New addiction treatment clinic in Winnipeg will be Indigenous-led, province says

Monica Cyr, the director of research at the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre, speaks during an provincial announcement for an Indigenous-led Rapid Access to Addictions Medicine clinic in Manitoba on Jan. 24, 2023. (Image source: Michelle Gerwing/CTV News Winnipeg)

WINNIPEG -

The Manitoba government is putting up close to $900,000 to set up the province's first Indigenous-led Rapid Access to Addictions Medicine clinic.

There are already six such clinics, which provide assessments, counselling, medication and referrals to treatment programs.

The government says the new Indigenous-led one will open in the spring in central Winnipeg and will offer culturally relevant programming.

The clinic will be open five days a week, have a mobile outreach vehicle and provide up to 2,300 patient visits per year.

The clinic will be run by the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre, which says the staff will be largely Indigenous and will have experience in helping people with addiction.

Monica Cyr, the centre's director of research, says the rapid-access clinic will be a big help.

"We believe compassion, empathy and anti-racist care is how community members attain their personal best," she said Tuesday.

"Having a RAAM clinic here ... will ensure those living with addiction can access help when they need it, where they need it, in the place that they need it. A place led by Indigenous people for Indigenous people."

   This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2023.