COMMUNITY. Basic health care, medication renewal, physical and psychological assessment, sampling, screening, workshops, meetings, referral to other resources in the health network, regular field visits. For almost a year, the Entr’elles center has run a community clinic whose mission is to intervene with vulnerable women who no longer have reference points in the health network. An essential service more vital than ever to the point where the community organization is considering welcoming a second clinical nurse into its ranks.
Launched last February, this community clinic project for women at Entr’elles was not a fad. The new health resource responds to a need on the ground as evidenced by this statistic noted by the organization: since April, approximately 80 files have been processed by the health professional, not counting the 260 meetings with women monitored by the clinical.
“I’ve been here for six months…260 meetings, that’s huge,” confides Sarah De Lierre, clinical nurse at Entr’elles, who came as reinforcement following the departure of Amélie Brouillette (maternity leave).
“The need is definitely there, the number of people experiencing homelessness is only increasing. These people often fall between two chairs, they need help in addition to sometimes being sick. Is this worrying? Yes. “It’s worrying because there are health and infection problems that are transmitted through the sharing of equipment,” says the clinical nurse.
Essential presence
Moreover, in recent weeks, the nurse went to Partage Notre-Dame to hold a screening clinic for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STIs). A popular activity according to our interlocutor.
With infectious diseases like HIV and hepatitis C circulating due to sharing of injection equipment, it should come as no surprise to see people lining up to get tested. “That’s why we do mass screening.”
“At Partage, it worked really well, we had a lot of users (men and women). A colleague told me that the last time a clinic was so successful, it must have been at least six years ago,” suggests Sarah De Lierre.
“Sarah, we hardly see her for weeks. She arrives in the morning and leaves for the field. She can also go to a shelter, provide support to the hospital or establish links with the health network after interventions and evaluations (…).,” says Sophia Cotton, coordinator of Entr’ they.
“Some days, I can meet up to eight patients per day,” adds the clinical nurse.
For Sophia Cotton, this community clinic pilot project must become a permanent resource, because the needs of vulnerable women are not going to diminish, according to her. “I am optimistic in life. I want to keep my services in place and I am ready to seek financing. After a year, our clinic is functioning well, fortunately or unfortunately. I don’t plan to let Sarah go when Amélie returns (from her maternity leave).”
Related News :