Southwest Saskatchewan’s newest millionaires! PAGE 3 & 9 Leader Fundraiser nets $200,000 for Hospital More on PAGE 18 VOLUME 106 | ISSUE 41 |
Monday, October 26, 2015
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New health facility rallies community together BY B E T H JA R R E L L
beth@gulllakeadvance.com
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himself at first. In 1998, he roller bladed across Canada to raise awareness and funds for sexual abuse victims, but his personal addiction demons cut the trip short. “It was all part of my journey, and at the time it was devastating, but i knew I had a pile of work to do on myself. We can look at it as being no different than Terry Fox getting cancer again. Just because you can’t physically see abuse doesn’t mean there aren’t residual problems,” said Kennedy. “I was very hurt and debilitated because of what happened, and it was an outcome of being sick. I had to get sober and get to a good place before I could help others.” Kennedy founded Respect Group Inc. in 2004 and is a spokesperson for violence and abuse prevention programs with the Canadian Red Cross. “We’ve given a confidence and language to talk about this. We know we’re making a difference and try every day. We educated many people on bullying, abuse and moral responsibilities. We make sure everyone has the tools to spot issues, speak up and work to make our communities safer.”
he grand opening of the Southwest Intergrated Healthcare Facility marked the beginning of a new era in the Maple Creek community. The new facility is replacing the old hospital in Maple Creek, as well as the previous long-term care facility in the town. As of October 23, all long-term and short-term services will take place under one roof. “When the Cypress Health Region was first formed in 2002, this facility became the top of our priority,” CEO of Cypress Health Beth Vachon said. “We’ve been transitioning facilities for a few months in this building, but this is the day we are officially open.” In 2009, the provincial government announced the replacement of 13 health facilities across the province, including one in Leader. The ground broke on the Maple Creek facility in September of 2009, and the transition from old facilities to the new began almost one year ago. Vachon says none of it would be possible without the cooperation of the Maple Creek and surrounding communities. “This facility is just beautiful. The equipment and furnishings that the community provided us with are just top of the line,” she said. “There isn’t anything we weren’t able to replace completely, thanks to the generosity of this community.” The provincial government contributed $36.24 million towards the project, or about 80 per cent of the total cost. Funding from the RMs surrounding Maple Creek and the Hutterite colonies provided the rest. “You can’t ever do this on your own. There isn’t one group or organization that can pull together everything that needs to be done, so it has been extremely collaborative,” she said. “We know we can’t do this alone, and without the support of the community, we couldn’t have accomplished everything that was possible.” Minister of Health Dustin Duncan was also on hand to cut the ribbon on the new facility. For him, it showed what a community can do when rallied together. “First and foremost these type of project don’t get off the ground without partnerships between the ministry, the health region and the local communities,” he said. “We look to that in any community we’re looking to build any new infrastructure. “I think it really helps to rally the communities around. Everyone knows we require the community
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‘SWIFT CURRENT’
Kennedy doc to be a teaching tool BY J O R DA N PA R K E R
editor@gulllakeadvance.com
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ormer NHL’er Sheldon Kennedy is trying to show people how to live a healthy life after sexual abuse and trauma, and his new documentary, Swift Current, can act as a catalyst for growth and change. “Our goal with this was to paint the impact this can have on lives. We work in silos … Silos of suicide, selfharm, mental health issues and more. We wanted to connect the dots,” said Kennedy, who rocked the nation with his story of sexual abuse by his Swift Current Broncos coach Graham James when he was a teenager. “The impact of trauma is so huge, and sexual assault as a child leads to 80 per cent of mental health issues. Helping people needs to be done right.” Kennedy, who went on to play in the NHL for the Calgary Flames, Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins, found himself on a self-destructive path after his traumatic experience, and needed to find a way back to happiness. “In this documentary, you see the effects of these events come out in the
form of self-harm, mental health issues, addiction and sexualized behaviour. We really investigate child abuse in this society, but we need to deal with everything else. This documentary can be a teaching tool for frontline workers,” said Kennedy. “We wanted this documentary to be told in the correct way. We didn’t want to focus on the perpetrator, but on the impact it had on the victims. We hit the mark on that.” Kennedy remembers feeling alone during the time he was abused by James, and wondered constantly how he could get himself out of his own personal hell. “Society wasn’t really open to these conversations when I disclosed in 1997. It took me years of struggling to get to a point where I could accept what went on and move forward,” said Kennedy. “There are misconceptions that disclosing means you’ve hit the end of the struggle. You need to deal with lifelong mental health issues afterwards in many cases, and you must have the tools to be successful and life a full life after.” Kennedy has been an advocate for years, and was perhaps too focused on helping others than he was on helping
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