The pilot project bringing addiction services to remote Manitoba communities
A new mobile medical team is set to bring addiction services to remote First Nation communities in Manitoba that may have difficulty accessing addictions resources.
This pilot project, run by Four Arrows Regional Health Authority, is called the Manitoba Mobile Addiction Team to Increase Community Capacity and Access (MMATICCA). The goal of the initiative is to create in-community services and build capacity for health-care providers to manage the treatment of substance-use disorders.
Dr. Erin Knight, project lead, said in an interview on Monday that this is a 15-month pilot project to test this mobile treatment model of care.
“The whole purpose of the project is really to see whether or not it is effective to give this more front-loaded, time-intensive team the opportunity to work with an individual community for several months in a row,” she said.
“And see whether or not that dedicated team can help develop local resources so people can have ongoing access to care at the conclusion of that project.”
Knight said they plan to pilot this project in St. Theresa Point, as well as one other community that they are still identifying.
The partners on this project include the Rapid Access to Addictions Medicine (RAAM) hub, the Manitoba Harm Reduction Network, Ongomiizwin Health Services, and Amdocs.
“Our core team includes an addictions nurse, a peer harm reduction worker, a counselor and an admin support person,” she said, noting they also have some funding for a part-time physician and pharmacist support.
Knight said a program like MMATICCA is needed as residents in rural and remote communities in Manitoba have difficulty accessing some treatment options for substance-use disorders.
She added this is an exciting project as it has the potential to provide service to communities that often don’t have access to existing specialized addiction resources.
“One of them in particular that is really limited in northern and remote Indigenous communities is treatment for opioid abuse disorder,” Knight said.
“Because of the fact that a lot of these communities don’t have pharmacies, they have really limited access to some of the major treatments for that.”
She explained that one goals of MMATICCA is structuring community visits in monthly intervals so they can provide a monthly injectable form of buprenorphine for those who need support for opioid-use disorder.
Knight noted the pilot project received funding from Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program.
- With files from CTV’s Maralee Caruso.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.