St. Mary’s Health provides free foot care clinic

A free footcare clinic was held in Kitchener to help community members in need. CTV’s Jeff Pickel reports.

St. Mary’s Health is doing what it can to keep people on their feet.

Since December of last year, they have offered a twice weekly free foot care clinic.

“It’s accessible, it’s free, and it is serving a need in the Kitchener-Waterloo area to keep people healthy, independent and supported,” said Nadia Surani, executive director of Home Healthcare with St. Joseph’s Healthcare.

The clinic is free for anyone in the community, but Surani said typically they see seniors, people with chronic conditions and those experiencing housing insecurity.

“Our team here also helps to navigate the system, if you need to figure out how do I get access to a specialist? We help people navigate the health care system, which can be difficult,” said Surani.

Officials said the free clinic is smart preventative care that can keep people out of the hospital.

According to foot nurse Brianna Ramsammy, they have helped prevent some very serious medical issues, including a patient who came with a severe circulation problem.

“If he hadn’t come in and we hadn’t caught it soon enough and hadn’t been advocating for him to connect back with his primary caregiver, he could have lost his toe or potentially lost his foot,” Ramsammy said.

Helen Leitch, 77, is a repeat patient of clinic. She has diabetes and said proper foot health is critical.

“If you don’t take care of your feet because of the diabetes, there is a big risk involved in your foot, and there’s also a risk in going blind if you don’t,” said Leitch.

Leitch has built a strong bond with her nurse Ramsammy and said the care she receives helps keep her mobile and happy.

“I like coming here and getting this done, this is great, then I can go home and dance around the kitchen and feel good,” said Leitch.

Currently the clinic will operate every Tuesday and Thursday until the end of April, anyone interested can make an appointment or drop in.