A program aimed at helping people improve chronic health conditions and reduce risk factors has received a Because People Matter grant from Peace Arch Hospital and Community Health Foundation.
The funds – $18,000 – are enough to subsidize 30 people who could otherwise not afford to participate in the Complete Health Implementation Program.
Dr. Werner Spangehl first contacted Peace Arch News about the "evidence-based health-improvement program" in late 2014, after learning about CHIP during the American College of Lifestyle Medicine annual conference in San Diego.
At the time, he described it as "the most effective health strategy I have seen in my 25 years of clinical practice," citing its success in reducing risk factors, reversing chronic conditions and restoring hope.
He became certified as a facilitator in San Diego, and has been offering it privately for the past year with a team that also includes a certified life coach and personal trainer, a family doctor and nurse practitioner.
Each program run includes 18 sessions (each 55 to 90 minutes in length) on chronic illness and risk-factor reduction, a series of blood draws, a body composition analysis, exercise and mindfulness training, email support and a kit containing a water bottle, pedometer, textbook, workbook and recipe book.
Spangehl said he approached the provincial health ministry for support but was deferred to the local health authority. Fraser Health declined to back the program, citing a determination that "the same type of care" is already available.
"We're not going to invest in the program at this time, we're going to just enhance the programs and resources we have already," spokesperson Tasleem Juma told Peace Arch News last fall.
Spangehl remains determined that it is the right direction for improving wellness, noting that similar, more expensive programs are covered in the U.S., and adding that past participants have lauded the program as "the best investment in their health they had made – even if it was out of their own pocket."
The cost, he noted – $899 without subsidy – is less than a private MRI or a weekend getaway.
Hospital foundation vice-chair Siobhan Philips, chair of the BPM grants committee, described the CHIP program as “one more step towards making our community the healthiest possible, an initiative the Foundation spearheaded in 2012."
"Through our Because People Matter grants program, we are thrilled to help 30 people in our community reach their goal to attain long-lasting health and wellness and hope this is just the start of a movement that inspires others to join,” Philips said.
For more information, email chipwhiterock@gmail.com