Have you noticed some aches and pains lately and thought about visiting a chiropractor or physiotherapist or maybe even an acupuncturist?
Well a group of local practitioners are joining forces to offer a community day where people can pay by donation for their services.
Fall Line Fitness is hosting the event on May 4 alongside Anchor Wellness, Groms Physio + Co, Seed Studio and Summit Mobile Physio and Ccerlii Chow Acupuncture.
“Essentially it’s a day where practitioners donate their time and offer their services,” Fall Line Fitness co-owner and physiotherapist Emilie Whittemore told The Squamish Chief.
How does the day work?
The sessions run between 30 and 45 minutes in length and include physiotherapy, massage and accupuncture, with all proceeds going to the Squamish Search and Rescue.
“The idea is that we're offering access to health care for those that might not be able to access it otherwise,” Whittemore said.
While the event is by donation, Whittemore offered a guide for what people are encouraged to pay for each session.
For a 30 minute physiotherapy session, 30 and 40 minute massage and 30 minute acupuncture appointment, $40 each is suggested. For a 60 minute strength training session or massage, a $50 donation is suggested.
How it started
Inspired by Anchor Wellness who has been hosting community sessions for a few years now, Whittemore said the collaborative day will be a bi-annual event for locals to take part in.
“This is only the second time that we've had multiple clinics joining in. Anchor wellness has been doing this for a while, and we decided to do our own [last year] and then we decided to collaborate last year in October with them and said 'Hey, let's invite other clinics,’” she said.
“I have an entire list of all the clinics and all the gyms in the community, and I just kind of called and emailed and asked who was interested and available. We're going to be doing this bi-annually in spring and fall, and we're just going to do this as a massive collaborative day.
“The idea is that the donation amount to the local nonprofit will then be much greater than what one or two clinics could offer.”
Their last collaborative community day raised $1,430 for the Squamish Helping Hands Society.
“Every time we have a community day, we just sort of just chat about what's relevant, and we know that spring is coming and Squamish Search and Rescue's busy time is approaching, and so we feel like they're a great group to go with,” she said on their reasoning behind supporting SSAR.
How people can get involved
While the day is targeted towards people who usually can’t afford these health care services, Whittemore stressed that the day is open to everyone.
“People are excited, people are stoked, but I think there's sometimes a little bit of confusion as to who can access this, and really, it's anyone,” she said.
“I mean, the idea is ideally we're offering services for people who can't afford it otherwise, but at the end of the day, even if it's your regular physio appointment and you don't want to go through benefits one time, you can just offer what you can and have it go to a good cause.
“So it’s kind of a win-win situation really for everyone.”
To secure a spot for the day, visit any of the participating practitioners' websites or head to the Anchor Health and Wellness website to see all the options.
