News & Blog

(l-r) Ava Fiztgerald, Gwen Devereaux, Mayor Martin Ritsma, Madi Cardno After a busy harvest, it’s time to come together, unwind, and catch up with the people who understand farm life best. The next S.H.E.D. Talk: Celebrating the Fall Harvest is all about good food, good company, and great conversation.   On Wednesday, November 26, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., join us at The Mayor’s Barn in Stratford for S.H.E.D. Talk: Celebrating the Fall Harvest, hosted by Gateway Centre of Excel

The Ontario Health Teams in Ontario Health West Region  (OH West Region, also known as Southwestern Ontario) is promoting a online digital health records system. ConnectMyHealth is a free digital health solution that provides patients with an online, single access channel to view their health records from participating hospitals. ConnectMyHealth pulls various types of health records from participating OH West Region hospitals into one, consolidated view; this is as opposed to

Dr. Tejal Patel Technology and medication can difficult to understand and use. On Tuesday, December 2 nd , from 12 - 1 PM via ZOOM, Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health (CERH) welcomes Dr. Tejal Patel to present on “ Taking Charge of Your Medications: What You Need to Know and the Tools That Can Help You.” Dr. Patel is a Clinical Associate P rofessor at the University of Waterloo's School of Pharmacy.  Dr. Patel’s research centers on medication use by older adults. Sh

TVCC provides a variety of publicly funded pediatric services (e.g. PT, OT, Autism Services, Specialty Clinics with LHSC, etc.) in your region. They are hosting a 20-minute virtual session on Thursday December 4 at 12pm to provide information on our services. A Q+A period will follow. This information is intended for referring physicians/nurses and other community providers. There have been some recent changes and they would like to share how this may affect healthcare te

Screening event at the Wingham Fire Department in North Huron Last week, the Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health (CERH) hit the road, embarking on multiple trips to the Municipality of North Huron as part of their Benefitting Rural Area Volunteer Emergency Firefighters (BRAVE-F) health screening initiative. The first stop, the Wingham Fire Station, took place on October 27th, followed by a visit to the Blyth Fire Station on October 30th. Across both evenings, 34 incr

Ava Fitzgerald (L) and Sydney Hunking (R) attend firehall screening in Wingham Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health (CERH) is excited to welcome Ava Fitzgerald and Sydney Hunking as a research assistants. Ava Fitzgerald Ava Fitzgerald Ava was born in Walkerton and moved to Goderich in kindergarten where she grew up. After graduation Ava moved to Waterloo for her postsecondary studies at the University of Waterloo, where she is currently completing an Honours Bachelor

On Tuesday, November 4th, 2025, from 12 – 1 PM ET via ZOOM, Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health (CERH) is hosting a webinar. Dr. Erin Donald, Gateway CERH Chair of Equity and Access to Rural Palliative Care, will be discussing their research into “Building a community coalition for life-limiting illness in Huron-Perth."   This webinar will present research into local health priorities for palliative care access in Huron-Perth and what actions can be taken to promote

Volunteer Nurse screens Hensall Firefighter Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health (CERH) visited Hensall, Ontario, in the fall of 2025, for the BRAVE Firefighters' project. This project aims to promote the cardiovascular health of rural firefighters. With the addition of Hensall, Gateway CERH has screened over 150+ rural firefighters. Firefighters do incredible work, promoting health and responding to emergencies, anywhere at anytime. The team at the Hensall Fire Depar

Sign up to join the up for new Mental Health First Aid courses in December 2025. Just as physical first aid is administered to a person with an injury prior to seeking more intensive medical care, MHFA is the immediate support provided to an individual until appropriate treatment is found or the crisis is resolved. December 11th, 2025 | $150 Bayfield Community Centre & Arena 4 Jane Street Bayfield, ON N0M 1G0 December 10th, 2025 | $150 Goderich 413 MacEwan Street, ON N7A 4M1

Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health is pleased to announce an upcoming collaboration between the Exeter Legion on technology literacy. Gateway CERH has been working with the Goderich Legion throughout the summer to provide support with laptops, phones and other electronic devices. It is wonderful to be able to expand the program to support folks at the Exeter Legion Branch 167 beginning at 10 am on Thursday, October 2nd, 2025.

Gateway CERH Research Assistants, Nyden Greenfield, Madi Cardno, Sarah Spacek, Kate Maloney, Erica Maloney & Julie Wein Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health (CERH) is thrilled to share that we have been selected as one of the top five finalists in the MaRS Cancer Screening Challenge , a nationwide initiative led in partnership with the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS). The challenge is designed to identify and support innovative, community-driven solutions that will incr

Tolkien Bridge surrounded by trees, Sage Milne By: Sarah Spacek, high-school student When we think of the word health, most of us picture doctors, medicine, or personal wellness. But health is much broader than what happens in a clinic—it extends to the animals we live alongside and the environment that sustains us. Human health depends on safe food, clean water, and protection from disease. Animal health shapes our food supply, companionship, and livelihoods. Environmental h

A wonderful group of community members representing health organizations at the MacKay Centre for Seniors On September 12, 2025, Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health (CERH) had the opportunity to join the community at the MacKay Centre Active Living & Wellness Fair in Goderich. The fair was held at both the Lakeshore United Church and the MacKay Centre for Seniors, and it marked an exciting milestone: 45 years of MacKay Centre programming! The day brought together doz

The Huron County Immigration Partnership  is celebrating Welcoming Week in Huron County from September 12 – 21, 2025. Welcoming Week  is...

Senior Technology Summer Camp Launch day Rise and shine! Grab a cup of coffee every Wednesday morning at the Goderich Legion Branch 109...

The Southwestern Ontario Isotope Coalition (SOIC)  was formed in June 2023. This coalition is a network of regional partners, including...

Research Assistants l-r: Madi Cardno, Erica Maloney, Amy Sturgeon, Nyden Greenfield, Julie Wein, Sage Milne, Kate Maloney On August 14,...

Nyden Greenfield Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health (CERH) is excited to welcome Nyden Greenfield as a research assistant....

On July 18, 2025, the Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health (CERH) was pleased to welcome Alex Kasper and Michael Daley,...

Gateway CERH celebrates the Cultivating Memories project at Southbridge Care Home On Thursday morning, the courtyard at Southbridge Care...