In a powerful display of community partnership, Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 (SU) staff and students recently joined hands with the Bishop Lavis community and Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness to commemorate three decades of transformative healthcare at the Bishop Lavis Rehabilitation Centre (BLRC).
This 30-year journey showcases the success of a visionary collaboration that has brought student-led rehabilitation services directly to the underserved community of Bishop Lavis, creating a lasting impact for both residents and healthcare professionals in training.
A vision of transformation
“I've witnessed the profound way this centre changes lives—how it brings hope and meaning to patients and their families," shared Brittany Fell, BLRC Operational Manager, who first experienced the centre as a physiotherapy student. “It's more than just a rehabilitation facility, it's truly become the heart of the community."
The centre emerged from an innovative vision to create a dual-purpose platform: providing essential rehabilitation services while offering hands-on training opportunities for healthcare students. “Our 30-year legacy speaks not only to our unwavering commitment to patient care, but also to our ability to adapt and innovate in an ever-changing landscape," Fell emphasized.
Dr Michael Phillips, Director at the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness, praised the centre's resilience and far-reaching impact. “The centre's influence extends far beyond Bishop Lavis—wherever our trained professionals serve, they carry these lessons in healthcare excellence with them. “A lot has changed over the last 30 years and the fact that the centre is still standing says a lot about your resilience as an organisation.
“I want to thank you and say that your partnership is valued. I look forward to many more years of this partnership," Phillips noted.
Community support and impact
Dr Therese Fish, Vice Dean: Clinical Services and Social Impact at SU's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), highlighted the centre's historical significance, explaining how it emerged during South Africa's transition to democracy. “This pioneering facility took rehabilitation services from the hospital into the primary health care setting, while creating an invaluable training ground for students," said Fish, a key architect of the centre's enduring success.
Fish acknowledged the vital role of volunteers in the centre's achievements, thanking both them and the Bishop Lavis community for their unwavering support. “What happens here, changes lives—not just that of the patients, but also the lives of students."
She believes that the training students receive at BLRC helps them achieve, what she calls, the “three Cs" in healthcare education—to become healthcare professionals that are (1) caring, (2) competent, and (3) confident.
Strength in unity
Prof Quinette Louw, Executive Head of the FMHS' Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, emphasized rehabilitation's restorative role in both healthcare and social healing, noting that the university's efforts in the Bishop Lavis also serves to restore some of the injustices inflicted on the community in the past.
"Our experience as South Africans has shown us the transformative power of unity," Louw reflected, calling for even stronger collaboration between healthcare disciplines, institutions, and communities.
"Through unity, we can build momentum for stronger rehabilitation services and restored communities," Louw concluded, highlighting the centre's role in both physical and social healing. "Together, we can create lasting impact on our health system and communities."
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Photo caption (from left to right): Members of the Bishop Lavis community, Dr Therese Fish, and Brittany Fell and Dr Michael Phillips?.
