When the Health Centre opened its doors as North Hamilton Community Health Centre (NHCHC) in 1987, there were no other local organizations like it – in fact, there was only one other doctor in the entire North End of Hamilton. The community required a Centre that specifically responded to the unique health needs of individual clients and their families. From its beginning, Compass Community Health has been committed to providing accessible services and primary healthcare to individuals and communities, as well as wellness and illness prevention care.
For over thirty years, the Health Centre has been a mainstay in Hamilton’s North End communities. While still rooted in the North End, the Health Centre now supports individuals and families toward health and wellness across, and well beyond, Hamilton.
Through an interdisciplinary team of health professionals, Compass, provides an all-encompassing suite of services that adapt to the changing needs of the communities we serve. The ongoing commitment to work toward “no obstacles” that was innovatively pioneered at NHCHC continues with Compass.
With programs that extend from Niagara Falls to Brantford, many of the clients supported by the Health Centre programs no longer identify with the geographic reference to North Hamilton. The North End area is experiencing significant demographic shifts, resulting in clients relocating to other parts of Hamilton or outside of Hamilton. The word “compass” is a reflection of the direction and progress the Health Centre is moving, and the North, East, South, and West points of the compass represent the wide reach of populations we serve, even as we remain connected to our community.