November 10, 2007
The vision of BHSC was ‘to establish a state of the art health care facility, at minimal cost to the potential new doctors. Successfully attracting family physicians, the Centre has become a "services attraction", due the vast number of additional health services offered within the building and the low cost rent.
“We wanted to find a local solution to a local problem” said Brian Todd, Chair of the BHSC board and Board Member of Trenval Business Development Corporation, which is a Community Futures Development Corporation.
While many Ontario towns are facing doctor shortages, the town of Brighton has pulled together in this initiative . Local business people, including Rotarians with a Trenval connection, realized that two-thirds of Brighton residents had no family doctor and made a commitment to change that.
A community-based group was formed and they created a non-profit charitable corporation. The objective of BHSC through this incorporation was ‘to operate a community health care centre by providing medical, health and support services to the general public’.
Support was raised for this initiative through fundraising, as well as $10,000 in seed money, provided by Trenval. Total fundraising is currently at $1,915,175, with only $424,825 to be raised in order to fully cover the costs of the purchase, renovation and equipping the new Centre. The facility has been self-sufficient since 2004, from rent revenues.
Through a broad array of state of the art services, BHSC has created a services attraction for the public and especially for family physicians. Physicians are also being attracted by the below market rates for rent offered by the BHSC, which have been possible through the multitude of tenants which share the facility. Currently, there are three physicians practicing, as well as a nurse and an administrator with aggressive recruitment underway to encourage more doctors and nurses.
BHSC is located in a renovated banquet hall which was underused. This is now an important social hub in Brighton, with the building more adequately suiting the needs of the community. Services provided within the BHSC include: a YMCA fitness facility; Ontario Early Years Centre; a satellite Community Access Centre, which coordinates homecare services; a satellite facility of Lakeshore Hospice; palliative care and grief support; and Brighton Community Care.
This initiative has successfully provided doctors for the majority of Brighton residents, where just four years ago most of the community was without a doctor. Premier McGuinty along with George Smitherman, the Minister of Health and Long Term Care visited the BHSC, where McGuinty when announcing Brighton as the first recipient of the province’s new Family Health Team Initiative called Brighton the “Family Health Team Poster Community”, a demonstration of the impact this initiative has had on a provincial level.
The addition of this health centre has also positively impacted the economic development of the area with construction values up 86% since 2001 and housing starts up by 58%. Brian Todd, a Board Member of Trenval and Bruce Davis, the Trenval Chair during the initial launch of this project, were strong forces in the creation of this facility and along with community members and aided in the success of this project.