New partnership with Bear Clan Patrol the 'essence of community health': Women's Health Clinic ED

Two community organizations are teaming up to strengthen their services to people in Winnipeg's downtown.

The Bear Clan Patrol is setting up shop at the Women's Health Clinic on Graham Avenue near Vaughan Street, where it will have access to a patrol hub, meeting space and offices, according to a Friday news release.

"This has been a long time coming, because we've seen exactly what has occurred downtown in terms of all our relations who are falling through the cracks," Kemlin Nembhard, executive director of Women's Health Clinic, said at a Friday news conference at the clinic.

"This particular space wasn't used, so we thought this would be a great place for the Bear Clan to work out of, so it truly is a partnership."

Women's Health Clinic struggles with staffing to serve people who come to their building without an appointment, and the Bear Clan can also direct people who need medical care to their clinic, Nembhardsaid.

She says community-led initiatives like it are "the essence of community health."

"We've been struggling with how to support our community and one of the thoughts was [that] we need some partners at the table to help us do that, and Bear Clan stepped up," she said.

"When you have groups of people coming together, it just amplifies the work that you can do."

'This is about people': Mayor

Kevin Walker, executive director of the Bear Clan Patrol, says his organization will continue its work in the West Broadway and West End neighbourhoods, but the new partnership with the Women's Health Clinic will allow them to extend their reach in Winnipeg's core.

"I think having this space will probably generate a lot more volunteers for the downtown area, as well as cover more areas down in this region," he said at the news conference.

He says the Bear Clan will begin to operate out of the clinic as soon as possible since the changes needed to their new space are simply "cosmetic."

Mayor Scott Gillingham said the partnership gives him hope and encouragement for downtown's future.

"It takes partnerships and unity to make our city the kind of city that we envision it to be," he said at the conference.

"This is about people, it's about serving people."