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Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 27, 2025

Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services Receives Approval for Indigenous-Led HART Hub Initiative

Sault Ste. Marie, ON — Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services, alongside parent corporation Mamaweswen, the North Shore Tribal Council, is proud to announce the approval of its Indigenous-led Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub proposal, aimed at addressing the urgent issues of homelessness and addiction in Northern Ontario’s Indigenous communities. By integrating cultural practices and traditional knowledge, this initiative provides a holistic, trauma-informed approach to health and healing.

The HART Hub will employ a hub-and-spoke model, ensuring services are accessible across the North Shore of Lake Huron. With facilities in Sagamok Anishnawbek, Blind River, and Sault Ste. Marie, the initiative will repurpose existing infrastructure to deliver culturally relevant care directly to the communities that need it most. Key components of the project include:

  • 54 total transitional beds
    • 24 transitional beds between partnerships with Sagamok Anishnawbek and Benbowopka Treatment Centre in Blind River.
    • 30 additional transitional beds in Sault Ste. Marie through a partnership with the Indigenous Friendship Centre.
  • 30 supportive housing units, addressing both immediate and long-term housing needs.
  • Cost-effective operations, with an annual budget of $6.3 million for three years and one-time startup costs of $1.8 million for renovations and equipment.

In the first quarter of 2024, Sault Ste. Marie recorded the highest opioid-related death rate in Ontario, with the Algoma region reporting an opioid toxicity mortality rate nearly three times the provincial average. This underscores the urgent need for initiatives like the Indigenous-led HART Hub, which aligns with Ontario’s Indigenous Healing and Wellness Strategy and Mental Health and Addictions Strategy. By reducing reliance on emergency services and supporting long-term recovery, the project aims to address systemic challenges. Through strong partnerships with Indigenous service providers, the hub will deliver comprehensive, wraparound care that integrates primary health care, social support, and housing solutions.

“This project is a milestone for Indigenous health and well-being,” said Carol Eshkakogan, Chief Executive Officer. “By bringing care directly to Indigenous communities rather than requiring individuals to seek it out. With a “no door is the wrong door” approach, the HART hub will coordinate to deliver comprehensive support, bridging gaps in existing services and fostering collaboration among Indigenous service.”

Set to begin operations in winter 2025, the HART Hub will serve as a model for addressing homelessness and addiction in Indigenous communities across Canada.

About Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services:
Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services (MNSCHS), under the leadership of Mamaweswen, the North Shore Tribal Council, is an Indigenous Primary Health Care Organization (IPHCO) that provides comprehensive, culturally-based primary health care services in collaboration with the communities of Atikameksheng Anishinabek, Sagamok Anishinabek, Serpent River First Nation, Mississauga First Nation, Thessalon First Nation, Garden River First Nation, Batchewana First Nation, as well as the Indigenous Friendship Centre in Sault Ste. Marie for over 30 years. In 2011, MNSCHS expanded services to our urban Indigenous population in Sault Ste. Marie and the surrounding area by establishing the Baawaating Family Health Team. In 2018, MNSCHS created our Northern Clinic, facilitating the expansion of primary health care services to the communities of Michipicoten First Nation, Chapleau Cree First Nation, Chapleau Ojibwe First Nation, and Brunswick House First Nation. Our geography spans over 620 kilometers, including 12 healthcare center sites located within our respective communities.

 

For media inquiries, please contact:
Emily Daybutch

Communications Coordinator

Maamwesying North Shore community Health Services

emily.daybutch@maamwesying.ca

 

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Press Release

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705-844-2021

705-844-2844

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 27, 2025

Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services Receives Approval for Indigenous-Led HART Hub Initiative

Sault Ste. Marie, ON — Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services, alongside parent corporation Mamaweswen, the North Shore Tribal Council, is proud to announce the approval of its Indigenous-led Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub proposal, aimed at addressing the urgent issues of homelessness and addiction in Northern Ontario’s Indigenous communities. By integrating cultural practices and traditional knowledge, this initiative provides a holistic, trauma-informed approach to health and healing.

The HART Hub will employ a hub-and-spoke model, ensuring services are accessible across the North Shore of Lake Huron. With facilities in Sagamok Anishnawbek, Blind River, and Sault Ste. Marie, the initiative will repurpose existing infrastructure to deliver culturally relevant care directly to the communities that need it most. Key components of the project include:

  • 54 total transitional beds
    • 24 transitional beds between partnerships with Sagamok Anishnawbek and Benbowopka Treatment Centre in Blind River.
    • 30 additional transitional beds in Sault Ste. Marie through a partnership with the Indigenous Friendship Centre.
  • 30 supportive housing units, addressing both immediate and long-term housing needs.
  • Cost-effective operations, with an annual budget of $6.3 million for three years and one-time startup costs of $1.8 million for renovations and equipment.

In the first quarter of 2024, Sault Ste. Marie recorded the highest opioid-related death rate in Ontario, with the Algoma region reporting an opioid toxicity mortality rate nearly three times the provincial average. This underscores the urgent need for initiatives like the Indigenous-led HART Hub, which aligns with Ontario’s Indigenous Healing and Wellness Strategy and Mental Health and Addictions Strategy. By reducing reliance on emergency services and supporting long-term recovery, the project aims to address systemic challenges. Through strong partnerships with Indigenous service providers, the hub will deliver comprehensive, wraparound care that integrates primary health care, social support, and housing solutions.

“This project is a milestone for Indigenous health and well-being,” said Carol Eshkakogan, Chief Executive Officer. “By bringing care directly to Indigenous communities rather than requiring individuals to seek it out. With a “no door is the wrong door” approach, the HART hub will coordinate to deliver comprehensive support, bridging gaps in existing services and fostering collaboration among Indigenous service.”

Set to begin operations in winter 2025, the HART Hub will serve as a model for addressing homelessness and addiction in Indigenous communities across Canada.

About Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services:
Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services (MNSCHS), under the leadership of Mamaweswen, the North Shore Tribal Council, is an Indigenous Primary Health Care Organization (IPHCO) that provides comprehensive, culturally-based primary health care services in collaboration with the communities of Atikameksheng Anishinabek, Sagamok Anishinabek, Serpent River First Nation, Mississauga First Nation, Thessalon First Nation, Garden River First Nation, Batchewana First Nation, as well as the Indigenous Friendship Centre in Sault Ste. Marie for over 30 years. In 2011, MNSCHS expanded services to our urban Indigenous population in Sault Ste. Marie and the surrounding area by establishing the Baawaating Family Health Team. In 2018, MNSCHS created our Northern Clinic, facilitating the expansion of primary health care services to the communities of Michipicoten First Nation, Chapleau Cree First Nation, Chapleau Ojibwe First Nation, and Brunswick House First Nation. Our geography spans over 620 kilometers, including 12 healthcare center sites located within our respective communities.

 

For media inquiries, please contact:
Emily Daybutch

Communications Coordinator

Maamwesying North Shore community Health Services

emily.daybutch@maamwesying.ca

 

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