Waterloo Region – In partnership, Region of Waterloo Public Health, Sanguen Health Centre, House of Friendship, and Stonehenge Therapeutic Community are celebrating the opening of the Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) Clinic at the Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) site. The integration of the RAAM clinic at the CTS, represents an important milestone and will provide integrated, wraparound supports for people who use substances. 

 The RAAM clinic is co-located on the second floor of the CTS site at 150 Duke Street West, Kitchener. The RAAM is a specialized medical clinic designed for people of all ages who are experiencing health issues related to their current substance use. Clinic services are offered, in partnership, by House of Friendship and Stonehenge Therapeutic Community. By offering RAAM clinic services on-site, the CTS site is able to decrease barriers for those seeking access to treatment services.

 The RAAM clinic further supports the Waterloo Region Integrated Drug Strategy’s comprehensive four-pillar approach to substance use. This approach includes:

• Prevention
• Harm reduction
• Treatment
• Enforcement and justice

 Treatment services are offered along a continuum of support for those who use substances, to meet their individual treatment goals and needs. These needs can range from harm reduction, abstinence, or anywhere in between. Having on-site treatment services at the CTS site will improve access to treatment for those who are ready.

 The service will operate according to COVID-19 guidelines while providing important supports for people who would like to address their substance use.

Quick facts

• The CTS site at 150 Duke Street West has been open since October 15, 2019, starting as the interim site. The permanent CTS site opened one year later on October 14, 2020.
• There were 5,721 visits to the CTS, averaging 440 visits per month, between March 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021.    
• There were 201 overdoses reversed at the CTS between March 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021. There were zero overdose deaths.

• Rapid Access Addiction Medicine clinics:
• Provide rapid, easy access to evidence-based care for individuals who use substances.
• Funded by Waterloo-Wellington Local Health Integration Network.
• Provided in partnership with Stonehenge Therapeutic Community and House of Friendship.
• Located in four locations throughout Waterloo Region and Wellington County.
• Includes a nurse practitioner or physician, an addiction counsellor, peer support worker and a medical office assistant to provide a seamless and supportive environment for the program participant.
• Part of the continuum of care for those using substances, allowing for the right care at the right time for individuals on their journey to recovery.
• To learn more, visit www.raamww.ca

Quotes

“Consumption and Treatment Services are an important measure within the Waterloo Region Opioid Response Plan to address the opioid crisis impacting Waterloo Region. The ‘Made in Waterloo Region’ vision of the plan was to provide consumption and treatment services in a way that was accessible, integrated and met the needs of our community. The opening of the Rapid Access Addiction Medicine clinic helps us achieve that vision.”

Councillor Elizabeth Clarke, Chair of the Community Services Committee

“Public Health is very grateful for the work and support of our partners at the Consumption and Treatment Services site. They bring both their expertise in service delivery and care for our community to the work that they do. Treatment is one of the four essential pillars identified in the Waterloo Region Integrated Drugs Strategy to address the harms associated with drug and substance use in our community and the opening of the RAAM Clinic is an important service.”

Dr. Rabia Bana, Associate Medical Officer of Health, Region of Waterloo Public Health

“We’re excited for the RAAM Clinic to join us at CTS because it’s another option we can offer people in the community. The more tools people have available to them with limited barriers, the better our community is as a whole. An underpinning of harm reduction is supporting people in the ways they want to be supported and the CTS has done well finding ways to fit each person in their own way and will continue to do so with the RAAM Clinic as a continuum of that support.”

Violet Umanetz, Supervisor of Consumption and Treatment Services Kitchener, Sanguen Health Centre

“House of Friendship is thrilled to be bringing our Rapid Access Addiction Medicine Clinic to the Kitchener Consumption and Treatment Services site. We see this as a pivotal part of the harm-reduction continuum in our community, by providing a hub of support in one location for those who are using substances. Here, we can build trust and relationships with individuals, as we walk alongside them on their journey to recovery.”

Tara Groves-Taylor, Addiction Services Director, House of Friendship

“We are so pleased to grow our existing partnership with House of Friendship to offer Rapid Access Addiction Medicine Services alongside the CTS. Providing low barrier access to a spectrum of treatment options is critical to supporting the health needs of community members who use substances and RAAM services have proven to be a crucial part of this spectrum by demonstrating strong outcomes related to treatment of health issues, stabilizing substance use, and generating hope and motivation for individuals who receive this care. Adding this location to our RAAM clinic network through partnership with the CTS will open doors for individuals who may not have had the opportunity to access addictions medicine care previously, and we look forward to working together to strengthen the support network in downtown Kitchener.”

Madison Cruickshank, Clinical Manager – Community Services, Stonehenge Therapeutic Community

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