'A one of a kind place': Health centre 'The Nest' opens first phase in downtown Regina
The newly opened health and wellness centre in downtown Regina, The Nest, is providing residents of the Queen City with resources to live healthier lives.
For Jackson Serna, the first sponsored athlete with The Nest, the facility offers him a place to train.
Serna happened upon The Nest while working for The Gathering Place New Beginnings, located in the same building. He told CTV News that the experience was enlightening.
“Honestly it gave me a new perspective of life and my perspective of like, how homeless people are treated and that they need help,” Serna told CTV News.
When Serna’s not training, he works with the Regina Treaty and Status Indians Services (RT/SIS).
The combination of physical and mental support as well as community outreach makes The Nest a hub for health, according to Serna.
“This is honestly a one of the kind of place,” he said.
“Not only is it because right now it's a gym … but when the mental side comes in and like the sports, physicals and stuff come in, it can be a whole hotspot. Because you got everything in one spot.”
The combination of care is crucial, according to managing director of The Nest, Ankit Kapur.
“You see your doctor episodically every three months or six months but in-between, action on those plans is critical,” he explained.
The new facility has taken over the former home of Regina’s downtown YMCA.
Saturday’s grand opening marked the facility’s first phase.
When The Nest is completely operational, it will feature a pool, chiropractic practices and a pharmacy among other resources.
“Action on those plans, work with personal trainers working to make sure we get mobility making sure we get physio on flexibility, making sure we wrap around [and] cater to populations that aren't necessarily well served in traditional institutions,” Kapur said.
The institution is a welcome sight to the city’s downtown core.
“It's complete health,” Mayor Sandra Masters told CTV News.
“Mental health, the physical and all of the medical in-between. We can't just get prescriptions out for people's ailments sometimes it involves mental health counseling, sometimes it involves physical health.”
Physical health training is helping athletes like Serna prepare for his goal of representing Canada on the Olympic stage of wrestling.
“I want to be Olympic champ. I want to be a world champion,” he said. “I'm not trying to just be okay and average and I want to be the best and this has helped me get there. You know, step by step.”
Serna, who is the ranked fourth in the nation, hopes his journey from Flying Dust First Nation to the Nest will inspire others.
“I'm glad it’s in Regina and where the YMCA used to be,” he said.
“I feel like it's going to be a hotspot for not just city athletes, but for provincial athletes and hopefully national athletes.”
The second phase of The Nest is scheduled to open in fall of 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.