February 3, 2015
Manitoba Government Announces Construction Well Underway for New ACCESS Centre in St. Boniface
– – –Another Step in Building More Robust, Co-ordinated Accessible Primary Care System for Manitobans: Minister Blady
The construction of the province’s newest ACCESS centre is well underway in St. Boniface and will be ready to open its doors in summer 2016 to improve access to bilingual health and community services for Manitobans, Health Minister Sharon Blady announced today.
“The construction of this new ACCESS centre in St. Boniface is another step forward in building a more robust, co-ordinated and accessible primary care system for Manitobans,” said Minister Blady. “This ACCESS centre, with Centre de santé Saint-Boniface at the heart of its operations, will be part of one of Manitoba’s new My Health Teams and will provide even easier access to bilingual health and community services to Manitobans, right in their community.”
ACCESS St. Boniface will be located at the corner of Goulet and Kenny streets. Once construction is complete, Centre de santé Saint-Boniface, which has been a staple in health services in St. Boniface since 1999, will be relocated to this new building. It will continue to offer quality services to French-speaking Manitobans and the community of St. Boniface alongside several other health and community organizations within the new centre.
Programs and services offered at ACCESS centres include:
- public health services;
- primary care services;
- mental health services;
- employment and income assistance services;
- early learning and child care services;
- the marketAbilities program, offering employment services to assist adults with disabilities;
- children’s disability services;
- community living disability services; and
- homecareservices with extended hours.
In addition to these programs and services, the new ACCESS St. Boniface builds on the concept of the Bilingual Service Centre to meet the needs of area residents, the minister said. All staff will be bilingual and clients, patients and participants will have the option of service in French or English at any time.
"The board of Centre de santé Saint-Boniface is truly excited for the agency to be part of ACCESS St. Boniface and to be able to expand services to the French-speaking population of Winnipeg as well as the residents of St. Boniface. Access to primary care is a cornerstone of the health-care system and we are pleased to play a role along with our partners,” says Jacqueline Gosselin, chair, board of directors, Centre de santé Saint-Boniface.
The Manitoba government is investing $8.9 million approved for tenant improvements in capital construction to develop the new centre, with additional funding for staffing and operations. The centre will be designed to support people with disabilities by accommodating wheelchairs and scooters, the minister noted.
“Receiving culturally appropriate care in a person’s preferred language helps boost a person’s health and wellness,” says Arlene Wilgosh, president and CEO, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. “Having an ACCESS centre in St. Boniface will further contribute to the regional health authority’s goal of having people get the right care in the right place at the right time. This is a very positive development for the region, people in the St. Boniface community and the Francophone population, who need health and social services in their language of choice.”
There are currently five ACCESS centres in Winnipeg including ACCESS River East, ACCESS Transcona, ACCESS NorWest, ACCESS Downtown and the recently opened ACCESS Winnipeg West.
Recent investments to support this commitment include funding for new health-care professionals at doctor’s offices, the launch of five My Health Teams, including three in Winnipeg, and the opening of the fifth QuickCare clinic in the province, Minister Blady said.
For more information on the role of ACCESS centres and primary care in Manitoba, visit www.gov.mb.ca/health/primarycare/access.html.
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