Eating disorder treatment facility closes in Brandon, leaving hole in Westman services

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This article was published 10/03/2022 (1466 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The owners of a longtime Brandon-based eating disorder clinic have decided to close their local facility, leaving a gap in services available in Westman.

Now, local patients will have to travel the extra distance to Kelowna, B.C. to access Westwind Counselling’s private services.

Westwind first opened its doors in Brandon in 1998. Located at 1605 Victoria Ave., the facility opened a second location in Kelowna last summer with hopes to continue operating both locations.

Tresa Clemmensen, co-director of Westwind Counselling, who has worked for the facility since 2003, said over the last six months, there was uncertainty in the demand of needing two facilities ahead of their decision.

“It’s time we have decided to amalgamate the two centres and offer it out of the Kelowna location, which seems to have a higher increased demand than the Brandon location,” Clemmensen said.

The private counselling service, which specializes in the long-term treatment and recovery from eating disorders, allows clients to stay at their facility for inpatient care typically up to three months at a time depending on the client’s recovery goal.

In a 2020 report from the Sun, the counselling service was charging its clientele upwards of $20,000 for a three-month stay at its Westman facility. According to Statistics Canada, the median income of Manitoba residents in 2019 was $37,200. For some, it’s a service that may not be financially feasible based on those totals.

Clemmensen said based on their clientele from across Canada, the United States and other parts of the world, having access to the international airport in Kelowna provided a greater ease of access to the B.C. facility over Brandon.

She said the building conditions of their Victoria Avenue location, which will continue to treat their remaining patients before closing, was of no concern. Westwind’s decision to close the Brandon facility leaves one less option for people in western Manitoba to access an important health-care service.

Clemmensen said she does not see Westwind’s departure from Brandon as a void to fill as the majority of their clientele have the means to fly to Kelowna for their services.

“We have a client from Manitoba who’s staying at our Kelowna location even though the Manitoba location has been opened,” Clemmensen said.

“Our highest clientele often would come from Alberta, B.C., and Ontario. Most clients are having to travel out of province for certain care.”

As an alternative to their private service, Clemmensen said Westman residents looking for eating disorder treatments could still access the Women’s Health Clinic or Health Sciences Centre eating disorder program in Winnipeg, which offers a comprehensive assessment, day treatment and outpatient treatment with access to inpatient treatment for adolescence and adults.

However, both of these options would require a trip to Winnipeg, which may be a challenge to commute for residents of western Manitoba.

Jamie Brown, a program co-ordinator for the Women’s Resource Centre in Brandon, works alongside a team of specialists who provide support for women and children experiencing challenges with trauma and mental health.

Brown said her organization has made some referrals to HSC for people experiencing difficulties with eating disorders and the mental health challenges surrounding that condition.

Brown said her organization should be the first step for people to reach out to in order to make that connection with other agencies who can provide care.

“When you’re working with folks who have experienced trauma in lots of different ways, that can manifest in an eating disorder,” Brown said.

“There aren’t a lot of resources [for that] in our community here.”

Clemmensen said clients from Manitoba can still get specialized care from the online programs Westwind Counselling has offered to its patients over the last two years based on the nature of the pandemic.

Since opening the Kelowna location last July, she said Westwind has seen higher demand in clients looking to access their service in B.C.

Prairie Mountain Health had not been directly informed about the closure of the Westwind facility in Brandon, a spokesperson told the Sun in an email Thursday. Prairie Mountain Health does not have a program that is “specialized” for eating disorders.

“Many of our services in PMH across programs support people with eating disorders on an ongoing basis,” the spokesperson said.

» jbernacki@brandonsun.com

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