A quick pivot to virtual services helped Choices for Change continue to serve the community, and even led to more people seeking help for addiction.
“I was sharing stats from last year with staff this morning,” Catherine Hardman, executive director, told Stratford Today during an interview at the Downie Street offices. “What has been interesting, and it has happened over the past two years, is our number of appointments has increased significantly.”
Part of that is the effect of the pandemic on people who are struggling. The option to meet on ZOOM or TEAMS has brought in new faces, though, who might never have looked for help.
“It is hard to walk through our door,” Hardman said.
Grant money helped purchase phones and tablets for some clients so they could meet virtually with staff. As the pandemic has waxed and waned, some have come back to in-person, others have preferred to stay virtual. “We do offer hybrid and that will stay, it’s popular.”
Choices for Change has 60 employees between Huron and Perth counties. They include addiction counsellors, case managers who work in court support programs and provide transitional case management, an opioid case manager, nurses who support the community withdrawal management program and peer support staff, amongst others.
Traditionally a place to discuss alcohol and drug addiction, services have expanded. Problem gambling, for example, is now part of behavioural change or ‘excessive behaviours, including pornography, internet usage, shopping and over eating.
Choices for Change is part of and works collaboratively with the Huron Perth Addiction and Mental Health Alliance, which includes Alexandra Marine and General Hospital, Canadian Mental Health Association Huron Perth, Canadian Mental Health Association Elgin Middlesex, Huron Perth Centre for Children and Youth and Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance – Mental Health Services.
“People are recognizing we can’t do this alone. The issues are too complex for one organization or one person to solve. I have been doing this work for more than 30 years. It has become far more complex than when I started.”
Adding services over the years is a response to the needs of the community, Hardman said.
Alcohol abuse is still the most prevalent. It has increased and become more acceptable during the pandemic. Hardman said people will sometimes refer to a 2 p.m. glass of wine to combat stress, but ultimately it leads to more consumption and could lead to alcohol abuse.
That option didn’t exist before mass amounts of people started working from home.
Staff has also seen an uptick in opioid addiction and its deadly impact. A recent three month span saw eight people die from opioid overdoses in Huron and Perth, impacting family, friends, the community and staff who worked with them.
“It has become a much more prominent issue for us.”
Hardman said mental health concerns have increased over the past few years, as more people deal with anxiety and addiction. It takes a little longer for those people to reach out for help, she said. A big part of the job is adapting to the changing needs of clients and the community and being ready.
“We will prepare as much we can for what could be a wave of people coming in after the pandemic. We want to be flexible in our response. I tell staff all the time that change is in our name for a reason, and we (as an organization) are changing. It’s the nature of the work we do.”
