Two new health resources for youth in Gatineau-Ottawa
Sonia Roy
Access to healthcare in the National Capital Region is a mixed bag: despite access to provincial and federal health care options, it has been repeatedly demonstrated that Gatineau residents struggle to get the care and services they need. As one of the most under-resourced cities in Quebec's health care system, Gatineau can nonetheless rejoice in some good news: following the announcement of the imminent construction of the Centre hospitalier affilié universitaire de l'Outaouais (CHAUO), two local clinics are now offering new services for children and adolescents.
Outaouais ambulatory Clinic 0-17 years
Headed by the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) de l'Outaouais, this clinic, as the name suggests, offers care to young people aged 0-17 who are not followed by a family doctor. Both an additional medical service and an alternative to emergency rooms, the clinic, located at 500 de l'Hôpital Boulevard (Gatineau sector), is supervised by a team of emergency physicians from Outaouais hospitals. This team is available to see patients by appointment, Monday to Friday. Since November 21, 2022, it has been possible to register for an appointment at the ambulatory clinic through the guichet d’accès à la première ligne (GAP) by calling 819-966-6201 or 1-833-966-6201, or by visiting the Quebec Health Appointment Web platform (RVSQ). Before making an appointment, citizens are invited to call 811 (health line) and select the 0-17 pediatric line option (workers trained to reduce delays in pediatric care), or to contact their pharmacist if their child's condition is worrying.
Vanier Community Service Centre
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health has been at the heart of discussions at all political levels. On November 19, 2010, the federal government allocated nearly $500,000 to the Vanier Community Service Centre in Ottawa. This amount is a direct result of the federal Budget 2021, which included an investment of $100 million for projects that promote mental health and/or prevent the development of mental health disorders and difficulties among populations most vulnerable to COVID-19. The funding to the Vanier Community Service Centre will be used to organize community-based wellness activities, which will be used as a mental health intervention and prevention tool for youth.
"This innovative initiative aims to increase awareness of and access to existing community-based social services and activities for children, youth and families in need, and to help them reach their full potential," said the Honourable Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board and Member of Parliament for Ottawa-Vanier, who made the announcement on behalf of the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Minister responsible for Health.
All information on the services offered by the centre, which also provides legal support, employment assistance, a food bank and family support groups open to all, is available at the following link: https://www.cscvanier.com.
It should be noted that some services, such as counselling, are reserved for residents of the Vanier district.
Photo credit: Taken from Mona Fortier's Twitter page.
Photo caption: Mona Fortier at the unveiling of funding for the Vanier Community Services Centre.
