Kitchener CTS site adds new Rapid Access Addiction Medicine Clinic
Posted May 19, 2021 06:20:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A new rapid access addiction medicine (RAAM) clinic in Kitchener is looking to put an extra focus on the 'T' in CTS.
Operating out of the second floor of the Kitchener Consumption and Treatment Services site at 150 Duke Street West, the RAAM clinic is essentially a walk-in clinic for people with problematic substance use issues.
“The co-location of a specialized medical clinic designed for people who are experiencing health issues related to their substance use is an important milestone for the Consumption and Treatment Services site,” said Dr. Rabia Bana, Associate Medical Officer of Health at Region of Waterloo Public Health.
“Treatment services are offered along a continuum of support for people who use substances based on individual needs and the goals of recovery,” said Dr. Bana. “The goals of treatment include improving quality of life and individual health while addressing substance use.”
The gist of what the new RAAM clinic means to the Duke St. CTS site is, essentially, it allows site staff to bundle up all the services they were once giving out referrals to and now offer them in-house.
“Their willingness to provide services on-site at the CTS will reduce so many barriers and meeting people where they're already comfortable goes so far in helping people take the first step in a process that can be intimidating at the best of times,” said Violet Umanetz, Supervisor of Consumption and Treatment Services Kitchener with Sanguen Health Centre.
Umanetz says the ability to offer on-site wrap-around services also reflects an understanding there's no one-size-fits-all solution to problematic substance use.
“And having the RAAM clinic's ability to provide options and choices, meeting the needs of each unique individual, fits with what we've heard over and over from clients about wanting to make changes to their substance use,” said Umanetz.
As of May 10, the Region of Waterloo has reported at least 36 overdose-related deaths this year.
According to CTS staff, the Kitchener site saw 5,721 visits between March 2020 and March 2021. In that time, they were also able to help reverse over 200 overdoses and there were zero overdose-related deaths.
Officials see the RAAM clinic as the next step in, hopefully, reducing these numbers even further.
“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,” said Umanetz.
