A growing team of health-care professionals and an integrated approach to treatment are helping Menzies ProCare expand services for residents across the Pembina Valley.
Owner Linda Menzies shares more about the clinic’s continued growth, including the addition of new practitioners and specialized services at its Morden and Winkler locations.
“It was a big move, but very exciting,” said Menzies of the expansion into Winkler. “My amazing team just made the transition so easy to do.”
The clinic now employs 17 practitioners representing 12 different professions. Recent additions include a social worker and a kinesiologist, alongside services such as podiatry, naturopathic medicine, counselling, chiropractic care, massage therapy and lymphedema treatment.
Helping patients navigate care
Menzies said one of the biggest advantages of the clinic’s model is helping patients determine the most appropriate care for their specific needs.
“Sometimes patients don’t even know where to begin,” she explained.
To address that challenge, patients can access a free consultation with the clinic’s social worker, who can help direct them to the most suitable practitioner or combination of services.
The clinic’s multidisciplinary approach also allows practitioners to collaborate on patient care.
“So traditionally, you would have to go to a different centre for the different resources,” said Menzies. “And even in that, it requires a lot of energy and navigating from the patient’s perspective.”
Instead, practitioners can consult with one another and make in-house referrals, helping patients access coordinated care under one umbrella.
Specialized services available locally
Menzies highlighted several services that are unique or difficult to access elsewhere in southern Manitoba.
Among them is breast cancer rehabilitation, a specialty area in which Menzies has received additional training.
She said the clinic provides post-surgical rehabilitation, scar tissue treatment, swelling management, prosthesis fitting and home-based rehabilitation programs for breast cancer patients.
“Our goal always is to give them encouragement and empower them to become independent,” she said.
The clinic also offers specialized lymphedema treatment. Menzies stressed the importance of working with trained professionals when managing the condition, particularly for patients whose lymphatic systems have been affected by cancer treatment.
“It’s very important that the patient go sees somebody that actually is a lymphedema therapist, trained in that profession, so that they know how to divert the fluid away from the area that’s been compromised,” she said.
Related stories:
Bringing expertise closer to home
As the Pembina Valley continues to grow, Menzies believes residents benefit from having access to specialized health-care services closer to home.
“I think because it’s so unique and I think as you know that our community has grown so much and with that, we want to offer what we can so that patients don’t have to travel to Winnipeg,” she said.
The clinic now offers access to professionals including a podiatrist, naturopathic doctor, social worker, counsellors, massage therapists, chiropractors and rehabilitation specialists.
Menzies said collaboration remains central to the clinic’s philosophy.
“When we all come together, we can navigate through that together for the patient’s sake.”
She added that seeing professionals from different disciplines work together remains one of the most rewarding aspects of her work.
“To see a doctor sit around the table with a therapist and asking a therapist for advice or their perspective, and just to see that, all these people sitting on the same table, learning from each other and learning with each other, just to gain that knowledge to be better.”
According to Menzies, the ultimate goal is simple: bringing more resources to the community while ensuring patients receive the care they need close to home.
Visit www.menziesprocare.com for details
