Snapshot #1: First Impressions

What are your initial impressions of your placement and the work that you’ll be doing?

 

I went to the Boyle McCauley Health Center (BMHC) for the first time last week and learned not just about what the center is and what exactly it does but also had a little reality check of my own about my preconceived notions about the center. Despite having done some initial research on what the center is and the services it provides to the community, I was still surprised by my visit and it allowed me to see the center and the services it provides in a different light.

I arrived around 8:30 in the morning and the center was already busy. As you can see in the photograph there are already people coming in and out of the center. It is important to understand how much of a role it plays in the community and the importance of the services it provides to people who may not be able to get access to these services otherwise.

Upon walling into the clinic one of the things that first struck me was the fact that the facility itself was really just like an average walk in medical center with an intake desk, offices, and doctors’ rooms. For some reason I had the preconceived idea that the center would be cross between a medical center and a community drop in center that mainly catered to transients and homeless people. There were people in the waiting room that appeared to be from different walks of life, not people that we would consider homeless. This was one of the biggest revelations for me because I thought the center catered only to the homeless people in the community. I’m not sure what why I thought this, but I must have developed these preconceived notions primarily because of the area it is it and its proximity to other social services in the area geared towards homeless. I felt a little bit guilty about my ignorance. It was nice to see though that caters to and is accessed by a wide range of people from varying socio-economic backgrounds and cultures.

I met with Bavie Sara, the volunteer and fundraising coordinator for the BMHC and she gave me a tour of the whole facility.  The BMHC is not just a typical doctors clinic but rather a 'one stop shop' that offers a wide range of services from medical checkups, dental services, x-ray services, mental health and counselling offices, pregnancy support, STD testing, a needle exchange office, and an optometry clinic. The two most surprising services to me were the foot clinic and the onsite diagnostic testing center. For some reason it had never occurred to me the importance of providing foot care. Many of the people that visit the clinic are indeed on the streets and spend a great deal of time on their feet and therefore access to foot care consultations would greatly benefit their lives. The onsite diagnostic testing center is also a service that is not just important to their health care, but allows people to get their samples processed conveniently rather than going through the stress of traveling to other parts of the city to get testing done. Most importantly however is that it provides the services at little or no cost.

I was very impressed with the BMHC and the 'one stop shop' primary health care model they have adopted. It was just a shame however to see that such a great facility that is so important to the community was so small in size. The basement and main floor of the building was dedicated to doctors’ offices and health services and the third floor housed the administrative offices. The third floor hallways were so narrow I felt like I was in a maze. They make do with the building they have and try to provide all the services they can in one location. This of course is due to financial constraints, but it really makes me wish that more attention and support would give to the importance of the BMHC so that they could get the backing they would need to grow and be better able to provide the services they do on a wider level.

I took a photograph of the BMHC that I felt not only shows the building itself but also contains details that reflect some of the things I learned that day.

The first thing you may notice about the photo is the large tree that looks like it is canopying the center. To me trees represent shelter, growth, hope, and unity. In this particular instance I think it is especially fitting because I believe that the center represents more than just a doctor’s office to many of its patients. It is a safe place in the community they can go to when they are sick, when they need help, or when they need assistance or someone to talk to. It can be seen metaphorically as a shelter they can come to for refuge from the outside world. Similarly, I feel that the tree represents the growth and hope that many people may experience after going to the BMHC. Perhaps it is the hope and new life someone that is undergoing addictions counselling at the center experiences, the maternal healthcare a pregnant women receives throughout her pregnancy, or a new breath of fresh air one may experience after getting over an illness with the help of their doctors.

Another thing that I noticed about the BMHC is that despite the bad reputation the area neighborhood has of being dirty and dangerous, I really didn’t find it to be as awful as it is often made out to be. I have been around the Chinatown area quite a bit over my years living in Edmonton so going into the neighborhood was nothing completely new for me. It was however the first time I actually stopped and looked around the area and compared it to the preconceived notions people have of the neighbourhood. While it is not a reflection of the idyllic safe suburban neighborhood, the Boyle McCaully neighborhood is distinct in its own way and has its own character. Its streets are not lined with boarded up homes, broken windows, graffiti, nor littered in garbage. There are no prostitutes selling themselves on street corners, panhandlers begging on the side walk, any men harassing you as you walk buy. Instead the streets are lined with parked cars, shaded by large old trees, and free of garbage. Just like what you see in the photography.  I think many of us have fallen victim to the misconceptions about the neighborhood. I feel that in a way that had inhibited many Edmontonians understanding and appreciation for such a facility.