Photo: St. Joseph's Hospital, from Web
St. Joseph’s Health Care London is opening a new primary care clinic for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other trauma. This clinic is the first of its kind in Canada.
The Trauma and Violence Specialized Primary Care Clinic will focus on helping women and children who have experienced sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and intimate partner violence. It will also support people who often face more barriers to care, including racialized communities, people with disabilities, immigrants, refugees, and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
Many survivors don’t have access to a family doctor. In fact, more than half of the people who come to the SADVT Program don’t have a regular primary care provider.
The new clinic will help change that. It will serve as a safe place for people of all ages to get the care they need early on. It will also focus on helping patients heal and avoid further trauma.
What makes this clinic different is that it combines care, teaching, and research all in one place. Medical students will train at the clinic, researchers will study patient outcomes, and staff will continue learning how to improve care. The goal is to one day share this model of care with other communities.
The clinic’s first phase will open in the coming months. It will start by accepting patients referred from other St. Joseph’s programs.
The Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services is funding the clinic with a $3.82 million investment.
St. Joseph’s has a long history of supporting people affected by violence in Oxford, Elgin, Huron-Perth, and Middlesex counties. The SADVT Program, led by a team of skilled nurses, doctors, and social workers, is already known for its expertise. With this new clinic, St. Joseph’s is continuing to grow its support for survivors with care, knowledge, and compassion.