REACH Community Health Centre is proud to present Colleen Fuller and Jane Turner with an honourary Lifetime Membership Award in recognition and appreciation of their outstanding support and commitment to REACH’s mission of building health, social justice, and community well-being.

Colleen Fuller

For nearly 25 years as Board member, Board President, and active Committee member, Colleen Fuller has guided REACH through some of the most significant challenges of our time from funding instability and chronic underinvestment in community health, to the opioid crisis, the inequities laid bare by COVID-19, and the ongoing struggles of poverty, racism, and stigma.

Colleen has been a tireless advocate for primary health care, championing the integration of health and social care and the need for global funding that would enable community health centers like REACH to respond flexibly and innovatively to community needs. She has strengthened our Integrated Care Framework, which brings together primary care, urgent and medical services, pharmacy, dental care, and health equity and engagement programs, ensuring care is holistic and community-driven.

*In the photo: Colleen advocating for the community voice at REACH AGM.*

Her advocacy extended beyond REACH through the BC Health Coalition, amplifying the voice of community health across the province. She also brought a global perspective to our work, moving an early motion for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine and for humanitarian aid, reminding us that health justice is both local and global.

Colleen has inspired us with her belief that “if you want anything, you have to mobilize and fight for it,” and her commitment to building a Board that truly reflects the diversity of our community.

Thank you, Colleen, for your vision, advocacy, and unwavering dedication. Your legacy will continue to guide and inspire REACH for generations to come.

- Respectfully submitted by Kimberley Laing

Jane Turner

From the time that Jane Turner joined the REACH Board in 2015, “tumult” might be the most fitting word to describe her experience!

In 2015, REACH undertook a major renovation that meant moving the Dental department to East 10th Avenue and the Administration, Pharmacy and Medical offices into an office at Hastings and Slocan streets. At this same time, the BC Liberal government and Vancouver Coastal Health put forward a new approach to community health centres which would see them care only for the most complex patients. This change would have meant leaving many REACH patients aside and removing the community base in which REACH was so embedded. Jane and fellow Board member Bill Hood did not agree with this new approach and organized some 100 REACH members to come out to a meeting and state their opposition. The community support swung the decision and REACH remained a centre for everyone in the community. Once the renovations were complete in 2017, REACH was brought together under one roof and all patients were welcome!

As Board Chair, Jane worked up to 10 hours a week (while working full-time) to guide the organization and was part of hiring a new Executive Director, Nicole LeMire. With a renovated building, the new ED and the Board lobbied the provincial government and Vancouver Coastal Health for funding that allowed for construction of an Urgent and Primary Care Centre (UPCC).

The Board went on to address the health care-related Calls to Action in the National Truth and Reconciliation report. With Nicole, they added a centre-wide Strategic Priority for Indigenous Health Care with the goal to have the same percentage of Indigenous patients as live in the Grandview Woodlands area. Following that the Board studied the provincial In Plain Sight report on indigenous-specific racism in the health care system, and developed policies to more fully attend to indigenous health and well-being.

*In the photo: Jane leading a Board strategic priority session.*

When COVID-19 arrived, Jane said the Board reached out to community members. “We called all members to ask if they were okay or needed support. People were surprised and delighted that REACH remembered them.” she recalled. Another example of the importance of REACH in our East Van community.

We are grateful to Jane for her incredible commitment to REACH and to community health and wellness. Our community is stronger thanks to her leadership on equity, increased access and advocacy.

- Respectfully submitted by Jean Kavanagh