Mount Carmel Clinic, a landmark in Winnipeg’s North End community was established by the Jewish community in 1926, to meet the needs of Jewish immigrants. It is considered to be the first community health centre in Canada. The cultural make-up of the Point Douglas and North End communities has changed in the eight decades that Mount Carmel Clinic has been in operation. Today the clinic still serves vulnerable people to improve access of community members to healthcare, fulfilling its mission of working together for a healthy community.
Anne Ross deserves special mention in discussing the growth of the Clinic. She was a Winnipeg nurse, health administrator and social activist who dedicated her career to community health care. Anne Ross started with the Mount Carmel Clinic in 1948 and served as its Director from 1964 – 1986. During that time she built the Clinic up from a small walk-in facility to a major community health centre offering comprehensive health and community outreach services. The Anne Ross Day Nursery, which she established in 1976, commemorates her legacy.
The residents of the North End/Point Douglas community served by Mount Carmel Clinic are confronted on a daily basis with the profound impacts of poverty, which contribute to health status indicators significantly below the norms for Winnipeg. Programs are focused on meeting the needs of members of this community, many of whom experience complex health and social concerns.
The Jewish doctors that established the Clinic in 1926 did so out of a strong sense of responsibility and commitment to their community. They had a vision that continues today. In 2005-2006, there were more than 160,000 points of contact at the Clinic, including over 19,000 physician visits, 91,000 patient encounters with clinic nurses, 42,845 prescriptions filled, over 3,700 dental visits and over 1,200 cross cultural counseling sessions. Other services at the Clinic include the Anne Ross Day Nursery with licensed and subsidized space for up to 45 children, the Children’s Day Hospital, teen clinics at neighbouring high schools, diabetes clinics, nutrition programs, midwife services, free computer services, first aid training, after school and summer sports programs for children, and individual and family counseling and special programs for the elderly.
The Mount Carmel Clinic Foundation is a community fundraising organization that supports research, innovative programming, and capital development in order to enhance and broaden the programs and services of Mount Carmel Clinic.