Glenboro embarks on fundraising drive for clinic

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/08/2024 (511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If all goes according to plan in Glenboro, there could be a new medical clinic built in the town within a year and a half, according to Ron Jefferies, chair of the Spirit Sands Medical Clinic committee.

“It’s been in the works for quite a while, and our goal is to have a successful fundraising drive this fall and be able to start construction of our clinic in the spring,” said Jefferies.

The current clinic is in the basement of the Glenboro Health Centre, which was built in the early 1950s. It also houses the personal care home.

Jefferies said the new clinic will be built on a vacant lot behind the hospital, to provide the two doctors and nurse practitioner a modern space to work.

“There are cement walls down there,” said Jefferies. “Some rooms have no windows; some rooms have a small window. It’s just not that kind of atmosphere for some new doctor that has many options on their table, who can go wherever they want to go. They’re going to go to a place that has a very nice new, modern workplace.

“So, it’s about providing a good atmosphere for the doctors to work in with bright light and new paint, modern ventilation, air conditioning, heating and technology, too,” Jefferies said.

The fundraising goal has not yet been made public. The committee hopes to share it on Sept. 4 during a town hall meeting to announce that the project is a go.

What Jefferies can confirm is the planned size of the clinic — 3,200 square feet.

The committee looked at the construction of Minnedosa’s new clinic in 2018 that cost $2.5 million, but was almost 2,000 square feet bigger.

“Minnedosa’s was quite a bit bigger and was a few years ago, and things change almost by the month, let alone by the year. I have some numbers in my mind, but until we get more firm estimates, I wouldn’t want to say the exact target,” Jefferies said.

Dale Fisher, a councillor with the Municipality of Glenboro-South Cypress, said he hopes the community will rise to the occasion like it has in the past.

More than $100,000 was raised to pay the recruiter Waterford Global to find a new physician for the hospital, clinic and personal care home.

“People came to the plate big time,” Fisher said, adding, the recruiting process was a success.

“Hopefully it will be this new doctor from the U.K.,” said Fisher. “We have a meeting with Waterford again tomorrow (Tuesday), and they’re giving us an update. She wants to come; they were already here six weeks ago doing a tour. They flew here from the U.K. and they’re very interested in Glenboro,” he said.

About six months ago, a new physician, Dr. Banafsheh SalimArouny, was hired by Prairie Mountain Health to work in the Glenboro hospital and clinic, alongside a locum, Dr. Gerard Desmond, and nurse practitioner Brittany Vrooman.

Having four medical professionals may also attract more people to move to their town, said Fisher, adding patients already come from the communities that are two to three hours away — Mariapolis, Swan Lake, Cartwright, Holland and Treherne.

“Glenboro’s a 55-plus community, and if we get back to four doctors, people will move and live here because nobody wants to go sit in Brandon for 12 hours to see a doctor in emergency,” Fisher said.

“We’re in a good location on No. 2 highway. We haven’t got a lot of big industry, but people will retire in your community if you’ve got health care.”

The community information meeting about building the new Spirit Sands Medical Clinic is scheduled for next Wednesday evening at the Glenboro Hall, beginning at 7 p.m.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

» X: @enviromichele