MEN'S HEALTH AND WELLNESS CENTRE

The goal with the Prostate Cancer Centre and the SAIU is to find a way to treat the whole person, their mind, body and spirit. We know currently that the Prostate Cancer Centre and the SAIU are exceptional in the care that they provide for patients with disease processes that reflect their bodies but haven’t done a good enough job in preparing their mental capacities and their ability to rehabilitate themselves or prehabilitate themselves. We hope with the support of the community to create a true men’s health center of excellence that this will build on what we’ve done already. We will expand the programs to ensure that when a man gets diagnosed with a cancer or some life-altering disease, the doctors not only just cut out their cancer or treat their disease they ensure that all aspects of their body are cared for. When a man gets diagnosed with a cancer the stress is quite significant and the life-changing mental illness or mental struggles that can happen are significant. But that can happen before a man actually gets diagnosed as well and we need to recognize and treat all sorts of mental health issues and that that’s going to be one of our goals.

We’re looking at building a kinesiology center within the Prostate Cancer Centre. What we found is patients often don’t know how to exercise before surgery, they think they know but they don’t know how to improve their aerobic fitness and their health. By setting up a kinesiology center hopefully we can teach them how to exercise, show them how to exercise at the center and then they can go home and carry this on for many weeks before their surgery.

In early 2021 the plan is to negotiate an acceptable long-term lease with Alberta Health Services on this 9,000 square feet. We will also form a development committee who will be responsible for the fundraising for the additional three million dollars required for the life cycle of this project. We will also evaluate development construction costs, review staffing requirements and begin our search immediately. We plan to develop goals and interview candidates for psychology, kinesiology and training support.