October 30, 2025
Tony Joseph, lead for service experience and improvement with the City of Edmonton’s Community Services department, and Krista Milford, a health promotion facilitator with the vulnerable populations support unit at Primary Care Alberta, are just two of many people who helped make Compassion Care Day a success. Photo by Kirsten Goruk.
Kristi Sanders attended this year’s Compassion Care Day because she needed some wound care on her feet. She also had her blood pressure checked while she was there. Photo by Kirsten Goruk.
Story & photos by Kirsten Goruk
EDMONTON — The sound of drumming could be heard outside of the Boyle Street Plaza in Edmonton as Enoch Cree Nation drummers welcomed attendees to this year’s Compassion Care Day.
“I know a lot of people said last year that (the drumming) really drew them into the space,” says Krista Milford, a health promotion facilitator with the vulnerable populations support unit at Primary Care Alberta (PCA).
For two years, Milford has played an integral part in organizing Compassion Care day, a collaboration supported by PCA and the City of Edmonton, along with numerous community organizations and agencies.
Held on Oct. 15, this outreach — a part of the Healthier Together initiative — delivered vital health, social and wellness services to individuals experiencing houselessness or living in low, socio-economic conditions in Edmonton.
“This event facilitates critical interactions across medical, cultural, housing, financial, employment and personal care resources. It's meant to directly address systemic gaps in equity and accessibility,” Milford adds.
Partly funded by PCA and the City of Edmonton, the day offers everything from a winter clothing table, a warm meal and snacks, to health assessments, testing for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infection, treatment supports for opioid dependency, foot and wound care, immunizations and employment and housing supports.
“This kind of work is so important. We know that meeting people where they are and ensuring they have access to healthcare and social services can make a huge difference,” says Jared Tkachuk, an outreach coordinator with community services at the City of Edmonton.
Kristi Sanders, 55, is a regular visitor at the Healthier Together Butler Park Health & Wellness clinics. It’s how she heard about Compassion Care Day, which she says is a much bigger event and a huge help.
“I’m here for some foot care. I enjoy very much that they’re here today to help,” she says. “Otherwise, I would be lost in the shuffle. I got my blood pressure checked and that’s normal, which is a good sign.”
Tony Joseph, lead for service experience and improvement with the City of Edmonton’s Community Services department says he’s pleased with this year’s turnout, which was up to 614 registered attendees, an increase over 550 who came in 2024.
“The collaboration with our community partners and PCA is what makes this so successful. We are stronger when we work together and that in turn increases access,” he says.
With a second successful year under wraps, Milford says she now thinks of Compassion Care Day as an annual event, a gathering of 25 service agencies and 45 volunteers, all working towards the same goal.
“It’s vital to have a service like this, a one-stop shop where they can really form connections and see what's available, what the services are. A lot of people said last year they didn’t even know some of the agencies existed.”
