New downtown clinic location will allow staff to see more patients, organization says

Street Health, a Windsor health clinic serving vulnerable people, has a new location and staff say the new space could have a big impact for the clients they serve. 

Formerly located at 711 Pelissier Street, the clinic opens Monday as part of a medical hub at 1200 University Avenue West.

"We were outgrowing our hub. So this gives us increased space, it gives us larger exam rooms and it gives us more exam rooms," said executive director Nancy Brockenshire of the Windsor-Essex Community Health Centre, which operates the clinic and others.

The centre is no longer using the Street Health name but will serve the same clientele it always has: Like other provincially funded community health clinics, it serves low-income and vulnerable Windsorites including newcomers and people experiencing homelessness. 

But now, they'll have a lot more room, Brockenshire said. That means more exam rooms and space to add new services and more clients. She also says that while they moved just a short distance away, it's more accessible because of better access to a bus route. 

The clinic offers primary care services, counselling and mental health support, as well as specialized care like services for people with Hepatitis C and diabetes. 

The University Avenue West clinic is farther from downtown and from other services like the Downtown Mission. 

But Brockenshire says they've gotten a lot of positive feedback from clients — some have said its actually closer to them, she said, while others are pleased it's on a bus route.

Some of their teams also travel out of the building to other service providers as well, she added. 

"We've outgrown it and now we have room to grow, so we're excited to bring on more clients," she said. "You do not have to have an OHIP card to come in here.

"Our staff see all of our clients still and we are only five minutes away, still serving the same clients we did before but we have more room and we can keep them on."

Jessica Mazzara is a nurse practitioner who has been with the community health centre for more than a decade. She says they have about 1,200 rostered patients, and with the new location, will be able to add more and have more walk-in services. 

"I think we are all very excited. We're excited for our patients to have a space that's nice, new and clean and conducive to getting them more services and access to things that they're seeking," she said. 

She says clients are also excited to have on-site parking and says a pharmacy located in the same building is 'wonderful." 

Shedding the old name and branding, she says, will also help. 

"I think sometimes people were nervous to come to our centre because they would assume that people thought they were homeless or at risk of homelessness and when they might just be one of our other vulnerable populations," she said. 

"I think there was some stigma attached to the word 'Street Health,' and this will allow people to come and have primary care without feeling stigmatized by the name."