Promoting Health at Hensall Fire
- Sage Milne
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
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 Department is a group of volunteers that care for their community!
Learn more about the project
Become a volunteer firefighter in Bluewater
The MaRS Discovery District enabled this project to add a cancer screening component and promote information about cancer risks. Cancer is the leading cause of death in Canada. There are higher risks for certain types of cancer that come with being a firefighter. In addition, rural communities face higher risk for cancer due to an aging population. Screening early and at regular intervals are keys ways to know your risk for cancer and promote early treatment if discovered.
Learn more about the MaRS Innovation Challenge!
Thank you to the team of volunteer nurses who come to these screening events, throughout the rural areas. In addition to their incredible work as healthcare providers, they volunteer at community-driven initiatives. Thank you nurses!
There are many groups supporting these efforts, including the Town of Goderich, the Township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh, Libro Credit Union, the Municipality of Bluewater, the Goderich Legion, the Seaforth Legion Branch 156, the University of Waterloo, 100 People Who Care: Huron County, iA Financial, and Bruce Power.
About Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health
Founded in 2008 in the community of Seaforth, ON, Gateway CERH is a not-for-profit rural health research organization run by a community-based volunteer board of directors. Gateway CERH's main mission is to better the health and quality of life of rural residents through research, education and communication. Learn more on the Gateway CERH website at: https://www.gatewayruralhealth.ca/ and follow on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube
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