Winnipeg's new mobile clinic van aims to break down barriers to accessing health care

The people running a pioneering initiative bringing health care straight to Winnipeg's homeless say they're already making a big difference.

It's been a full week since the city's brand new mobile health-care clinic entered service.

The clinic, a partnership between the Manitoba government and Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre of Winnipeg, launched as part of a pilot project which is set to run for a year. Its goal is to provide primary care to at-risk populations, including the city's homeless. 

Laiza Pacheco, director of mobile health care at the centre, said its clients face multiple barriers accessing traditional health-care settings like hospitals or clinics, including prejudice and discrimination.

"They have a lot of challenges just with systems in general.… There's that stigma that surrounds people that are not in a place where they feel as though they can access services in the way that maybe you and I can," Pacheco said.

"We're going to go to where the people are."

The clinic operates five days a week based out of a van, making set stops at community organizations and homeless encampments.

Pacheco said that so far, it has been able to connect with about 450 people — many of whom have already taken advantage of what they offer.

The clinic is staffed by a doctor, a nurse, a mental health crisis counsellor and an Indigenous social planner.

The van itself is stocked with wound care and medical emergency supplies — including naloxone kits to treat overdoses — contraceptives, and blood and sexually-transmitted illness testing equipment.

To protect patients' privacy, there is signage outside indicating whenever the vehicle is occupied with a client.

"We will have [wounded] people that have been recently in an altercation with someone else.… A lot of people have chronic conditions such as diabetes that maybe they haven't really been tending to very well. So we're here to help them with that," nurse Tasha Masesar said.

"There's such a significant, massive need.… We want to raise up the community again, so no other better way than to go and help them."

Masesar said so far, the reception has been phenomenal.