Stonegate CHC has been providing primary health care, health promotion and a wide variety of community programs to the Stonegate - Parklawn Community since it was created by community members in 1992.
2016 Fall Newsletter
Building Update for Stonegate CHC
On October 20th, shovels dug into the soil at 150 Berry Road marking the commencement of construction of Vandyk’s The Shoppes at Stonegate.
The Stonegate Community Health Centre has leased the entire second floor of the first building that will be constructed. We expect to move into our new home in early 2018. Our new centre will give us a chance to have a Health Centre that is the size that we need it to be. We will be able to offer more health promotion programs and provide health care to more people.
Ground floor businesses at the new retail centre include an IDA Pharmacy as well as the Berry Road Food Co-op, an initiative highly endorsed by Councillor Di Ciano and MPP Milczyn.
The Berry Road Food Co-op, led by a volunteer Board of Directors, is a not-for-profit food grocer that will focus on providing local and affordable food options to the surrounding community. The food co-op and Stonegate CHC will be working together to bring healthy, accessible food options and wellness programming to the area.
Good Food Box Holiday Drive Give the Gift of Good Food to Local Families this Holiday Season
“It’s the gift that keeps on giving.” Charmaine, a Stonegate resident and single mother of three, isn’t talking about the latest toy on holiday shelves, but a box overflowing with fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables. She is one of hundreds of recipients of Stonegate Community Health Centre's Good Food Box Holiday Drive. The Drive, now in its seventh year, provides a Good Food Box to community individuals and families struggling to put healthy food on the table.
Charmaine prepares the produce in a myriad of ways, including cut up fruits for snacks, vegetable dishes and delicious soups. With the opportunity to demonstrate healthy cooking to her young children, she says the box “makes a world of difference.”
The Good Food Box is a non-profit fresh fruit and vegetable system operated by FoodShare, Toronto. FoodShare buys produce directly from the Ontario Food Terminal and Ontario farmers and distributes to dropoff locations throughout the city. Stonegate CHC, located in the Park Lawn/Queensway neighbourhood, is one of the busiest, says Julia Graham, Community Food Program Coordinator at the Centre.
With an estimated 28% of families and 38% of children living below the poverty line in the area immediately surrounding the Centre, food security is a major concern. The Centre's health team identifies families whose health is being jeopardized by poor access to healthy food. "Given the cost of rent, people living on social assistance or working a lower wage job often have no money left over for food," says Graham.
When the program began, 80 clients were referred to receive a Good Food Box. Last year the number grew to almost 300. In 2014, residents lost their last walkable access to food with the demolition of Stonegate Plaza to make way for a condominium development. While Stonegate CHC provides resources including a mobile food market and organized bus trips to a grocery store, these measures don't fill the gap. Many community members rely on the 3 times a month Food Bank at Christ Church St. James.
Thanks to generous donors, the fundraising goal has been met and exceeded each year. 300 boxes will be distributed to Stonegate CHC clients as well as clients of the local Food Bank. Any additional funds raised will be put towards ‘market bucks’ for food insecure clients at the Centre-run Farmer's Market. “100% of donations go towards providing fresh healthy food for those in need,” says Graham.
$18 buys a local family in need a large size Good Food box, $50 buys boxes for three families, while $100 buys boxes for 6 families. Donations can be made by contacting Julia Graham at 416-231-7070 ext. 229 or online at www.stonegatechc.org
Flu season is coming. Be prepared to get your flu shot. early.
Influenza, also known as the flu, is a serious illness that is caused by a virus. Anyone can get the flu. You can have it and not feel sick and still pass it to someone else. You can infect others 1 day before your own symptoms even appear. It can spread from person to person by cough or sneeze droplets. If you don't wash or sanitize your hands after coughing or sneezing into them, you can pass it on with a handshake.
The flu is not the same as a cold. Unlike the common cold, the flu can develop into more serious health problems such as pneumonia. Some people can become very sick and may need hospital care if they contract the flu. High-risk groups include children under 5, the elderly, pregnant women and people who already have other health problems like asthma, heart disease or uncontrolled diabetes.
The best way to stay healthy this season is to get your flu shot early, before mid November. It takes about two weeks for antibodies to develop in your body to protect you against the flu. You cannot catch the flu from flu shots.
Everyone over the age of 6 months can get the flu shot. The flu virus changes often, so you need to get a flu shot every year. It's easy and it's free.
We now have the flu vaccine at Stonegate CHC. Call and ask for an appointment with a nurse to get your vaccine.
Diabetes mellitus, or simply diabetes, is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas is no longer able to make insulin, or when the body cannot make good use of the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas, that acts like a key to let glucose from the food we eat pass from the blood stream into the cells in the body to produce energy. All carbohydrate foods are broken down into glucose in the blood. Insulin helps glucose get into the cells.
Not being able to produce insulin or use it effectively leads to raised glucose levels in the blood (known as hyperglycaemia). Over the long-term high glucose levels are associated with damage to the body and failure of various organs and tissues. Taken form IDF ( International Diabetes Federation)
Diabetes: Facts & Figures:
Taken form IDF ( International Diabetes Federation)
WE CAN HELP: The West Toronto Diabetes Education Program runs diabetes groups, currently has a monthly support group at Stonegate CHC and we also see individual clients. We are at Stonegate CHC every other Friday and the diabetes team comprises of a Registered Nurse and Registered Dietitian who are specially trained in diabetes education and management. Our focus is on those living with Type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes.
Our Program is FREE and you can self-refer – it’s that simple! Simply call 416-252-1928 for more information.
The West Toronto Diabetes Team will be at Union Station on Monday, November 14th, 2016 to acknowledge WORLD DIABETES DAY – Please come out and join us!
Mobile Good Food Market
Although the Stonegate Farmers' Market has closed for the season, you can still access fresh produce directly in the Stonegate neighbourhood at FoodShare's Mobile Good Food Market.
The truck travels to Stonegate every Friday filled with fruit and vegetables at affordable prices. Stop by the Stonegate Community Health Centre on a Friday from 5:00 - 6:30 pm to check out the Mobile Market and its great prices!
Living Life to the Full The Living Life to the Full – helping you to help yourself and others.
This 8 week course also known as “12 hours that can change your life” teaches new skills for coping with life’s challenges. The course equips people with inspiration and tools to get the most out of life. Through the sessions, participants use the principles of cognitive behavior (CBT) to learn more about mental well-being and how to make small changes to feel happier, less stressed and more in control of their life.
The program provides information to: reduce stress and boost mood; improve motivation and problem solving skills; change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. The course is an educational resource, not a clinical intervention. Guided self-help (such as is delivered at the courses) is superior to pure self-help and working with others provides positive feedback and affirmation, increasing motivation to change.
The group meets once a week for a period of an hour and half. Eligibility: over the age of 55 and caring for another person in your life (family member, friend or neighbor). The second session for this group will be delivered at EES Support Services, 2245 Lawrence Ave. W, from October 27th - December 15th from 1:00 to 2:30 pm.
On October 20th, shovels dug into the soil at 150 Berry Road marking the commencement of construction of Vandyk’s The Shoppes at Stonegate. 
Ground floor businesses at the new retail centre include an IDA Pharmacy as well as the Berry Road Food Co-op, an initiative highly endorsed by Councillor Di Ciano and MPP Milczyn.
“It’s the gift that keeps on giving.” Charmaine, a Stonegate resident and single mother of three, isn’t talking about the latest toy on holiday shelves, but a box overflowing with fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables. She is one of hundreds of recipients of Stonegate Community Health Centre's Good Food Box Holiday Drive. The Drive, now in its seventh year, provides a Good Food Box to community individuals and families struggling to put healthy food on the table.
