Hoping to revolutionize the accessibility and availability of chiropractic services in the Elk Valley, Dr. Zachary Taylor has taken the traditional model of a chiropractic practice, and molded it around the needs of his patients. The three week old business, Hinterland Health, is the missing link in accessible chiropractic care for residents of Fernie and the South Country.
Residing in a recreational paradise, there is no shortage of patients injuring themselves in their adventurous pursuits. Having practiced in Fernie prior to kicking off Hinterland Health, it became apparent to Taylor that besides a clear need for chiropractors, there were problems in terms of availability.
“There are plenty of chiropractors in Fernie, but what I saw in having been here for a year and a half was that there was an availability issue for patients. A lot of people work shift work. A lot of people work nine to five. And unfortunately the existing offices did not offer a lot of availability outside of that,” said Taylor. “I took a step back and went okay, if I can have my weekends whenever throughout the week, then I should be available weekends for people that do have shift work or just can’t make it because of other obligations throughout the week.”
As a result, Taylor created Hinterland Health to offer services on weekends and other times outside of a typical work schedule, such as early mornings or late evenings. By being available when other clinics are closed, he is offering an alternative to those who otherwise cannot make it to standard appointments.
Notably, Hinterland Health also offers house calls. The mobile nature of his business allows him to make patients feel more comfortable by bringing appointments to their homes. With every aspect of his practice being portable, from the specialized table, to the instruments, to his online electronic record system, his flexibility lends well to serving patients who reside in care homes, or those who have limited mobility.
In terms of education, the Kootenay native studied in Kelowna at UBC Okanagan, and later received his chiropractic degree in California at the Life Chiropractic College West before joining a practice in Fernie a year and a half ago. Even so, Taylor’s passion for being a chiropractor comes from experiences he had as a young athlete.
While competing in high level sports, he developed a foot injury that seemingly no professional could fix. It wasn’t until he was in university that he met a chiropractor who viewed treatment differently. Rather than working with his injury directly, the chiropractor worked from a perspective that encompassed the entire body, eventually bettering Taylor’s persisting issues. Years after being a patient for said chiropractor, Taylor was invited to work in his office in Kelowna where he took the opportunity to dig deep into the unconventional ways his mentor treated patients.
This was what ultimately led Taylor to solidify his aspirations of becoming a chiropractor. Taking inspiration from that experience, coupled with learnings from recent work holidays he and his partner have embarked on, he created Hinterland Health to provide a passion fueled service to those who have barriers to accessible, quality chiropractors.
“Hinterland Health comes from [my partner and I] working together. We would do work holidays. It started up north. We’d find places where there was no massage therapist or chiropractor. It was beautiful, we’d go visit there and offer our services, and meet people and hike and fish and all those kinds of things,” said Taylor.
Though Hinterland Health is a budding business, word is spreading fast as appointments begin to steadily book up. At the moment, Taylor’s chiropractic license is only valid for Fernie and Jaffray, however he seeks to expand it to reach farther into the Elk Valley according to demand.
For those interested in his services, initial visits run at $80 and last roughly an hour due to the need to debrief client history and conduct a physical exam. Follow up appointments cost $60 per visit. Taylor can be reached for appointments or questions at 250-423-0999, by email at hinterlandhealth@gmail.com, or through online bookings via Hinterlandhealth.janeapp.com.
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