A partnership between the Region of Waterloo, Sanguen Health Services, Stonehenge Therapeutic Services, and House of Friendship will make it easier for those struggling with addiction to get the help they need.
In May, House of Friendship’s Rapid Access Addiction Medicine Clinic (RAAM) began providing service one day a week at Kitchener’s Consumption and Treatment Services site (CTS).
Participants don’t need a referral or appointment for RAAM clinics and can receive same-day medical support and counselling.
“To say that the CTS staff are excited about this partnership is an understatement,” said Violet Umanetz, Sanguen’s Director of Harm Reduction and Overdose Prevention. “Our team believes that people deserve to stay alive, but also to thrive, to be connected, to be included, to have choices, and to have options.
“The RAAM team’s willingness to provide services on-site at the CTS will reduce so many barriers, and meeting people where they are already comfortable goes so far in helping people take the first step in a process that can be intimidating at the best of times.”
House of Friendship Addiction Services Director Tara Groves-Taylor said that this move is part of a larger Region-wide strategy to reduce barriers to addiction treatment.
“This is a needed step to build a strong continuum of harm-reduction services in our community,” said Groves-Taylor. “People experiencing addiction and substance use require options that provide the right services at the right time.”
To learn more about RAAM and program locations and hours, visit www.raamww.ca.
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