News & Events
Press Release – Dr. Shelley Turner, MD CCFP Returns to Gimli to Open the Interlake Regions’s First Medical Cannabis Clinic
PRESS RELEASE
Dr. Shelley Turner, MD CCFP Returns to Gimli to Open the Interlake Regions’s First Medical Cannabis Clinic
- Ekosi Health Centre to provide medical cannabis therapies, education and research in the new 2,000 square foot facility in Gimli, Manitoba, Canada.
- For Patients: Buiding resilience to help patients take control of their own personal health and well-being with a heart-based, continuous care approach.
- For Health Care Practitioners: Building bridges with health care practitioners to help them provide patients with the best possible care and treatment options.
- “Ekosi” (Eh-Go-Say) in Cree means “this is good…this is the way forward.”
Tuesday, February 26, 2019 9:00 am CST
GIMLI , MANITOBA — Dr. Shelley Turner, Founder & Chief Medical Officer of Ekosi Health, has returned to her hometown of Gimil to operate the new 2,000 square foot Ekosi Health Centre. Located in the Lighthouse Mall in the centre of Gimli, Manitoba, the new facility – which launched on Tuesday, February 26, 2019 – is the first medical cannabis clinic in the Interlake Region that will provide patients with an opportunity to create a personalized health plan based on cannabis treatment and a specialized continuous care approach.
Raised in Gimli, Manitoba, and a proud member of the Pimicikamak First Nation in Cross Lake, Dr. Turner is an experienced and highly regarded medical practitioner. Prior to earning her professional Certification in the College of Family Physicians (CCFP) designation in 2006 from McMaster University, Dr. Turner worked as a nurse with vulnerable populations for close to two decades in urban and rural centres. In 2012, she established the Dr. Shelley Turner Medicine Professional Corporation in Thunder Bay, Ontario; and as her practice flourished, she found her patients “increasingly inquiring about safe alternatives to treat and manage a variety of conditions including chronic pain, lack of sleep, mood disorders and addictions.” To address the needs for her patients, her practice evolved in 2015 as First Farmacy Medical, an entity specializing in cannabinoid therapies in accordance with the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR), and subsequently the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR), now The Cannabis Act.
Dr. Turner’s medical operations have served as evidence-based data collection sites for cannabis research, and at present, she is one of the leading clinical participants in McMaster University’s CANNabinoid Consumption and Study (DATACANN). She is professionally affiliated with: College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario and Manitoba; Canadian Medical Protective Society; Canadian College Of Family Physicians; Ontario Medical Association, and the Canadian Medical Association.
With over 12,000 patient interactions and a growing patient database, it is Dr. Turner’s goal to advance the clinical application of cannabinoids in every medical practice in Canada through education, mentorship, research and innovation. Regarded as a trailblazer in the medical cannabis community, she recently drove the establishment of a formalized post-secondary cannabis course at Red River College’s School of Indigenous Education and is routinely requested to present as a keynote speaker at industry, educational and medical events across Canada.
With a special focus on harm reduction, Dr. Turner emphasizes that, “I’m very involved in clinical research in cannabinoid therapy, both as harm and phara-reductive therapies for those living with addiction, mental health and chronic-non malignant pain.” She adds, “You have to be solution-focused. The current system with the attached stigma, does not work for my cohort of patients.”
Dr. Turner hopes that the Ekosi Health Centres will become the hub of each community, and it’s expected that Ekosi Health will provide an exceptional opportunity to collaborate and cross-promote with complimentary health and wellness organizations, enhancing the patient experience with a well-rounded approach to personal health care.
