Making Wellness Accessible, with Dr. Kim Bender
Those of us in the health and wellness space spend a lot of time thinking about, working on, and chasing ‘being well.’ We compare best practices, spend time and money on the newest, flashiest products and services, and we live in an era where even the term ‘wellness’ has become bottled up, monetized on every corner, or turned into a luxurious experience.
So, what do you do when being well, physically, mentally, and emotionally, is so far out of reach? When your basic human needs - food, water, shelter - are not met, how dare you even think about your wellness?
I sat down with Dr. Kim Bender, Medical Director of REACH Niagara, a non-profit organization that “provides healthcare to individuals who lack access to basic needs, including those who are homeless, precariously housed, or living below the poverty line.”
“The mission is that every person deserves care, fairly, across the board,” Dr. Bender tells me. Besides being the newly appointed Medical Director at REACH, she is also an Attending Physician at Albright Manor Long Term Care and the Brock Student Health Clinic, as well as Associate Faculty Member at McMaster University Medical School. I have interacted with a variety of physicians throughout my young life, and I have never come across one who is as softspoken and outwardly warm as Dr. Bender - forgive me if I call her Kim, she’s that cool! Wearing two necklaces on the day of our conversation, one in the shape of the famous Disney World castle, the other an outline of Mickey Mouse, served as a sweet testament to her youthful and gentle aura.
Dr. Kim Bender, Medical Director at REACH Niagara
“At REACH we look at the most vulnerable homeless populations in the Niagara Region and we bring care there - these are the folks that often fall through the cracks in the regular medical system,” Bender tells me.
REACH has a multitude of people on their team that provide wholesome healthcare, from counsellors to general physicians to disability supports. They even have a mobile van that is constantly going around providing on the spot care to vulnerable areas within Niagara, no Health Card or appointment necessary.
It’s easy to say that being well, mentally and physically, should be a basic right for all human beings. Unfortunately, however, the treatment that individuals coming from these communities face in the traditional healthcare system reveals that just isn’t the reality.
“A lot of the patients we serve face significant judgement and stigma when accessing normal healthcare services; it’s also not safe for them to leave their encampments as their belongings and safety are put at risk,” says Bender. “Often folks we treat are in their situation as a result of a lack of support, lack of family, lack of finances…very simple things, simple stressors that could happen to any one of us. It’s really easy for people to group together and dehumanize folks in these communities, thinking of them as ‘the homeless’ as opposed to real, individual human beings.”
“I have seen patients through REACH that were neglected and stigmatized in the normal healthcare system; when they found us, they were able to go through some of our programming and get to a healthier state so that they could increase their finances, and find a stable place to live. Every day, people tell me what a difference it makes that someone is actually listening to them, that they’re taken seriously.”
REACH Niagara Mobile Van
My 9-5 for the past few years has been in fundraising and donor relations, so I know first-hand the impact and value that even small donations can have on a not-for-profit organization. REACH served 6,068 patients in 2024 - a massive surge from 1,784 in 2023 - and the need is only expected to increase from there.
“If we’re going to be stable as an organization and provide that stability for these communities as well as in turn for the Niagara community at large, we need to be stable as well,” says Bender. “Donations are very important and meaningful, and so is sharing support for REACH when speaking with majors or local municipal governments, etc. We are not funded by the ministry at all, and are really only supported through private donors, and grants, so the more ears that hear about the work we are doing, the more likely we are to keep going.”
As a long-time physician, Bender is no stranger to the demands, and the deep value, of her work. Yet even with its many rewards, she understands that her ability to care for others depends on how well she cares for herself.
“The team at REACH is so great, we have some amazing clinicians on our team that are so supportive and collaborative - it’s such a nice place to work. We build each other up, and everything is kind of a team-based approach. Nature is also the best medicine in my personal opinion, so besides spending time with family I try to spend a lot of time outdoors. My students always make jokes about ‘going outside and touching grass,’ but it’s so true!,” she laughs.
REACH offers a variety of different programs to meet patients wherever they are at; one of the newer programs, JSTICE (Justice System Transitional Integrative Care and Empowerment), provides support to those that have been through the penal system.
“Many of the folks coming out of that system lack proper support, and so they end up in shelters, sliding backwards… our program is set up so that we provide health care and connections before they leave and after they leave as well, supporting them through that transition,” she says. “We also have the Welcoming Streets Initiative of WSI, focused on making our community a place where everyone feels welcome - we are collaborating with Positive Living Niagara to deliver that. Through communication and positive interactions, it seeks to reduce stigma and stereotypes while building a more inclusive and supportive community for those living on the streets as well as those with businesses in this area.”
Dr. Bender has seen firsthand how REACH is stepping in to fill critical gaps, providing compassionate, non-judgmental care for marginalized and vulnerable communities in our region. When asked what it would take to build a truly equitable healthcare system across the country, however, she couldn’t help but choke up.
“Oof, that’s a big question,” she sighs. “It’s so complicated, multilayered, divided… to start, just providing care in a fair way across the board is the only way that we can move forward, for sure.”
As for how physician Kim Bender would define wellness, herself?
“Wellness starts with having a stable place to live, having stable supports - without that, it’s very hard for wellness to exist, unfortunately. And then from there, finding a peace within yourself with whatever situation you’re in. I have worked with patients in hospice that feel very well despite living with significant and chronic illnesses, so aside from the necessary external support, your internal mindset has a huge impact on your state of being as well.”
Working at Brock University around passionate and hardworking students, I was curious to know, looking back, what Kim’s advice would be to a young budding physician, nurse, or healthcare worker.
“Treat each person that you come across as a person, and avoid making judgements before you walk in the room. It’s really easy in the healthcare system to become jaded and look at your patients as an illness or associate them as simply being part of a ‘group.’ Just try to really be in the moment with each patient - figure out where they come from and what their story is. It’s almost like a bit of mindfulness to just focus on each person for the person that they are, first - it’s really quite amazing where people come from. That’s probably my biggest advice.”
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P.S. I am excited to announce that I will be hosting a live workshop at Mind Body Spirit Fest, held at Ironwood Cider House in Niagara-on-the-Lake! 🧘🏻♀️✍️🎨🧠
Together we will explore three core pillars that I believe are essential to restoring ones sense of vitality: Creative Expression, Spiritual Exploration, and Recovery-Based Principles. This will be a guided, interactive session designed to inspire reflection, connection, and growth.
Details:
🗓️September 7
⏰11 AM
📍Ironwood Cider House, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
💰FREE!
I can’t wait to see you there! 😌🌞
Register here!
Until then, enjoy the sunshine while it lasts!.
Julia 🌞