A new clinic at the Union Gospel Mission in New West is helping folks who are experiencing homelessness, poverty, or addiction to access affordable and accessible healthcare – so they don’t have to suffer in silence.
In November 2023, the manager of the Union Gospel Mission’s New Westminster resource centre reached out to her naturopath, Dr. Heidi Standeven, to see if she could offer pain-management services at the centre. It was done with the recognition that many of the people visiting the UGM are going through a lot of physical pain — from existing injuries that haven’t had enough long-term care, from living on the street where they encounter various weather conditions or from the effects that addiction is having on their bodies.
“Imagine living outside, not having a comfortable bed to sleep in but instead sleeping on the hard concrete, or sleeping on the hard ground in a tent,” said UGM spokesperson Sarah Chew. “People experiencing homelessness range in age, and if you’re older and sleeping in an uncomfortable condition, chronic pain may be your everyday reality.”
Chew said people who experience homelessness, poverty, or addiction are also likely experiencing compounding illness or pain in relation to their difficult life circumstances. She said many of those folks may be suffering in silence because they don’t feel safe going to the doctor, don’t know what kind of help is available to them, or don’t think they can afford certain types of help or medication.
“We wanted to make healthcare accessible and bring help to our community facing homelessness, poverty, or addiction in New Westminster,” she said. “Hosting these naturopathic appointments at our UGM New Westminster location makes it easier for community members to access help, book appointments, and be seen in a place they feel safe, comfortable, and accepted in.”
Standeven began taking patients in for free appointments in November 2023 and has been fully booked ever since.
Dwight Harvey went to Standeven’s clinic at UGM New West in May with a locked arm. He said it felt frozen and he was experiencing frequent muscle spasms.
“A few days after getting acupuncture from Dr. Heidi, suddenly my arm unlocked and I was able to get back my range of motion,” he said in a news release. “I’ve been seeing Dr. Standeven regularly ever since.”
Standeven volunteers her time at UGM New West while running her own private practice. She said it is important to provide services at the clinic because the UGM community faces so many barriers when it comes to healthcare, including societal stigma, long commutes, and no insurance.
“Positive community health means health for everyone in our community,” she said.
Standeven, a naturopathic physician with Foundations Naturopathic Health, visits the Union Gospel Mission every other Wednesday morning to treat the UGM’s community members for free. Since last November, she has seen more than 50 patients.
“My patients range in age from 30 to 70 years old. They have a lot of pain, a lot of anxiety, some digestion issues, and those can be a result of chronic injuries, wear and tear of living outside or going through addiction, etc.,” she said. “So far, my patients have said they notice an improvement after treatments. The acupuncture makes them feel relief, and sometimes people say, ‘thank you for just listening to my story.’ People say they’ve never had a health practitioner sit down with them and explain things to them while listening. They say that’s therapeutic in itself.”
So far, the most popular treatment at the clinic is acupuncture for pain management, along with B12 injections that help with digestive issues and give patients more energy.
“I believe this is important for me to do because positive community health means health for everyone in our community,” Standeven said. “I want to be a part of that because it feeds my soul, being able to make a difference in people’s lives.”
Standeven said the naturopathic clinic at the Union Gospel Mission supports people who may not feel comfortable going into a medical clinic.
“They might not want to wait to be seen at a hospital, they might not know where to go for the treatments they need. They might not have a family doctor that’s checking up on them,” she said. “But if we had more healthcare professionals giving their time and offering their services to people who are underprivileged and under-resourced, we could change the well-being of so many people.”
For Harvey, who has suffered with chronic nerve pain resulting from previous injuries – two broken shoulders and a broken humerus, the service has been invaluable – physically and financially. He appreciates having access to the free naturopathic clinic at the Union Gospel Mission in New West.
“Dr. Heidi is easier to access than specialists in Vancouver, and there are no barriers like MSP or payment needed,” he said. “That helps me, because I’m currently living on disability assistance, but that’s not enough for me each month. Having this free service allows me to be able to afford necessities like rent, food, transportation, etc.”
Located at 658 Clarkson St. in downtown New West, the UGM resource centre provides meals (breakfast and lunch) and a variety of other outreach services including case management, life skills workshops, access to hygiene products, clothing and emergency food hampers, emotional and spiritual support, and more.
“Many people who walk through challenges like poverty, homelessness, or addiction face a lot of loneliness or isolation. People might feel like they have no one to talk to, like they don’t know how to get the help they need, like they don’t deserve help. But hosting clinics like this naturopathic one at UGM New West shows people they are so worthy of healthcare, and we’re so glad to be able to offer them a safe space for it,” Chew said. “Dr. Heidi says many people just enjoy sitting with her and talking, sharing their pain or health struggles. That’s also what our outreach staff do every single day at all our locations; talk to people, hear their stories, hear what hurts them, and then connect them to the resources we have at UGM or outside of UGM.”
