Service is vital lifeline for vulnerable population in western downtown
Billy was living on the streets, getting by day-by-day with a serious drug habit. His future seemed to offer little promise—until a door opened, and he stepped through it.
Billy was already a client at CLSC Métro, where he went to obtain clean syringes and other sterile supplies for his drug dependency. Then, during a visit last fall, he discovered a new office for clients like him, staffed by welcoming professionals from our CIUSSS. They extended a hand, and Billy took it.
“At first, we just offered him coffee and some snacks,” recalls Social Worker Tiffany Verdon. “Then he came in again, and we told him, ‘You can start getting treatment here if you want.’”
Soon, Billy—a man in his 30s who had never accessed health services before—was stopping by to see the team regularly. As staff earned his trust, he agreed to blood tests and an appointment with a physician. He even began talking about getting off the street and into housing.
Today, Billy (not his real name) has a pathway into the health service network—and a future with hope.
“We gave him trust in the healthcare system again,” says Ms. Verdon, Clinical Coordinator of the service, known as Rapid Access to Addiction Medicine. “He’s more engaged and more hopeful. “
“He sees things that are possible that he never thought were possible before.”
Tiffany Verdon, Social Worker
This expanded addiction service by our CIUSSS, made possible with support from the Frontline Directorate, brings together a new team including a nurse, psycho-educator and human relations agent. Among their services is the ability to connect clients with a family physician—an important step toward reaching people who rarely, if ever, access medical care.
The team fills a significant healthcare gap for the largely English-speaking population in the western portion of downtown Montreal. Until now, the nearest medical support for drug addiction was at the CHUM (Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal) in eastern downtown. The distance created an additional barrier for people with few means, even to pay for bus or Métro fare.
CLSC Métro is closer to “home”—even when home is the street. Three quarters of clients who turn to the CLSC for clean syringes and other drug-use equipment are experiencing homelessness.
“It’s all about access,” says Catherine Roberge, Program Manager for Addiction and Homelessness for our CIUSSS. “Our clients can come to the new space, close the door, and talk with someone who will listen. We start a discussion and if people want more, we can offer more.”
People with drug dependencies have been turning to CLSC Métro for clean syringes and other supplies since 1990, but the service (known as Harm Reduction Supply and Distribution) operated in an open area that was shared with other clients who were coming in for blood tests or other routine services.
By shifting to a private space behind closed doors, clients with drug dependencies can meet CIUSSS staff in a confidential, non-judgmental environment. Three professionals have been hired to staff the drop-in service: Nurse Tamira Cahana, Psycho-educator Lorrie Marcotte and Human Relations Agent Brian Nichol.
“We already knew the people who were coming in for clean supplies, but they weren’t receiving care. Now, we can get to know them and help them gain access to addiction services when they’re ready.”
Catherine Roberge, Program Manager for Addiction and Homelessness
This offering represents another dimension of care by our CIUSSS for our city’s most vulnerable patients. In January, the Directorate of Mental Health and Addiction launched a pilot project with the Tupper Street YMCA to transfer patients experiencing homelessness to transitional housing after they’re discharged from hospital. The project, called A Pathway to Recovery, aims to break the cycle of homelessness, illness and repeated hospital use.
At the CLSC, meanwhile, the Harm Reduction Supply and Distribution service aims to lessen the damaging effects of drug dependency by offering clean needles and other sterile materials. The goal is to minimize overdoses, infections and other health risks that can arise from sharing drug supplies, while alleviating pressure on emergency departments.
Equally important, the CLSC team can connect a vulnerable group of people to the broader health network. Family physicians specialized in drug addiction are available for appointments twice a week via teleconference; one of the physicians is based at a Family Medicine Group (GMF) of CIUSSS West-Central Montreal, and the other is at the CHUM.
“I feel a great sense of pride being part of this team, because we offer a unique approach to care,” says Ms. Cahana, the nurse on the team. “We create a welcoming and patient-centered environment. People feel very safe here, and the care moves at their pace. We give them support to take them to the next level.”
