The services of a Victoria Order of Nurses (VON) nurse practitioner will now be available to Children's Aid Society (CAS) clients at the Elmwood facility located in the former Saint Paul's Elementary School building located on Elmwood Street off Algonquin Avenue in North Bay.
A ribbon cutting took place at the Elmwood Friday afternoon to celebrate the new partnership.
Gisele Hebert, executive director of the Children's Aid Society says there is a need for a VON nurse practitioner.
"This was created because our service recipients just we not able to obtain any health care that was extremely responsive," explained Hebert.
"So we had a lot of individuals, children, youth, and infants that do not have a family physician and don't have any access to medical care so the partnership was really created on that basis."
Shari Comerford, national director of VON Canada, says the new facility will employ one nurse practitioner and one medical secretary.
She says a nurse practitioner can fill multiple medical roles for a client including ordering diagnostics such as X-Rays and CAT Scans along with prescribing medications
"Basically. you are talking about full-scope primary health care," said Comerford.
"Many of these people are involved in CAS for a reason, they need support, they need their health and they need counseling providing that is really going to positively impact not just their health but their lives too."
Hebert says the former school now called "Elmwood" is a location they hope will continue to expand in the near future.
"So in this space, we have the nurse practitioner office, which is just one of many partnerships here," she explained.
"We also have a youth pantry here for some of our youth facing food insecurity. We have a clothing boutique, we have two classrooms which is a partnership with the Near North School Board. "
She says the vision for this building is not just a Children's Aid Society site but more of a community building where anyone in the community can come access different services.