PALMERSTON – A team of dedicated volunteers have created a “safe space” for rural youth navigating through life’s many challenges.
The Grove Youth Wellness Palmerston Hub is located on Main Street across from Norwell District Secondary School.
The purpose of the hub is to help youth age 12 to 26 by improving their overall wellness.
“There was such a crisis in children’s mental health,” Palmerston Hub team lead Tiffany Fagan told the Community News.
She began with the hub part-time two years ago, but within three months, took a more permanent role.
“It fills my cup every day to be a safe adult for a young person,” Fagan said.
The Palmerston hub originally sprouted from the Rotary Club of Guelph’s efforts to improve youth wellness services in the community.
The project began in August 2018 when Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (YWHO) executive director Dr. Joanna Henderson visited the Rotary club as a guest speaker.
Now the idea has expanded into six hub locations in Guelph-Wellington.
“Rural communities are often the harder served communities,” added Fagan expanding on the importance of rural hubs.
The are sites located in Erin, Palmerston, Fergus and three in Guelph. A seventh site at YMCA of Three Rivers in Guelph is in the works, officials stated.
The hubs’ services are free including therapy sessions, primary care, programs and food.
To gain the required funds community members and businesses “stepped up” by donating and supporting their work, officials said.
Minto, Mapleton and Wellington County were all early supporters of the sites, along with the Province of Ontario – through YWHO.
In the past year over 32,000 youth visits occurred, including:
– 26,000 youth drop-in visits;
– 4,000 wellness/recreation visits;
– 1,600 employment/education visits; and
– 1,100 clinical visits.
The Palmerston site has claimed 40 per cent of the total visits to all hubs, with a 9% increase from the previous year, officials state.
“Across the province there is no hub busier than the hub here in Palmerston,” added The Grove executive director Jeff Hoffman.
The Palmerston site has predominately a high school age group while Fergus sees middle school Grades 7 and 8, and Guelph sees university students and young adults.
Inside of The Grove is a pool room where youth can relax, hang out with friends or play a game of pool. The hub also has an Xbox room and a study room. Submitted photo
Primary health care
One of the newer services has opened doors for health care independence in youth.
Nurse practitioner Jodi Colwill joined the hub to administer primary care in a safe space.
The hub partnered with the Minto-Mapleton Family Health Team to provide medical expertise and help.
Colwill brings a medical helping hand twice a month to access, diagnose, make referrals, order tests, provide prescriptions and treatments.
“We want people to seek care and know it’s a safe place,” Colwill added.
Youth have the ability to share as much or as little about their personal health to their parents.
Though employees respect these boundaries Colwill being a parent herself, understands the parental side.
“The message isn’t we are trying to create a secret passage around you (referring to parents), we just don’t want your youth’s care to be dependent on you,” Colwill said.
“Part of teaching youth is to be independent in a safe and supported way … we’re trying to find that harmony, but the big picture is that we are here to help.”
Colwill explains part of youth growing up is learning how to use the health care system without their parents.
There is a difference between a youth having an uncomfortable but supported conversation with their parents, and an unsafe conversation, she added.
She stressed that if a youth was ever in extreme danger to themselves through actions such as self-harm, she legally must report the information to the appropriate officials.
“I don’t ever want them to leave the appointment wondering if I have to tell somebody, if I have to tell I will always tell the patient that before,” Colwill stated.
As the hub is in the early stages of its partnership with the health team, the future is unknown.
Colwill explained over the past few months the test run has been successful and shown that youth need primary care.
The date to reevaluate the need for the partnership is set for the fall.
“I think what we are hearing is that everyone is finding it very positive.”
