3 clinics for addiction, mental health services in downtown Dartmouth to relocate

Three clinics for addictionand mental health services are moving out of downtown Dartmouth this year, and advocates worry it will make it harder for people to access the help they need.

Connections Dartmouth on Portland Street, Belmont House on Alderney Drive and a clinic on Wyse Road are movinginto a newbuilding in the Dartmouth suburb of Portland Hills, which is about six kilometresfrom downtown.

Matthew Bonn said that's too far, especially forpeople who don't have vehiclesor bus passes.

"Why do we need to force people to continue to travel?" he told CBC's Information Morning on Monday. " By moving locations, I guarantee you're going to lose more people than you're going to gain."

Bonn is aprogram co-ordinator with the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs. He is a drug user himself.

The new centralized space in Portland Hillsis still being built and is expected to open as early as thisspring.

The Nova Scotia Health Authority says it's beeneyeing a move for years, in part because Connections Dartmouth isn't accessible and the building isn't in good condition.

But Bonn said patientsshould have been consulted before the decision was made.

"People get lost to care, lost to followup," he said."They lose that connection that they were building with the clinic or with the people in the clinic and they sometimes never get [it] back."

He worries some people who live in the downtown core won't venture out to the suburbs to seek help.

"I just couldn't even imagine what some of the people I see down on Alderney, what they're going to do especially with COVID as well," he said. "Everything is different, and it just didn't seem like the right timetome to move."

Stigma limits choice of new location, says NSHA

TheWyse Road and Belmont House locations opened before the NSHAintegrated mental health and addictionservices in the province.

Rachel Boehm, the director of mental health and addictions for NSHA's central zone, saidit madesense for patients to be able to accessaddiction services from Wyse Road and mental health services fromBelmont House under one roof.

Boehm said the health authority hadbeen searching for a new home for Connections Dartmouth for a while, but finding one wasa challenge.

When NSHA sent out a request for proposals to lease a new space, it got just one response, she said.

"There's some stigma around leasing to mental health and addictions, and it limits our choice, really when we're looking for new locations," she said.

The three clinics will remain open until the new building is ready, she said.

Outreach services will continue

Boehmsaid she understands theconcerns about the new location given "even six kilometrescan be a barrier for some people."

"We've been talking to them and trying to identify if people are going to have barriers to treatment," she said. "We do have social workers on our team as well so they can help people access, for instance, transportation support if they need bus passes."

Boehm said staff at Connections Dartmouth will continue to visit people who can't come into the clinic.

She also pointed to the fact that thenew Portland Hills location is on a bus route and near a transit hub,although Bonn doesn't believe that's enough to get people to travel furtherfrom home.

Where to go for help

In addition to in-person services, the Nova Scotia Health Authority launched online mental health services earlier this year.

People who are looking for support are encouraged to call their local clinic, the Mental Health and Addictions intake line at 1-855-922-1122 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays or the crisis line.

The province's toll-free Mental Health Crisis Line is 1-888-429-8167 and available 24 hours, seven days a week. People can also contact the Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868 anytime of day.

If you're experiencing anemergency, call 911.