We met a member of the Umbrella Sexual Health Clinic a couple weeks ago, and now it’s time to meet the doctor!
This is Bella!
I like to think of Bella as the person who noticed it was raining and decided to open the umbrella
Here she is with Gloria, a public health nurse, during the strike I wrote about in October. Bella and her umbrella were there to show support for all the amazing and hard working nurses striking for fair pay.
Bella was born in Poland and emigrated to Canada with her family when she was about six years old. She attended Lakehead for her undergrad and then went to the University of Toronto to study medicine. Bella did her residency here in Thunder Bay then practiced medicine in Terrace Bay for a decade before returning to Thunder Bay. When she returned (in 2015) she brought along a delightful red headed husband and two sons. Oh, and a cat named Harry Potter.
Bella worked at the Health Unit before opening her own clinic. Here she is looking professional in her office!
I went to see Bella at her new office and she was incredibly helpful; everybody in the clinic was full of kindness and good humour.
As I said earlier, Bella saw a need and opened up the umbrella. The umbrella is meant to cover the multitudes; it’s a beautiful and appropriate image. Umbrella Clinic will cover you and your needs no matter who you are.
Whether you are a man, a woman, transgendered, or non binary, Bella and her team will offer you the best medical care possible. Your race and your religion and your station in life are irrelevant with regards to the compassion and care you will receive.
These are the services offered at Umbrella:
It’s worth mentioning that December 1st (yesterday) was World AIDS Day (every year since 1988) and December is AIDS awareness month. What was once a death sentence is now getting more and more manageable. New medicines and care have made it possible for many people to live long and relatively normal lives, despite being diagnosed as HIV positive or with AIDS.
Umbrella clinic specializes in AIDS testing and prevention. Definitely visit them if you think you’ve been exposed. Better yet, visit for testing if you’re sexually active and it’s been awhile since your last clean bill of health.
And I need to say this: Abortion. It may be controversial or uncomfortable but it’s a fact of life that women terminate pregnancies for many different reasons. There’s a very good chance that someone you know and love has had an abortion. Safe abortion is necessary to keep women safe. If you have a need, Umbrella clinic can help.
For more information, please visit the Umbrella website here.
Oh, one more thing. Completely non medically related: Bella eats pumpkin pie with whipped cream in the middle of the night. All year long. She said it’s her secret midnight snack and I figured it was important for everybody to know.
Go get checked for STDs! Go get a pregnancy test! Go get an abortion referral or a prescription for mifepristone! Go consult about gender reassignment surgery. Just go. You won’t regret it; you’ll get amazing care and your heart will be full.