Our Cowichan Communities Health Network is hosting an information and input session today at Cowichan Lake Arena.
The session will run from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and is open to anyone in the public as the group seeks information on health related items in the community.
“Our Cowichan is a community health network and our boundaries are everywhere in the Cowichan Valley Regional District including the Cowichan Lake area,” said Cindy Lise from Our Cowichan. “We often ask the question of how we’re doing with regards to being healthy, what things look like beyond the health services and what our focuses should be.”
Lise is one who believes public input is vital with regards to developing and enhancing healthcare throughout the region and area.
“We want to know how healthcare is doing in terms of the economy, social support, physical environment and in education and so on. What we’re doing is creating a community profile for all communities in our region.”
Lise says the information from the public word of mouth only enhances and adds to the information received from specific statistics such as those provided by Statistics Canada.
“In addition to statistics, we want to connect with the local organizations entrenched in providing health services to the communities (such as Choose Cowichan Lake). We will be sending out surveys. This is a time to get together in Cowichan Lake and see how we’re doing.
“We need to know our strengths and what we can build on, as well as the gaps and the pointers we need to address. We will share what we’ve learned so far and what we’re still finding out. It’s about filling in the pieces we can’t get from the collected data. Everyone is welcome, even if they can only stop by for a little bit.”