BERWICK, NS - They’re taking a team approach to life in general and to establishing a new chiropractic clinic in Nova Scotia’s apple capital with a focus on patient-centred care.
Berwick Chiropractic Health and Wellness Centre co-owners Dr. Andrew McEwan and Dr. Rebecca Daniels is a husband and wife team who hope that their practice fills a niche in the community.
The couple has almost eight years of combined practical experience, with McEwan working as a chiropractor since 2013 and Daniels since 2014, treating pain or dysfunction relating to joints, muscles and nerves.
It’s a homecoming for Daniels, who said she loves the Valley. The chiropractor and acupuncture provider was born in Berwick and grew up in Bridgetown. She said establishing their practice here made sense, as they were already spending their weekends in the area.
McEwan, who was born in Northern Ireland and grew up in the Hammonds Plains area, said he loves to golf and often visited the Valley to enjoy the pastime. He said they recognized an opportunity in terms of establishing their practice in Berwick with the closest chiropractic clinics in Coldbrook and Kingston.
“There was always a drive to get to the Annapolis Valley, I think, and when looking into it, there was a need for what we do in Berwick,” he said.
McEwan said that Berwick is a community that’s growing. More people and businesses are locating in the town, which is evident from all the new enterprises popping up.
“We figured why not, there’s no better place really,” he said.
Daniels said there’s a certain synergy in the community with a wide variety of healthcare providers to collaborate with and they look forward to doing so. They also recognized that a “missing link” was the lack of a chiropractic clinic.
She said Berwick is experiencing an upswing in terms of promoting healthy, active lifestyles. There’s a new gym at town hall and a wellness centre is being developed as part of the second phase of the Kings Mutual Century Centre. Having facilities where they can send patients for continuing care such as gym classes or skating is crucial to them.
It takes a team effort
A true team, while one is seeing clients, the other works the reception desk. They hope to soon add a massage therapist at the clinic, which would go hand-in-hand with chiropractic care.
Daniels and McEwan have special areas of interest when it comes to the practice, so they can offer care to pretty much any demographic. McEwan often focuses on acute injuries that have just taken place and he enjoys working with athletes, such as performing specific assessments and evaluations with golfers.
Daniels often focuses on perinatal care, pregnancy and pediatrics. Their clientele has ranged in age from three days to 93 years.
McEwan said Berwick is a small town but there are a lot of people in the area who they can help if given the opportunity. Their education is extensive and they bring a valuable set of skills to Berwick and surrounding communities.
He said chiropractic treatment has evolved a lot in recent years and they take a diverse approach to patient-centred care. Clients have to be comfortable and confident with the treatment being delivered in order for it to be effective.
“We’ve always found that combining three or four treatment techniques into one session is going to yield more positive, beneficial results at the end of the day opposed to sticking with just one thing or another thing,” McEwan said.
Renovating for success
They’ve gone through extensive renovations to transform their Union Street space from a dental office to a chiropractic clinic. Beginning in mid-November, it took more than 10 weeks to complete the renovation project. The new clinic opened its doors on Feb. 5.
Their contractor did most of the work on the clinic space while McEwan and Daniels handled a lot of the work upstairs in their living space themselves.
“Our top focus was making everything wheelchair accessible because we do treat patients with mobility issues,” Daniels said.
The project included re-locating a bathroom to make it more spacious and fully accessible, widening hallways and doorways and making sure the ramp outside was in top shape.
McEwan said the decision to work and live in the same building means that they won’t have any more snow days but they’ll save time and money not having to commute.
For more information or to book appointments online, visit Berwick Chiropractic Health and Wellness Centre on Facebook or visit www.berwickchiropractic.ca. The clinic offers direct billing.
