Community Wellness Bus: A Partner-Led Initiative to Improve Service Integration and Address Unmet Needs of Underserved Populations in Algoma District, Ontario.
Dorans, Jeffrey; Lepore, Cassandra; Mulroney, Erin M; Chlebus, Victoria Aceti
Why this matters
Service integration is often the real problem a mobile clinic solves, not the absence of services. The Community Wellness Bus in Sault Ste. Marie was built as a partner-led initiative to reconnect underhoused people and those living with mental illness or addiction to the local health system.
Abstract
Launched at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Community Wellness Bus (CWB) is an evidence-based mobile health clinic that serves high-needs populations living in Sault Ste. Marie, ON. As an Algoma Ontario Health Team partner-led initiative that works to improve health and social service integration, the CWB program is an effective, collaborative approach to address the unmet needs of individuals who are underhoused or living with a mental illness and/or addictions in the community. This article aims to identify successes, challenges and opportunities for the expansion of this program to re-engage individuals with the local health system.