Feature photo: The goal of the Lakeshore MedArts Centre is to provide the rapidly growing Lakeshore township with a one-stop shop of young professionals, all born and raised locally. Great Lakes Chiropractic — situated inside the centre — is a perfect example of young workers with a goal of providing Chiropractic, Acupuncture, Massage Therapy, and Naturopathic Medicine for each patient. A few of the staff members are pictured here from the left: Nina Marshall (Reception); Jennie Papineau (RMT); Amanda Quilliam (RMT); Dr. Paul Bondy (Chiropractor); Dr. Jennifer Strong (Naturopathic Doctor); and Nikki Paltridge (Office Manager). Photo by Rod Denis.

Building a new healthcare practice from the ground up takes hard work and long hours, but it’s already beginning to pay off for Great Lakes Chiropractic, which opened its doors in Lakeshore last summer.

“This is a fast-growing area, so we’ve already been able to attract a good mix of clientele in just six months, which is very encouraging,” says Co-Owner Paul Bondy, a graduate of a four year program at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto.

“I live nearby so this is a perfect location for the practice.” Great Lakes is part of the newly-opened Lakeshore MedArts Centre, which includes a number of different health-care practitioners under one roof. Other members of the Great Lakes practice include Co-Owner Dr. Aaron McKinlay, Dr. Devin Humphrey, Dr. Jennifer Strong and Registered Massage Therapists Jennie Papineau and Amanda Quilliam.

“Gathering different practitioners under the same roof has created opportunities for inter-referrals and I think it’s helping everyone,” Bondy remarks of the MedArts roster of businesses. “It allows us to bounce ideas off each other and since most of us started off together, we have the same goals and interests.”

The demographics in a fast-growing area of Essex County have also played a role in helping the practice grow.

“There are a lot of older residents in the Belle River area so we have been dealing with many patients with chronic pain issues,” notes Bondy, who also has a degree in human kinetics from the University of Windsor.

“There are also a great number of auto workers and factory workers in the community so we also see a lot of workrelated injuries and repetitive strain issues.”

Bondy also works with the LaSalle Vipers Junior B Hockey Club as their team Chiropractor, which requires him to be in attendance at each home game. “I played a little bit of junior hockey and the treatment I received from Chiropractors during that time is largely why I became interested the field in the first place,” explains Bondy.

“Working with the Vipers gives me the opportunity to combine both and it’s great to get involved with the hockey community again.” Bondy helps players with treatment and stretching before the game and is available to offer in-game treatment if necessary. He also works two days a week at a chiropractic clinic at the University of Windsor.

“I started working two days a week at the university when I came back to Windsor after graduation, but it wasn’t until mid-2016 that we were able to set up the practice in Lakeshore,” says Bondy.

Bondy says his clinic also includes three other Chiropractors, a Naturopathic Doctor and two Registered Massage Therapists, which allows them to collaborate on different patient cases and determine what works best for individual patients. Bondy believes chiropractic treatments are being included by more patients as a part of their regular health-maintenance program.

“People go to their Dentists and Doctors on a regular basis for preventative consultations and people are now viewing Chiropractors in much the same way,” Bondy comments. “You can always treat an ailment after it occurs, but if you can prevent it from happening, it’s better for the patient and it’s better for the overall health-care system.”

The practice also offers acupuncture, spinal decompression treatments, and laser therapy. Located at 1303 County Rd. 22 in Belle River, the medical centre also includes three Family Physicians, a hearing clinic, a walk-in clinic, an eye-care specialist, an Orthodontist, a Physiotherapist and a therapy and rehabilitation practice. Great Lakes Chiropractic is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information visit: GreatLakesChiro.ca.