A pilot project that converted an ambulance on a shoestring budget to bring primary health care and harm reduction to some of the Sault’s most vulnerable has been in operation since April 2021.
The idea began during one of the most challenging parts of the COVD-19 pandemic. Vulnerable people, many without homes, many with mental health and addiction issues did not have access to essential services because of limited access to physician care. Geographically, many of these vulnerable people live in our downtown core.
The CMHA, Algoma Ontario Health Team, Algoma Family Services, SAH, Superior Family Health Team and Social Services collaborated, and the result was the Community Wellness Bus project. A former ambulance staffed with members from partner agencies that bring health care and harm reduction supplies directly to vulnerable people in the city.
The bus makes scheduled stops at locations like the Soup Kitchen, Salvation Army, Pauline’s Place, St. Vincent’s Place, among others. The on-board team can vary but typically includes a nurse, a social worker, and a peer support worker, among others.
About 650 clients access the bus each month, which is around 12,000 clients served since its inception. Clients visit the bus looking for a light snack, harm reduction supplies, naloxone, wound care or just someone to talk to.
It certainly is “a vehicle of hope” and thank you to everyone that has made it happen and who keeps “it running”.