Rapid Access Addiction Medicine Clinic officially opens

Local residents who have substance addiction issues now have fast access to getting treatment.

Nipissing-Timiskaming’s Rapid Access Addiction Medicine Clinic is officially open at the Community Counselling Centre of Nipissing McIntyre Street East.

Executive Director Alan McQuarrie says people can be referred to the clinic or access it themselves.

“You don’t need an appointment to access the RAAM Clinic. All you need to do is drop in or call us at 705-472-6515 and ask for the RAAM Clinic. We can get you set up with a physician very quickly,” he says.

North Bay Recovery Home Executive Director Wendy Prieur says there are no wait times and referrals are seem-less.

“People will just be able to access the services they need, right away, which is great,” she says. “The other thing that’s nice is Recovery Home will be providing case management supports for these clients.”

“The Northeast region is known to have one of the highest rates of substance use disorders as well as opioid-related deaths in Ontario. Unfortunately, health professionals often feel ill equipped in their offices to treat this complex and vulnerable population,” says Dr. Valerie Primeau, North Bay RAAM Physician Lead.  “The RAAM clinics are filling the existing gap by providing timely evidence-based care to patients with concurrent disorders and also foster capacity building with primary care providers in the community.” 

While the clinic has physician coverage from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays, the clinic offers intake five days a week through the RAAM navigator.

The Community Counselling Centre of Nipissing received $200,000 in funding from the North East LHIN for the operation of the Nipissing Temiskaming RAAM clinic and to enhance community withdrawal management.