A NEW LOOK
Sherbourne Health Centre’s bus receives welcome upgrade,
After a brief hiatus during the summer, the Sherbourne Health Centre’s Health Bus has a new look and team, its level of medical services bolstered to meet the evolving needs of east Toronto.
The specially-designed vehicle was delivered to the hospital this week from the U.S. and from mid-October will roll through the streets once again, tending to those who need it most, said Chantel Marshall, program director at the Sherbourne Health Centre, before a media event slated for late afternoon Thursday.
The program, which has been in operation for more than 20 years, serves Toronto’s most vulnerable and underserved people: the homeless and underhoused.
Under its roof will be three fulltime staff members instead of nine part-timers. A nurse practitioner, a mental-health counsellor and a pro- gram worker will work year-round from the vehicle. The first role is particularly important because they will able to treat and diagnose clients on the spot.
“We can do more primary care on the bus now,” Marshall said. “It’s built to be a clinic space. Our other program just had a registered nurse. (Nurse practitioners) can write prescriptions and do emergency diversion. They can work at an expanded scope.”
They can also test for HIV, conduct pap smears, blood tests and treat certain injuries, Marshall said.
“You could only go so far,” said nurse practitioner Emery Potter, who had a stint in the former bus. “I think this bus will be able to meet people’s needs. We’re going to be a one-stop shop, see people where they are.”
The two vehicles are completely different, Potter said — the new model is wheelchair accessible, for instance; on a desk sits two laptop computers; at the back is a large office with various instruments adorning the walls.
“I remember having to do an as- sessment for somebody and there was just this very uncomfortable bench in the old bus,” Potter said. “It was an RV, not a clinical space. It was what it was.”
Tucked into an upper cabinet was a selection of naloxone kits containing easy-to-apply nasal sprays which can stimulate someone’s breathing who has overdosed on opioids. These can be used, too.
“We never had naloxone on the last bus. It’s huge and timely,” Marshall said, calling the prevalence of opioid use a “crisis.”
This example falls into step with the renewed program’s drive to be more inclusive.
“We’re expanding our services to include communities that face various barriers to accessing health care, so that may be a newcomer community, the LGBTQ community, as well as people who use substances or need support with mental health,” Marshall said.
By newcomers she means residents of St. James Town, which has a large immigrant population.
“They face barriers to accessing pri- mary care . . . so there’s opportunities for our bus to service that area and connect them,” Marshall said
The team still has to determine a route, so it’s been reaching out to the community to establish a plan that works best, added Marshall.
“There’s something exciting about exploring and assessing and meeting the needs of the community,” Potter said.
“We’re going to try to be thoughtful. Part of it is making sure that we’re not going somewhere that’s over resourced.”