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Seniors to get better access to info

The Agassiz-Harrison Healthy Communities Committee is opening a Community Information Service Area at Cheam Village.
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The Information Service Area will operate out of the front entrance of Cheam Village

In an effort provide senior residents of the Agassiz and Harrison Hot Springs communities with increased support, the Agassiz-Harrison Healthy Communities Committee (AHHCC) is opening a Community Information Service Area at Cheam Village.

Arnice Asquin, chair of the AAHHC, explained that the idea for the area came up because the committee felt that a space for community members to access information about health and care services was lacking in the area.

“The subcommittee has identified a gap in the information flow so we’re trying to look at alternatives where people could gain that information,” she said. “We’re hearing from seniors that they don’t know where they can find information on different topics.”

As a result, Cheam Village, a care home in Agassiz, has donated their front entrance as space for the initiative. Although the AAHHC is still planning exactly what the space will look like, Asquin noted that it will include a display for community based programs and services, a computer station for community members to access information, as well as an area with tables and chairs.

“We’re going to need some racking and have brochures and pamphlets and information that people can take away,” she said. “We will probably need a desk and a small computer just so people can do some research or read some of the reports.”

While the required technology will likely be provided by WorkBC and School District 78, the AAHHC is hoping that the local Lions Club will help as well.

“We need some volunteers and some training and advertisement to get the awareness out,” Asquin said. “That’s when it was suggested that we consider applying to the Lions.”

The AAHHC is currently working on a proposal to request that the Lions Club support the initiative by providing funds for the purchase of pamphlets, wall display cases, shelving, as well as desks and chairs.

The Community Information Service Area will have its grand opening on October 18, which is also seniors health and wellness day at Cheam Village. The event will feature guest speaker Isobel Mackenzie, BC Seniors Advocate.

At this point, the AAHHC is unsure of  when the area will be open to the public, but she noted that it will likely be sooner than the grand opening date.

“It depends on funding and commitment of people,” she said. “Going into the summer, people take vacations and we just don’t want it to drop over the course of the summer.”