The Harris House Clinic was an easily accessible clinic for the many who now call their tent on Wesley St. home. (Wikimedia Commons)

By Spencer Sterritt

rebranded

Harris House Clinic moves from downtown Nanaimo hotspot, refocuses service

Oct 14, 2020 | 5:34 AM

NANAIMO — The valuable Harris House Clinic in downtown Nanaimo is boarded up after the clinic moved and rebranded.

It’s now Health Matters! Central Vancouver Island Harm Reduction Services, located in a medical facility on Waddington Rd. closer to Nanaimo’s hospital.

Gordon Cote, director of the umbrella organization overseeing Health Matters, told NanaimoNewsNOW the core services of testing for sexually transmitted and blood-borne diseases is still their focus.

“We have a couple dedicated nurses and case managers who provide linkage to care and support, as well as resources to maintain adherence to treatment regimes,” he said.

“The move will allow us to focus more on that. It’s a big change for us over the last little while.”

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Cote said the decision to move from Wesley St. and hone their focus on diseases was made in 2019, with their new space opening on Oct. 5.

He said the deterioration of the Wesley St. area was a factor in the move but he hopes those in need will still get help.

“There’s certainly a concentration of services in the downtown core, but in reality there’s a need for these types of services in all parts of the city. Our hope is our new location is another avenue for individuals to access services in the broader community.”

He stressed Health Matters will still reach out to those downtown and assist all in need.

It operates under the Nanaimo and Area Resource Services for Families umbrella organization, which contracts a wide variety of outreach services to the community.

The budget for Health Matters is unchanged from when it was known as Harris House.

“There’s always a need for more resources but that’s not the lever I get to pull in my job,” Cote said.

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @SpencerSterritt