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New Midwife clinic opens

'We know that midwives save health care dollars by caring for low-risk women and there is a lot of research that shows that we definitely save the health care system money'
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(L to R) Nipissing First Nation Chief Scott McLeod along with midwives Rachel Dennis and Carol Couchie cut the ribbon to officially open the K'tiganning Midwives clinic this afternoon. Photo by Chris Dawson.

There is no question that the health care system is stretched to the limit in the province and here in North Bay.  

Rachel Dennis and Carol Couchie are two registered midwives who are hoping that the new clinic they are opening will help take some pressure off the local health care system when it comes to taking care of pregnancies.  

“It’s another place where funding can be like, funding resource capacity, can be built up and different funding dollars coming from a different place so when we go into the hospital we add to the capacity of the staff already there and help them,” said Carol about the clinic which has received funding from the province’s Indigenous Midwifery Program.  

“We know that midwives save health care dollars by caring for low-risk women and there is a lot of research that shows that we definitely save the health care system money,” stated Dennis. 

The two midwives officially opened up a new clinic called K’tiganning Midwives today at their location on Couch Industrial Road Monday afternoon.  

“The biggest significance for us is that we’ve brought birth back to our community at Nipissing First Nation and we are able to have babies here in the clinic,” said Couchie, noting the clinic is open to anyone in the region.  

Couchie and Dennis are two of only four midwives that operate in the North Bay area, which includes Audrey ten Westeneind who has been working with and supporting them in their intentions and focus for the past three years.

“I think the relationship we have with women is often closer, more intimate. There’s time, our gift really is time,” Couchie explained. 

“We only take 90 women a year but we are also able to access more grandmother help, like special help with breastfeeding, nutrition, pre-natal classes and we have some funding that is going to expand some of our services in that direction.”  

Dennis says the new clinic will provide other services including Well Women Care, prenatal classes, teaching kitchens, traditional craft, and parenting classes to name a few.  

“The choices are endless,” said Dennis. 

“What we want to do is talk with the community and see what the community wants and then build from there because really that’s what it is about is to generate our services based on what the community members need and want.”


Chris Dawson

About the Author: Chris Dawson

Chris Dawson has been with BayToday.ca since 2004. He has provided up-to-the-minute sports coverage and has become a key member of the BayToday news team.
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