SAINT-ÉTIENNE-DES-GRES. In every municipality there are success stories. In Saint-Étienne-des-Grès, citizens are particularly proud to be able to count on the Les Grès health solidarity cooperative, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
This cooperative was founded on December 4, 1995. At that time, no one suspected that what was basically a university master’s degree would pave the way for the creation of a model for the deployment of health care everywhere. across Quebec. Having become a medical desert, the municipality had to deal with the departure of its doctors and the closing of its pharmacy.
The community quickly organized itself. A petition of 1000 names was then filed by citizens with the municipality. They were looking for a way to attract a new doctor to their community.
The managing director of the Caisse populaire de Saint-Étienne-des-Grès at the time, Jacques Duranleau, convinced the board of directors to embark on the realization of this idea. The Caisse then became the prime contractor for this project, which became the subject of his graduate studies in project management.
It only took three months to recruit the 1000 members required to start the project. By their investment in a share, the members created a real mobilization which allowed to raise the first 50,000 dollars.
The establishment of the cooperative and the construction of the building, which would become the polyclinic, required a total investment of $ 800,000.
From its opening, the services offered were a pharmacy, a medical clinic, a dentist, an optometrist, a psychologist and a physiotherapy clinic operated by the cooperative. Barely 10 years later, in 2004, the expansion of the premises became necessary to better meet the needs of health professionals. In partnership with the municipality, the municipal library has moved to the second floor of the building.
“The citizens of Saint-Étienne-des-Grès and the surrounding municipalities greatly appreciate the services of our cooperative and they use them a lot. Today, it is not easy to find family doctors. Our cooperative makes it possible to offer local services that meet the needs of the population. Professionals have gathered around doctors over the years and this is an asset for our community. We have very good services, ”emphasizes Danielle Carbonneau, president.
Initially, the target was to recruit three doctors at the medical clinic. Today the number stands at 12 doctors. Two nurse clinicians and two nurse practitioners as well as three social workers joined them.
The Saint-Étienne-des-Grès health solidarity cooperative has 3,958 members.
“It is an important attraction in our community and for the young families who come to settle here. Thanks to that, among other things, we have seen new residential neighborhoods develop. Now efforts are concentrated on the maintenance and improvement of the building. We want to keep our building in good and functional condition, and we have to adapt to changing needs, ”Ms. Carbonneau reports.
This cooperative has also been a spark plug for citizen support for health care in Quebec. According to the Quebec Federation of Health Cooperatives, nearly 50 cooperatives have been inspired by this model in Quebec.
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