Merger Means N.B.’s Town Health Solutions Now Has Eight Clinic Locations
SAINT JOHN — Town Health Solutions has just welcomed a new member to its family of clinics. Canadian Chiropractic Wellness Centre has been acquired by Town Health and has moved into the newly renovated clinic at 96 Stanley St.
That brings the total to eight locations for one of the largest, locally-owned chiropractic/wellness clinic groups in Atlantic Canada, with services offered in Saint John, Fredericton, Woodstock, Nackawic, Hampton, St. Stephen, Grand Manan and now – Grand Bay.
“I thought this is an opportunity to work with a great person and help to complete his legacy,” says Town Health CEO Dr. Erik Klein of the merger with CCWC. “We had a very similar philosophy. Dr. Norm Skjonsberg was a mentor to myself and my partner Doctor Comeau. It was a match made in heaven.”
The acquisition brings two new chiropractors, an edu-therapy specialist and a sports medicine expert.
With 29 years of experience, Klein is excited about the wealth of expertise that Dr. Skjonsberg brings.
“Norm has always been very much a community builder. He was president of the [New Brunswick Chiropractors] association. He’s brought chiropractic research to the province to UNB and I really respected that.”
“His expertise lies in dealing with extremities, ankle, knee, wrist, shoulder issues. So he’s definitely a different cut from the traditional spinal chiros.“
Eighteen months after the idea to amalgamate the two organizations, the renovations at the North End clinic are now complete. The Canadian Chiropractic Wellness Centre relocated there on September 30 from its Hilyard Place location.
This is the second major acquisition for the group in a year. The Town Physio, which is part of its River Valley clinic in Fredericton, acquired Signature Spinal Care & Laser Therapy in November 2021.
In September, the Woodstock Town Health clinic opened a second location in the neighbouring town of Nackawic.
“With so much migration happening to Atlantic Canada, I’m putting my focus on Atlantic Canada,” Klein says, noting that he and his business partner, Dr. Daniel Comeau, are open to expanding into other parts of Canada.
Increased demand for services
Dr. Klein says he’s seen a marked uptick in business since the pandemic started, making the merger, and the renovation/expansion at the Saint John office all the more important.
After being closed for seven weeks in 2020, he says they have been full ever since, with clients needing assistance from strains and injuries from home renovations, gardening and in-home training at the start of Covid, to the long term stressors of nearly three years of uncertainty.
“It’s not just acute injuries, like people tripping and falling, a lot of it – to be honest – has been a result of overall mental stress from the pandemic. Trying to do zoom school,” he says. “The physical manifestations of that stress have been extremely profound. And we have seen it in children as well who are struggling with weird headaches, leg pains, abdominal pains that have truly been unique in my career.”
He adds that the strain on the traditional healthcare system and the lack of family doctors have also pushed clients to his clinics.
With the merger, Klein says his team is even better positioned to find “results-driven solutions”, Town Health’s motto.
“We have about 10 different professions now, so we don’t operate in silos,” he explains.
“We tend to see a lot of complex issues, people who have struggled to get results elsewhere. We will have the naturopath, a physiotherapist and a chiropractor or we’ll bring in the strength trainer or whatever it is, and we’ll have these rounds with the team on these cases.”
Continuity for CCWC clients
Canadian Chiropractic Wellness Centre will continue to operate under its own name, with its own space at the Stanley St. location.
After buying the building in 2016 and operating the Town Health Clinic in the front section for years, Klein says the merger was the perfect opportunity to renovate the 1600-square-foot warehouse space in the back for the arrival of the CCWC.
“We are so over the moon happy, about the aesthetic, the natural light, the way people can move through the space. We are stoked about that.”
Town Health was founded in Hampton in 2004 and has served over 35,000 clients.