Killarney Drums Alive: A Healthy Together Now Feature

Killarney recreation department got creative with Healthy Together Now (HTN) funds this past year to start Drums Alive programs in Killarney. It had been identified that the older adult population was not using the Shamrock Centre in Killarney’s programs as often as other groups. Therefore, using a collaborative community approach, recreation director April Archambault connected with the local Services for Seniors’ program to explore opportunities and barriers for participation. Drums Alive was identified as a great fit as there is already a certified instructor in the area and something the older adults were excited to try. Working together to support the needs of the senior population, they realized that transportation may be an issue for some older adults. Therefore, Services for Seniors offered transportation through the Handivan to the Drums Alive classes. Although this service didn’t end up being used, it was a great partnership to reduce transportation barriers for older adults wanting to participate in the Drums Alive program. A large and diverse group attended the Drums Alive sessions with lots of enthusiasm! In addition, the equipment was used with youth at summer daycamp programs through a partnership with Killarney Turtle Mountain Arts Council. Drums Alive connects music, fitness, mental and cognitive health and having this opportunity in the community adds to the health and vibrancy of the community. This is a great Healthy Together Now project showcasing community groups working together to offer accessible programming for all ability levels.

Healthy Together Now (HTN) is a government supported program coordinated by the health promotion team in PMH. Community Healthy Together Now (HTN) funding is available 4 times per year in PMH. Community groups or organizations can apply for funding for projects that support community-led health promotion activities that focus on one or more of healthy eating, increasing physical activity, supporting mental well-being or tobacco/vaping reduction. The next grant intake deadline is February 1, 2023. Please visit our website for more information.

Brandon Regional Health Centre Gift Shop is Open for Business this Holiday Season

The Gift Shop at Brandon Regional Health Centre (BRHC) has a wonderful selection of gift ideas for this holiday season.

Stop by the shop located off the Main Atrium next to Tim Hortons.

Gift Shop hours:

• Monday – Thursday | 10 am to 5 pm
• Friday | 11 am to 3 pm
• Saturday | Noon to 3 pm

Please note these hours are subject to change due to volunteer availability.

If you are making a special trip in, call the gift shop at 204-578-4058 to ensure they are open.

You can also enjoy a virtual shopping experience and have your gift delivered to a patient.

Call Volunteer Services at 204-578-2065 Monday through Friday between the hours of 7:30 am to 2 pm, and they will do the shopping for you. These purchases must be paid by Mastercard, Visa or American Express.

Check out some of our selection, and thank you for supporting the BRHC Gift Shop!

Assiniboine acknowledges rural rotating Practical Nursing site in Virden

Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) joined health partners and stakeholders in early November to celebrate Assiniboine Community College’s opening of a rural rotating Practical Nursing site in Virden. The Virden site welcomed nursing students in early September. Assiniboine’s expansion of its Practical Nursing program in both permanent and rural rotating sites will allow more students to become certified in this high-demand health-care occupation

“Assiniboine continues to be responsive to Manitoba’s labour market and support economic growth by meeting community needs. Our rural rotating Practical Nursing sites answer the call on both of these priorities, and it is a pleasure to celebrate a new site in Virden,” stated Mark Frison, Assiniboine President.

PMH Recruitment Supervisor Larissa Kominko spoke on behalf of CEO Brian Schoonbaert.

“Our collaborative partnership with Assiniboine continues to provide excellent opportunities for individuals to enter the health-care field closer to home. We are very pleased to see the Practical Nursing site in Virden and look forward to connecting with participants closer to graduation during the 2023-2024 academic year.”

“We would like to thank ACC Leadership, instructors and preceptors that make this training possible. We also wish to thank the community of Virden for its commitment in providing the necessary supports that went into securing this initiative,” Kominko stated.

Practical Nursing is the largest single program of study at Assiniboine, with 100 per cent of graduates surveyed reporting they had jobs. Since 1975, more than 4,200 individuals have graduated from nursing programs offered by the college.

In addition to rural rotating sites, the college has permanent Practical Nursing programs at its campuses in Brandon, Dauphin, Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie.

Craving culturally relevant food

By Lindsey Enns

Have you ever wondered why some foods give you energy while others make you crash? If you’ve ever been curious about the science behind nutrition, or what foods you should be eating to feel your best both mentally and physically, consider consulting a registered dietitian.

“We’re not the food police so we’re really trying to correct that misconception about our role,” says Chantal Morais, a registered dietitian in Prairie Mountain Health. “Dietitians work across the health system, providing nutrition advice and recommendations in a variety of settings ranging from health promotion and prevention of chronic diseases to personal care homes and critical care units.”

Dietitian have long been important members of health-care teams working across Manitoba, but the importance of their role was heightened during the pandemic with the need for appropriate nutrition and hydration policies in all settings.

“We know that a good baseline nutrition and being well-nourished can help keep people out of hospital, or if they are admitted for care, it’s for a shorter time,” Morais says. “When someone is malnourished, they are at higher risk of being readmitted to hospital, so our work in supporting patients to develop the knowledge and tools to stay nourished decreases recovery time and chances of readmission.”

For Morais, each work day is a little different. As a dietitian working in health promotion, she works with community groups and organizations to promote healthy eating with a special focus on nutrition, food skills education and healthy food environments. With the cost of food on the rise, food security is top of mind for many groups and organizations that Morais works with.

“Because we work with diverse groups of people and communities, we need to be caring, compassionate and aware of social justice and the right to food security,” adds Morais, who also leads various sessions for First Nations communities and health-care providers, and facilitates regional programs including Strive to Thrive and Craving Change. “People are looking for ideas for foods that are culturally relevant to them and are nourishing to their mind, body and spirit within their current budget. We can help with that.”

Passionate about her work and her profession, Morais gets excited when talking about bringing communities and community partners together to improve and support the health and well-being of a community.

“Working with various public health nurses and getting to visit different communities, there’s a lot of variety of work that I get to do,” Morais says. “Seeing communities come together to develop wellness activities and keeping that momentum going in that community is what makes my job worthwhile. Supporting the health and well-being of a community is so rewarding.”

Morais comes by her commitment to community and her passion for food and nutrition naturally. Her family operates a small cattle farm located between Hamiota and Virden, and while she doesn’t refer to herself as a farmer, she credits living on a farm with giving her an appreciation of the role of agriculture and its importance to the culture of rural communities.

“Having an understanding of agriculture, the largest industry in southwestern Manitoba, helps me better relate to the communities and people I work with on a daily basis,” Morais says.

Morais has worked in rural Manitoba since completing her studies at the University of Manitoba. She worked first in Virden alongside a clinical team and then, after completing a master’s in public health, transitioned to her current role supporting health promotion in Hamiota and surrounding area.

“There are lots of opportunities and so much you can do as a dietitian,” Morais says. “Working rurally, I’m part of a really great interprofessional team and a great team of dietitians. I know rural jobs can be a bit lonely, especially if you are the only dietitian at a particular site, but there’s a whole team to stay connected with and always somebody that you can consult with. There’s always support here.”

Allied health providers like dietitians work in every community, across the full continuum of care needs and across the entire lifespan of the patients they serve.

“Our allied health providers are always there,” Morais says. “We’re often working behind the scenes in hospital, long-term care facilities, primary care facilities and in prevention. If you’re interested in nutrition, there’s so much opportunity to grow and mould your practice to align with your interests and what you’re passionate about.”

From Nov. 6 to 12, Manitoba’s health service delivery organizations are celebrating the diverse and highly specialized skills of our province’s allied health professionals. Representing nearly 200 disciplines working in every sector and area of our health system, allied health professionals are vital members of our health-care teams.

Roasted Red Pepper and Butternut Squash Soup

Recipe submitted by Kristen Yakimishen, RD Clinical Dietitian

I saw this recipe in the Metro newspaper (Winnipeg), 10 years ago and have been making it since. I saw this recipe in the Metro newspaper (Winnipeg), 10 years ago and have been making it since. Time needed: at least 45 minutes to roast and 20 minutes to simmer, plus prep time. This recipe usually takes me about 1½ – 2 hours to create.

You will need

• 1 large butternut squash, cut in half, seeds removed
• 4 red peppers, cut into halves, seeds removed
• 2 large ripe tomatoes (and more for garnish if desired), leave whole, cut stem scar out
• 2 onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1½ tbsp fresh sage, chopped
• ¼ tsp hot pepper flakes
• Heart healthy oil
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• Salt and ground black pepper
• Sour cream (for garnish)

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400ºF.
2. Arrange squash on a large, oil-greased baking pan with cut sides down.
3. Arrange the peppers and tomato on an oil-greased baking pan with cut sides down (can stack peppers if short on room).
4. Roast all vegetables in oven at 400ºF for about 45 minutes or until squash is tender (soft enough to be easily scooped out with a spoon). When cool enough to handle, scrape the squash flesh from the rind and cut the red pepper into chunks.
5. Meanwhile coarsely chop onions and mince garlic.
6. In a large pot, using just enough oil, cook the onions, garlic, sage, and hot pepper flakes on medium-low heat until the onions are very soft (this takes 10-15 minutes). Stir often.
7. Add the broth, squash, red peppers, and tomatoes.
8. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes for flavours to blend. Stir often.
9. Blend until smooth using an immersion blender or regular blender. Regular blenders or plastic immersion blenders may require the soup to cool first.
10. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
11. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream, diced tomato, parsley, etc.
12. Freezes well, but best re-heated on the stove

Facts about butternut squash

• This type of squash grows fine in our region.
• Butternut squash is high in potassium, Vitamin C, and very high in Beta-carotene (made into Vitamin A in the body).
• Butternut squash can also be made into chili or pasta sauce.
• In Australia, squash is a staple, and it was cubed and roasted— great as a side, or on top of pizza, or pasta.
• Butternut squash pairs very nicely with sage.

Sober Living Garden Program – A Healthy Together Now Feature

Gardening is a wonderful way to get outside and connect with nature while reducing stress and getting in some exercise. With 2022 being named Canada’s “Year of the Garden” and food prices increasing due to high inflation rates, the Community Health and Housing Association Westman Region (CHHA) decided to apply for funding to build, plant and maintain several new raised garden beds in the compound that houses the Sober Living Program in Brandon, as well as revitalize some existing beds. Their vision was that participants in the Sober Living Program and their other programs would be involved with the building, planting and maintaining of the beds, along with CHHA staff. CHHA has had pre-existing garden beds for several years, however this was the first time they were integrated into their programming.

The goals of the program were many – including enhancing and providing opportunities for Sober Living Program participants to learn new skills such as healthy eating, meal planning, gardening and preserving food; providing low impact outdoor physical activity through the process of preparing and maintaining the garden beds; providing positive activities for program participants to interact with and contribute to their community thus contributing to their mental health.

The project was quite successful with many benefits to the program participants, as well as the downtown community. The Sober Living Program participant who tended the garden beds repeatedly commented that working in them helped him maintain his sobriety. Produce from the gardens was shared with other program participants and used for the community meal preparation of the Sober Living Program.

Partnerships with the Global Market, Samaritan House, the BNRC’s Creation Nation and the City of Brandon were strengthened and the CHHA benefited through many donations and discounts. The City of Brandon donated soil and mulch and the Creation Nation’s men’s group cut the lumber for the garden beds and Russ, the Coordinator, provided input as to how the beds should be constructed. Because of the cost savings they were able to purchase haskaps, saskatoons, three apple trees, a pear tree and an edible cactus to plant a mini-orchard, the first of its kind for the downtown core and accessible to the entire community. They also hope to extend the gardening program into the winter with the purchase of small fig trees, mini-pineapple plants, aloe vera and prickly pear cactus and a portable greenhouse. This will encourage program participants to continue to build their interests in gardening and healthy eating throughout the winter, thus providing gardening opportunities and all the benefits that come with them year-round.

Overall the program was a great success, and will be for years to come!

Interested in receiving funding for a project focused on healthy eating, physical activity, mental well-being or tobacco prevention and reduction in your community? Visit Prairie Mountain Health’s ‘Healthy Together Now’ page for more information on eligibility and how to apply.