GUELPH – Stonehenge Therapeutic Community is adding a van to its assets to bring clinical support to people in rural Wellington County.
Stonehenge has received more than $900,000 in funding from Ontario Health to lead enhanced addiction services, including a mobile Rapid Access Addiction Clinic (RAAC) van to meet the unique needs of clients in rural Wellington.
“Having the RAAC’s services in rural Wellington will have a significant impact for our residents who are seeking support with substance use as the rural experience is different than the urban one,” stated Elsa Mann, rural Wellington community team lead, in a press release.
“Not only will this provide quick access by reducing transportation barriers, it simplifies the entire experience for the individual seeking help.
“These partnerships and collaborative efforts between primary care and addictions programs are very much needed in rural Wellington.”
The funding includes $810,000 to increase access to nurse practitioners through both residential withdrawal management and the RAACs.
The addition of nurse practitioners to these services will enhance options and increase accessibility of withdrawal services across Waterloo Wellington.
Services will be delivered in partnership with Waterloo Region Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic (WRNPLC), Grand River Hospital, and House of Friendship.
“This is a meaningful investment that will allow for better health equity for residents in our region,” said Kristin Kerr, Stonehenge executive director.
“With a mobile clinic, we will be able to literally meet people where they are at by bringing a fuller slate of addiction services to them, and break down barriers to accessing addiction medical services.”
Waterloo Wellington has four RAACs: Guelph, Elora, Kitchener and Cambridge. Rural residents are currently required to travel to those clinics to access full services.
With the new mobile RAAC van, rural residents will have access to counselling, referrals, and harm reduction services. Most significantly, they will have access to addiction medical services provided by a nurse practitioner.
“We know a gap exists for rural residents, and we are so excited to work with our health care partners to deliver these services to a greater number of people,” said Paula Carere, clinical lead for the WRNPLC.
The mobile clinic will operate five days a week and will travel to a variety of locations across rural Wellington. The goal is to have the mobile clinic up and running in early 2021.
In addition to the nurse practitioner and RAAC funding, Ontario Health has also invested $100,000 to be used in partnership with the County of Wellington to increase capacity for Stonehenge’s Supportive Addiction and Mental Health Housing Program.
“Supportive housing plays an important role in increasing the health and social outcomes of people by providing stable housing and support that meets their unique addiction and mental health needs,” Kerr said.
“With this funding, we open up approximately eight additional places in this program.”
The funding from Ontario Health is part of the government’s recent $176-million expenditure to expand access to critical addiction and mental health services.
For more information on Rapid Access Addiction Clinics, visit http://raacww.ca.
