinct Features of CHC’s:
CHC staff work in inter-professional teams. In addition to doctors and nurses, they employ social workers, health promoters, community educators, nurse practitioners and physiotherapists. Team members work together to provide more complete care and support for the individuals, families and communities being served.
CHCs are grounded in a community development approach. The mix of programs and services each CHC offers is custom-made to respond to the community. Planning for a CHC includes asking community members to identify individual or community health issues requiring the most urgent attention. This process of community input continues once the CHC opens and begins to provide programs and services.
CHCs are community-governed. Volunteer boards of directors are made up of community members with experience about what is affecting health in their community. They offer on-going guidance on how we can maximize our positive impact.
CHCs are much more than just a doctor or dentist’s office. Advocates of this model argue that CHCs are the solution to primary health care reform. For more information about CHCs, visit the links below.
Our Executive Director, Irene Clarence speaks about the need for increased federal and provincial investment in Community Health Centres throughout British Columbia.
Mid-Main Staff + Board Members.
Administrative Staff.
Executive Director
Asia Hollingsworth
Primary Care Clinic Manager
Annie Wong
Dental Clinic Manager
Bailey Weberg
Parents as Teachers Program Coordinator
Pandora Yeung
Board of Directors.
Alex Berland
Lynn Buhler
Carla Gregor
Greg Kozak
Anthony Kupferschmidt
Steven Lewis
Ian Yang