Stonebridge gets a foot in the door of Norwich Medical Clinic

Luke Edwards, Post Contributor

A Tillsonburg non-profit will be offering enhanced foot care services in Norwich.

Councillors agreed to a plan to have Stonebridge Community Services set up shop in the township’s medical clinic on Friday mornings for a four-month trial period. Stonebridge has been providing foot care to clients in Norwich on a visiting basis, and the non-profit says having a space at the clinic will allow them to see more people.

A similar plan was previously discussed, but never got off the ground. However, an increase in demand has led Stonebridge and township staff to revisit the plan.

“They reached out to me about a month ago and said ‘you know what, our demand has exploded in the Norwich area. Our footcare aide is struggling to actually get to all of the homes without people having a significant waitlist,’” said AJ Wells, manager of medical services.

Wells said they have existing space at the medical clinic on Friday mornings, which fits well with Stonebridge. The plan is to offer services from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays. By having the specialist in a clinic, it’ll cut down on travel time and allow them to see more clients.

Stonebridge offers basic foot health care, which Wells said is especially important for older residents.

“As people age it becomes more and more difficult for people to take care of their feet,” he said, adding these services can help people age in place.

“Proper foot care for seniors is extremely important.”

The plan is to offer the trial free of charge to Stonebridge, and Wells said they’ll discuss a rental fee for the space should the trial prove successful enough to move to a permanent system.