St. John’s Clinic – TWC Interactive

Continuing Street Health Work

Stephanie Mancini December 1, 2019

At last year’s Mayors’ Dinner we focused on Person-Centred Grassroots Healthcare. In the words of Dr. George Berrigan: “We had no bureaucratically designed program or procedural guidelines to work under. In effect, what we did was use the approach of the famous professional tennis player, Arthur Ashe, who tackled his problems using the SUD method: Start where you are! Use what you have! Do what you can! Our immediate barrier was gaining trust which took a lot of listening and attention, being adaptable, open and especially non-judgmental. We worked hard at keeping our promises. We knew our care had to be backed by consistency, respect and kindness.

Water Street House Update

Stephanie Mancini June 1, 2019

Last spring The Working Centre responded to the community need for a creative response to the growing impact of debilitating drug use, at a time when landlords were unwilling to host a potential Safe Consumption and Treatment (SCT) site location. We purchased an old degrading rooming house on Water Street with the goal of creating a place of welcome for people who are using drugs. This vision could include the SCT, but also includes an 8 bed house to provide interim housing.

Remembering Shirley Gutenberg (1944-2019)

Margaret Nally June 1, 2019

Shirley will be greatly missed in all the community spaces, like hospital, prison, outreach places, in fact, everywhere her unending kindness and generosity of spirit was shared as she moved, and worked with people in places of pain, bringing healing and wholeness to situations.

Learning from Service

Dr. George Berrigan June 1, 2019

Editor’s Note: On March 30, 2019 Dr. George Berrigan officially retired from St. John’s Clinic after serving 10 years. The Mayors’ Dinner was a wonderful opportunity to thank George Berrigan and Evelyn Gurney for their commitment. The following is George’s Mayors’ Dinner speech

Celebrating Grassroots Health Care

Kara Peters Unrau June 1, 2019

The 32nd Mayors’ Dinner was a full evening of community connections at Marshall Hall at Bingemans. Almost 1000 people crowded into the hall to hear stories about three grassroots approaches to health care.

St. John’s Clinic: Primary Healthcare Based in St. John’s Kitchen

Tony D'Amato Stortz March 1, 2019

Dr. George Berrigan is the physician at St. John’s Clinic, the primary care clinic located within St. John’s Kitchen in Downtown Kitchener. Together with longtime Registered Nurse, Evelyn Gurney, and a dedicated team of healthcare and outreach workers, they care for the over 2,000 people in the clinic.

Person-Centred Grassroots Healthcare

Tony D'Amato Stortz March 1, 2019

The Guests of Honour at the 2019 Mayors’ Dinner are all people who did not wait for permission to do the right thing. As healthcare professionals, they saw a need in our community and took the initiative. They tackle Hepatitis C, refugee health, and primary care for those experiencing homelessness. They return day after day to do it again. Their efforts are chipping away at the major health issues in our community from the ground up, rather than the all-too-familiar route of top-down healthcare.

St. John’s Clinic Grassroots Healthcare

Stephanie Mancini September 1, 2018

As we head into winter, we can see the challenges of Waterloo Region’s 1.6% vacancy rate with affordable housing almost impossible to find. Across the Region, some 350 people are staying in shelters by night, and become “roving people” by day, carrying their belongings, seeking warmth and a place to be. We estimate another 60 people are camping/living rough/finding warm stairwells, parking garages, or sheds. This is a resilient group, facing a lot of complexity, and living in survival mode, supporting one another, living day to day.

Community Building at St. John’s Kitchen

Joe Mancini December 1, 2017

Every weekday at St. John’s Kitchen, the doors open at 8:00 am as a breakfast of breads, jams, peanut butter and coffee is served. Soon after, in the open kitchen, the preparations begin for the meal to be served by 11:00 and 11:30. This routine has been going on without a break for over 30 years. On January 15th the kitchen will mark its 32nd year. All the people involved, giving of their time and energy, ensure that a daily meal is served for free in the downtown.

Healthy Community, Healthy Minds

Dr. George Berrigan December 1, 2012

In March, 2009, the Psychiatric Outreach Project (POP) based at the St. John’s Kitchen expanded its medical services beyond psychiatric care to include family medicine care. Dr. Neil Arya had been providing weekly clinics for people who had psychiatric and addiction problems. When Evelyn Gurney, RN, and I joined the program we were able to provide two full day clinics at St. John’s Kitchen and half day clinics at House of Friendship and a half day clinic at Emmanuel United Church on Bridgeport Road in Waterloo. Fortunately, Dr. Rebecca Lubitz (a family doctor) joined our team two years ago working one day a week at St John Kitchen. Adding family medicine to the POP program expanded services to people who are homeless or at high risk of becoming homeless.

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