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North End Community
Full-service Health Clinic

Primary health care is the first point of contact a person has with the health system. Our interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, crisis counsellors, dietitians and others collaborate to provide services and programs to our clients.

Location & Contact

Primary Care

Daily Bloodwork Clinics

Children’s Health

Social Work Walk-in Clinic

Mental Health

Nutrition

Obstetrics

Working together, our team responds to the factors that impact the health and well-being of our clients. They ensure that our clients receive the best possible care.

Primary care includes the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of various health conditions, including referrals to specialists and diagnostic services.

Primary Care

Immunizations/Vaccinations

Few measures in medicine are of such proven value against infectious diseases and as easy to implement as are immunizations. Immunizations carried out as recommended will provide good basic protection for most children against the many diseases. Following a provincial schedule ensures that the maximum available protection is achieved. Sometimes modifications of the recommended schedule may be necessary because of missed appointments, illnesses or transferring from other countries.
Our qualified healthcare professionals can discuss the provincial schedule of immunizations with you and coordinate times to immunize your child here at NECHC.
Foot Care

An essential member of the healthcare team is our foot care nurse. Our Registered Nurse is skilled in assessing the needs of our clients and managing both chronic and acute conditions affecting the foot and lower limb function.

The role of the foot care nurse is to maintain and improve patient mobility, alleviate foot pain, provide health education, and thereby improving one’s quality of life. The diverse range of services and conditions treated include general foot care, corns, calluses, nails, plantar wart removal; ingrown toenails; athlete’s foot and fungal nails; and diabetic foot care including ulcers.

Preventative care such as foot care education for clients living with diabetes and teaching clients how to maintain good general foot health is also provided.
Chronic Disease Management & Diabetes Clinic

Three out of five Canadians live with a chronic disease such as obesity, diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, and high blood pressure. We are committed to the prevention and management of chronic disease. Our programs and services are based on client education and providing you with the tools to make changes that support a healthy active lifestyle. Self-management goals, action plans, follow-up, and support from peers and professionals create a safe environment to help you make a change for the better.

Patients and families struggling with chronic illness have health care needs specific to their abilities and daily challenges. They require planned, regular interactions with their caregivers, with a focus on function and prevention of complications.

All NECHC staff incorporate health promotion with each visit. In addition to the physical assessments of blood pressure and blood sugars, for example, nurses and nurse practitioners spend the time to teach clients about their illness and factors that affect control and self-management. Their emphasis is to provide the necessary information for the client and family to take control of their illness; this includes the acceptance of where the client is today and understanding that change happens at different times for everyone. Referrals are readily available to our in-house certified diabetes educator, registered dietician, social worker and other foot care nurse.

The Certified Diabetes Educator and the Registered Dietitian apply proven behaviour change techniques and counselling methods tailored to your needs. The diabetes educator can assist with starting insulin and making medication adjustments. Lifestyle interventions delivered by dietitians can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 60% in at-risk clients, and counselling is associated with improved health behaviours such as increased fruit, vegetable and fibre intake. Research has shown that after at least three months of dietary counselling, clients with chronic disease have experienced weight loss, reduced blood pressure, cholesterol, and glycated hemoglobin levels.

Daily Bloodwork Clinics

Monday – Friday, 9-10am

Our nurses do blood and other specimen collections for our clinic patients by booked appointments on Monday to Friday from 9 to 10am. On Tuesdays and Fridays, we may offer this service at other hours. Call to book an appointment if you are an active patient and have a requisition from your provider.

Children’s Health

Well-Baby Visits
Well-baby visits are booked with your provider often within the first week of delivering to examine your baby. Growth and development are assessed using a standardized screening tool from the first and regular 2, 4, 6, 12- and 18-month visits.

At each visit, the nurse incorporates health teaching on topics such as infant feeding, active parenting and safety. Immunizations are given according to provincial guidelines. Referrals are made to community programs and resources that assist parents in raising a happy, healthy child.

The goals of visits for well-baby care are:
- To assess growth using a developmental screen.
- To immunize against preventable diseases.
- To provide parents with reassurance and counselling on safety, nutrition and
  behavioural topics.
- To identify and treat physical, developmental and parenting concerns.
Pre-school Assessments

Our Pre-School Assessment Day is a fun, kid-friendly day designed to provide families with the opportunity to have their child’s growth and development assessed and monitored before starting school. Run in partnership with Dalhousie University staff and students in the audiology and speech-language pathology program and members of our own health team, we offer development screenings which assess speech, hearing, motor skills, oral health, and behaviour, all in a setting that is comfortable for everyone. It is an opportunity for caregivers to meet a number of professionals and ask any questions you have and to learn about any services or supports you and your family may need.

During a follow-up appointment, 4-6 weeks after the assessment, a provider will review the results with you and your child, at which time we will offer immunizations that may be due. Early detection of any concerns in these areas makes it easier and more enjoyable for your child to do their best in school.

To participate you must be a current patient of the clinic and have pre-registered appointments.
Mental Health

At NECHC we understand that many stressors in life may lead to difficult situations and outcomes in an individual’s life. Concerns with anxiety, depression, chronic pain, history of abuse, family relations, grief and other issues may become roadblocks to our overall health and well-being. Working with our social worker and mental health nurses can provide the skills and knowledge to reframe our thinking and actions to more positive outcomes. Early identification and intervention of mental illness can lead to increased ability to cope and function within relationships, work environments, and society. Some mental illness conditions may be considered a chronic illness, not unlike diabetes or hypertension, that with the proper medication, lifestyle changes, and supports can lead to improved health and well-being.

At the North End Community Health Centre there are two shared care mental health workers; a part-time community mental health nurse from the Nova Scotia Health Authority and a part-time social worker from the IWK Health Centre. They each have support services from psychiatrists weekly thus ensuring quick access to psychiatric services.

These mental health workers collaborate and have immediate access to our on-site health care providers and vice versa. Mental health services provided include individual assessments and diagnosis, health promotion, and disease prevention, acute episodic care, continuing monitoring and interventions of persistent mental illnesses, education and advocacy.

Social Work services are designed to support individuals, couples and families who receive primary care at the Centre and need additional help for their health and well-being.

Reasons to seek help are varied and range from mental health to relationship issues. Services leverage personal strengths to help children, youth, and adults develop a sense of safety, self-worth and mastery over their future through skill building to achieve personal fulfilment, meaningful social roles and relationships in the community.

Our NECHC Social Worker works closely with clinical staff at the NECHC (Physicians, Nurse Practitioners and Nurses), as well as clinical staff outside of the NECHC (social workers, physicians, nurses, etc. at the VG and QE2).

We provide support for life transitions, depression, anxiety, grief, relationship problems, financial problems, issues of abuse, and other life challenges. In addition, we provide support in accessing resources by working closely with a number of community partners and agencies – including ESIA, Dalhousie Legal Aid, and the Metropolitan Regional Housing Authority.

Mental Health

A mental health drop-in program where community members can access a 45 minutes counselling session on a first-come first-served basis.

1 (800) 598-5270

Pause Mental Health

Nutrition Services

Nutrition is the cornerstone of good health and well-being. A Registered Dietitian is a licensed, regulated practitioner who follows a science-based approach to nutrition. NECHC’s Registered Dietitian will work with you every step of the way to provide the knowledge, support, encouragement and accountability to help you meet your unique health goals.

Our Registered Dietitian provides nutrition counselling for individuals at all stages of life.

Our Registered Dietitian can work one-on-one with you to provide realistic, proven strategies to help manage and prevent conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, celiac disease, and irritable bowel syndrome.

Areas of focus:

General healthy eating and lifestyle
Weight management – weight loss/gain
Emotional eating
Prevention or management of chronic disease
Menu planning for busy families
Budget planning to stretch your food dollars
Digestive problems
Vegetarianism
Food allergies
Healthy pregnancy
Infant/child nutrition – picky eating

Obstetrics

Pre and Post-Natal Care
The major goal of pre-natal care is to facilitate a smooth transition into mother/parenthood. There are several components involved in achieving this objective:
- Patient education and communication.
- Early, accurate estimation of gestational age.
- Identification of patients at risk for complications.
- Ongoing evaluation of the health status of both mother and fetus.
Throughout the pregnancy, the healthcare team is committed to helping you and your family have a healthy and happy pregnancy. Nurses work closely with our physicians to teach you and prepare you during all stages of your pregnancy.

There can be 10 or more visits throughout your pregnancy varying from once monthly to weekly closer to the delivery date. We encourage parents-to-be to take this opportunity to ask questions and gain the information that will help them ensure a healthy pregnancy. Parents can choose group or individual pre-natal care.
Pre-Natal Group Classes

NECHC offers a group pre-natal education class on Tuesday afternoons. The informal, facilitated discussions are led by one of our nurses and supported by one of our physicians. Support for physical and emotional transitions to pregnancy and new motherhood works well for those who attend. Structured sessions are also arranged when a need is identified, with a guest speaker or designated topic, i.e. infant/child CPR, baby food making workshop, Legal Aid Information Session, Car Seat Safety.

The NECHC staff support and encourage breastfeeding for new parents. Although nurses provide daily and weekly education on breastfeeding, more is available.
Monthly Obs-Gyne Clinic