'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
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
BREAKING Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The World Health Organization said on Friday that the current overall public health risk posed by H5N1 bird flu virus is low, but for those with exposure to infected birds or animals the risk of infection is considered low-to-moderate.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
'Violation': CSIS had officer investigated after she reported a superior raped her
A CSIS officer's allegations that she was raped repeatedly by a superior in agency vehicles set off a harassment inquiry, but also triggered an investigation into her that concluded the alleged attacks were a “misuse” of agency vehicles by the woman.