New Indigenous-led addictions clinic opens in downtown Winnipeg

A new clinic that offers culturally appropriate services for people struggling with substance use and addictions has opened in downtown Winnipeg.

The Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre on Higgins Avenue celebrated the opening of an Indigenous-led rapid access to addictions medicine (RAAM) clinic on Tuesday.

It's something that "makes sense and feels right" for the centre's executive director, Della Herrera.

"In pain, there can be healing, and this is what we offer our community," she said at a news conference. "This is 'heart work' in action."

The clinic provides culturally informed and client-centred care to people seeking addictions services, including assessments, counselling, harm-reduction supplies including Naloxone and medication-related treatment.

It also gives referrals to withdrawal management services, community treatment programs and primary health-care providers.

"It's truly a unique space that I know offers comfort to many and that is making a difference here in our community," Manitoba's housing and addictions minister, Bernadette Smith, said at the announcement.

Since the clinic officially opened at the end of August, it has provided support to just over 100 people, said Monica Cyr, the centre's clinical operations lead.

That means the clinic has the potential to help more than 400 people annually, she added. It can support about 16 people each week and offers drop-in centres twice a week.

"Does the supply meet the demand? No, it doesn't, but that certainly is 400-plus more people that would be getting culturally safe, anti-racist health-care support than otherwise if we weren't open," Cyr said.

Crystal Cyr, the centre's site co-ordinator, said the clinic has had to redirectabout 17 people to other clinics in the last three months because of capacity issues.

"We are often at capacity to treat these individuals," she said.

Province spending up to $1M annually

While this is the province's seventh RAAM clinic the others are in Brandon, Thompson, Portage la Prairie and Selkirk and Winnipeg's third, it's the first that is Indigenous-led.

"This clinic embodies the integration of Indigenous voices, cultural practices, biomedicine practices, as well as relationship-focused care," said Dr. Camisha Mayes, the RAAM clinic's physician and medical lead.

"That really is the heartbeat of what makes our services different."

Monica Cyrsaid the centre is also working to make sure people can easily transition between services in the RAAM clinic, which is located on the building's second floor, and primary care services, which can be accessed next door.

"We need to marry these two worlds where they can coexist," she said.

She added that this would ensure people "can continue in their healing journey and be supported in the primary care world once they've transitioned and they're ready for that support."

The centre is also hoping to provide mobile RAAM services next spring, said Cyr.

The province will be spending up to $1 million a year to support the clinic, Smith said.

New Indigenous-led addictions clinic opens in downtown Winnipeg

10 months ago

Duration 1:50

CBC's Alana Cole reports from the grand opening of the new RAAM clinic at the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre, which offers culturally appropriate services for people struggling with substance abuse.