Clark’s Harbour clinic addresses barriers, stigma to accessing addictions and mental health help – CBC

Facility opened in July following community lobbying effort

Feb 15, 2024

Rex Stoddard knew his community needed something.

Ever since a doctor who provided part-time service to Clark’s Harbour retired about 10 years ago, Stoddard, the town’s mayor, said efforts have been underway to bring some kind of health-care services back to this small fishing community on Nova Scotia’s southwest tip.

Last summer, municipal council and the community succeeded when Nova Scotia Health opened a new mental health and addictions clinic in the former doctor’s office, providing regular service for adults and young people in the area.

“Driving an hour for mental health [services] just isn’t practical,” Stoddard said in a recent phone interview.

The nearest care options before the clinic opened were in Shelburne and Yarmouth, Stoddard said, so things such as weather and transportation challenges presented barriers to access for people in his community.

“With mental health, if you can’t make it, it might not be a good thing. So driving five minutes locally makes all the difference.”

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/menth-health-and-addictions-health-care-clarks-harbour-1.7115225

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