Addiction services are hitting the road in an effort to better reach rural Wellington County residents.
On Tuesday, Stonehenge Therapeutic Community launched a Rapid Access Addiction Medical (RAAM) mobile clinic – a customized van staffed with an addiction counsellor and a nurse practitioner – destined to make weekly stops in Arthur, Erin, Mount Forest, Palmerston and Rockwood.
“Addiction treatment isn’t one-size-fits-all and this is one of the issues we’ve particularly seen in the rural areas,” said Madison Cruickshank, Stonehenge’s clinical manager of community services. “Based primarily on accessibility challenges, we can’t fit folks into the boxes that existing addiction services were providing, so we had to get a little bit creative … to meet those needs.”
The van has two separate areas – an exam room and a counselling office – divided by a sound barrier to protect confidentiality.
Expert staff will work with clients to create a comprehensive care plan to address substance use issues, Cruickshank explained, including the potential for counselling and other treatment options, as well as connecting people with other agencies for continued support.
This new initiative comes in response to a 67 per cent increase in demand for services and a 12 per cent jump in prescription pain pill use by youth in rural Wellington County, along with a province-wide 38 per cent increase in substance use and 426 opioid-related deaths since the pandemic began.
“What we’re really hoping to see with this clinic is advancing the health equity available in the county for folks who haven’t typically had access to this type of service close to home before,” Cruickshank said.
The RAAM van will stop in Erin (6 Thompson Cresc.) on Mondays and Mount Forest (392 Main St. N.) on Tuesdays, with a Wednesday stop in Arthur (110 Charles St. E.), a Palmerston (520 Cavan St.) visit on Thursdays and spend Fridays in Rockwood (175 Alma St.). Hours vary by location.
A start date for Erin have not been determined at this time, Cruickshank noted.
Those locations were selected following consultations with clients, community partners and outreach workers, said Cruickshank.
The mobile clinic will also have the ability to make house calls where required, such as to rural addresses where residents are unable to travel to central areas of rural communities, said Cruichshank.
Due to pandemic-related restrictions, appointments are required but a doctor’s referral isn’t necessary. For more information, visit www.raamww.ca or call 1-844-722-2977.
Similar mobile services are offered by Sanguen Health Centre in rural Wellington County.
“We’ve been in conversation with them throughout the entire planning process,” said Cruickshank, noting the biggest difference is the presence of addiction experts. “We imagine we’ll be working quite closely together but they’re two different services.”
