Ally Centre offers help on wheels

Ally Centre’s mobile clinic expands services

SYDNEY — You could call it “help on wheels.”

It’s been around for just over a year but the Ally Centre’s mobile clinic has already moved beyond just serving New Waterford to becoming a regular presence in the Sydney, Glace Bay and the Northside areas this year as well.

“It’s great,” said Christine Porter, the Ally Centre’s executive director. “It’s well-used. It’s getting around and being well-accessed.

“The van is really being utilized for lots of purposes.”

The Ally Centre creates supportive environments to reduce harm and promote health. They do that through their Sydney centre and now through their mobile clinic as well.

According to peer outreach worker Richard Carrigan, the mobile clinic was initially started in New Waterford in 2019 since that community did not have access to the services that the Ally Centre provides, including a needle exchange service, referrals to community services, naloxone training and even flu shots. But things changed when COVID-19 hit back in the the spring of 2020.

“Everything changed,” said Carrigan. “So now instead of just being in New Waterford with the mobile unit, we’re now offering the mobile unit throughout the CBRM. On Monday, we’re in the north end of Sydney, between George Street and Loaves and Fishes and the Pier on Monday afternoons. Tuesday, we’re on the Northside, in the morning we’re at the Northside Mall, and we’ll go to the Main Street of Sydney Mines in the afternoon. And then on Wednesdays we are in Glace Bay and we split our time between downtown on the Main Street and the Stirling right now and we’re looking at mainly moving up into No. 2 and other parts of Glace Bay. We’re in New Waterford on Thursday — we’re just parked on the Main Street in New Waterford.”

In addition to the peer outreach workers who regularly staff the bus, there is now an outreach health nurse who does flu shots and links people up with testing and other medical services. A housing support worker is also on board. It’s all part of an effort to get people help when and where they need it.

“The main focus is to help everybody,” said Carrigan. “Whoever needs the help — that’s who we’re there for.”

ELIZABETH PATTERSON • CAPE BRETON POST It could be described as help on wheels but on most weekdays, the Ally Centre of Cape Breton mobile clinic can be found in communities throughout the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, offering help to whoever needs it, from flu shots to food donations. On Monday, it was parked in Sydney’s north end.

ELIZABETH PATTERSON • CAPE BRETON POST Dawn Norman, left, and Richard Carrigan are peer outreach workers with the Ally Centre and are shown outside the mobile clinic where they work.