Shekhinah Clinic - A Place of Love and Compassion

The Main Entrance

Working our first day at the Shekhinah clinic was quite unexpected. The minute you step onto the property, you feel how peaceful it is. Shekhinah is a free clinic catering to the poor and destitute (see vision and mission statement). 

Vision and Mission

They depend solely on donations to keep it running. This means that services can be in short supply. It was challenging to experience, coming from such a privileged country and seeing what was able to be done for the 30 people visiting each day. The dispensary (term used for pharmacy) itself was quite bare. I encountered clients coming to the window and not receiving any of the medications they were prescribed that same day. In some instances clients came to the window with two prescriptions, as they didn’t receive all their medications at the last visit. You could see the disappointment and defeat on their faces afterwards. Their only other option is to pay and unfortunately, these people come to the clinic because they do not have the funds in the first place. Knowing how difficult this was for me, after one day, I cannot fathom how it must be for these clients.

I was able to sit in on consults the first day as well. I found it shocking, the level of care I observed. I saw a short assessment followed by a handful of medications being prescribed. This would be an uncommon occurrence in Canada. However, it’s easy to be judgmental coming from a high income country who believes they have all the right answers. It’s not easy to put yourself in their place and realize there’s not much you would do differently. 

OPD

Working with limited supplies and limited volunteer staff, you are left with limited options. It’s impossible to compare our environment in Canada to this one.  Furthermore, I don’t believe you would find this type of clinic in Canada. Based on experience, Canada does not have the sense of community that I have observed here. I cannot imagine a clinic opening for the hungry and mentally ill, offering them a place to stay when they have no where else. If there was, I can’t see it being as successful as this one, now open for over 30 years. You can see the volunteer staff care deeply for those that come. There is never a shortage of clients visiting the clinic, proving that it is needed as well. At the end of the day, this is what’s important.

A group of 4th year students in Kelowna used their Nursing Leadership Capstone project to work with our Kelowna community to gather medical supplies and raise money to support Shekhinah.  We presented the staff and the Director Mariama with these supplies yesterday.  It was a joyous surprise.  We purchased medications to fill their dispensary shelves, and shared many many suitcases of surgical supplies for their operating room.  

Fun fact for everyone: this mango tree was the location where Dr David Abdulai Fuseini (the creator of this clinic) preformed the first surgery for the clinic. It was a hernia surgery, which was a success.

Blog written by Tyler, 4th year  BSN Student.