At Lanark County council last week, councillors were introduced to the Lanark Integrated Frontline Team or LIFT, a new initiative made possible by a Health Canada grant.
The Team was created in response to the opioid crisis which saw 11 visits per week on average to local emergency departments during the past year.
Their mobile unit is staffed by a social worker, a paramedic and a nurse practitioner. It began operations in mid-December of last year with funding running to March of next year.
Tom McKenna of Lanark County Mental Health pointed out the costs of opioids in terms of lives lost.
Their mobile clinic van location changes daily, Monday to Sunday, throughout LGL. No appointment is needed, residents can simply come to where they are. The mobile schedule will soon be posted to liftlanark.ca (coming soon) and the schedule changes weekly. McKenna listed some of the services and supplies they provide.
McKenna said one of the challenges that LIFT is having success with, is reducing the distrust that many have with healthcare facilities.
The Team costs around $370K annually to operate and they’re working with Health Canada to obtain sustainable funding.
Story by Brian Turner