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Help is now on wheels in Saskatoon as a new community wellness bus brings healthcare to the city’s most vulnerable.
The bus will offer basic medical care along with mental health and addiction support, staffed by a nurse practitioner, licensed practitioner nurse, and a coordinator to connect people with additional community resources.
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Operating year round from Wednesday to Sunday, the bus provides services including testing for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, wound care and routine medical care. It also offers take-home naloxone kits and training on how to use them.
Kelly Tokarchuk, the director of primary care for the Saskatchewan Health Authority, said the investment will bridge the gap for those who don’t have access to traditional clinics.
Saskatoon will open the doors to its new community wellness bus on April 9. (Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)
“Oftentimes, there are barriers with transportation or being able to access services during hours that are maybe non-normative for some primary care clinics,” she said.
Tokarchuk said the bus will be another tool the community can use in the midst of Saskatoon’s overdose crisis, helping people wherever they are in their journey and linking them to the support they need.
The Saskatoon Fire Department has responded to 509 overdose calls or suspected opioid poisonings in the month of March and 816 since Jan 1.
Individuals can also access Indigenous services such as traditional medicine, spiritual support, and guidance from elders.
Individuals can access both primary care as well as mental health and addictions support on Saskatoon’s new community wellness bus. (Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)
Tokarchuk said health and wellness isn’t just about asking someone “are you feeling good today?” It is about addressing an individual’s full need instead of “only looking at them in a siloed”
Saskatoon is the latest city to benefit from the province’s $2.4 million investment in community wellness buses. The Regina wellness bus has been operating since February, and another bus servicing the Prince Albert area was announced back in March.
“Services will vary based on population and the needs of the community; not all locations will have the same services, as supports will be customized based on patient needs,” a release from the province said.
