Naturopathic Services Helping People Union Gospel Mission

A new clinic at the Union Gospel Mission in New West is helping people experiencing homelessness, poverty or addiction access affordable and accessible healthcare so they don’t have to suffer in silence.

In November 2023, the manager of the Union Gospel Mission’s New Westminster Resource Center contacted their naturopath, Dr. Heidi Standeven, to see if she could offer pain management services at the center. It was done with the recognition that many of the people who visit the UGM suffer a lot of physical pain, from existing injuries that have not had enough long-term care, from living on the street where they encounter different weather conditions or from the effects that the Addiction is taking its toll on your body.

“Imagine living outside, not having a comfortable bed to sleep on, but sleeping on hard concrete, or sleeping on the hard floor in a tent,” said UGM spokeswoman Sarah Chew. “People who experience homelessness vary in age, and if you’re older and sleep rough, chronic pain can be your everyday reality.”

Chew said people experiencing homelessness, poverty or addiction are also likely to suffer from illness or aggravated pain related to their difficult life circumstances. She said many of these people may be suffering in silence because they don’t feel safe going to the doctor, don’t know what kind of help is available to them, or don’t think they can afford certain kinds of help or medications . .

“We wanted to make health care accessible and bring help to our community facing homelessness, poverty or addiction in New Westminster,” he said. “Hosting these naturopathic appointments at our UGM New Westminster location makes it easier for community members to access help, book appointments and be seen in a place where they feel safe, comfortable and accepted.”

Standeven began accepting patients for free appointments in November 2023 and has been fully booked since then.

Dwight Harvey went to Standeven’s clinic at UGM New West in May with a blocked arm. He said he felt frozen and was experiencing frequent muscle spasms.

“A few days after receiving acupuncture from Dr. Heidi, my arm was suddenly unlocked and I was able to regain my range of motion,” she said in a press release. “Since then I have been seeing Dr Standeven regularly.”

Standeven volunteers his time at UGM New West while running his own private practice. She said it’s important to provide services at the clinic because the UGM community faces many barriers to health care, including social stigma, long commutes and no insurance.

“Positive community health means health for everyone in our community,” she said.

Standeven, a naturopathic doctor with Foundations Naturopathic Health, visits Union Gospel Mission every other Wednesday morning to treat members of the UGM community for free. Since last November, he has seen more than 50 patients.

“My patients are between 30 and 70 years old. They have a lot of pain, a lot of anxiety, some digestive issues, and those can be the result of chronic injuries, the wear and tear of living outside or going through addiction, etc.,” he said. “So far, my patients have said they notice an improvement after treatments. Acupuncture gives them relief, and sometimes people say, “thanks for listening to my story.” People say they have never sat down with a doctor and explained things to them while listening. They say that’s therapeutic in itself.”

So far, the most popular treatment in the clinic is acupuncture for pain control, along with B12 injections that help with digestive problems and give patients more energy.

“I think this is important to me because positive community health means health for everyone in our community,” Standeven said. “I want to be a part of this because it feeds my soul, to be able to make a difference in people’s lives.”

Standeven said Union Gospel Mission’s naturopathic clinic supports people who may not feel comfortable walking into a medical clinic.

“They may not want to wait to be seen in a hospital, they may not know where to go for the treatments they need. They may not have a family doctor to monitor them,” he said. “But if we had more health professionals donating their time and offering their services to disadvantaged and under-resourced people, we could change the well-being of so many people.”

For Harvey, who has suffered from chronic nerve pain as a result of previous injuries — two broken shoulders and a broken humerus — the service has been invaluable, physically and financially. Appreciate having access to the Union Gospel Mission’s free naturist clinic in New West.

“Dr. It’s easier to get to Heidi than the specialists in Vancouver and there are no barriers like MSP or required payment,” she said. “That helps me, because I currently live on disability assistance, but that’s not enough to to me every month. Having this free service allows me to pay for necessities such as rent, food, transportation, etc.”

Located at 658 Clarkson St. in downtown New West, the UGM Resource Center provides meals (breakfast and lunch) and a variety of other outreach services, including case management, life skills workshops, access to hygiene, clothing and emergency food baskets, etc. spiritual support and more.

“Many people going through challenges like poverty, homelessness or addiction face a lot of loneliness or isolation. People can feel like they have no one to talk to, like they don’t know how to get the help they need, as if they don’t deserve help. But hosting naturopathic clinics like this one at UGM New West shows people that they deserve health care, and we’re very happy to be able to provide them with a safe space for that,” she said. Chew. “Dr. Heidi says many people simply enjoy sitting with her and talking, sharing their pain or health problems. This is also what our outreach staff do every day in all our locations; talking to people, listening to their stories, hearing what hurts them and then connecting them with the resources we have at UGM or outside of UGM”.