Residents of Downtown Eastside (DTES) Vancouver benefit from Hope to Care’s founding as it offers comprehensive, wrap-around health care. This facility was opened in 2019 at the heart of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES).
The H2H complex gives integrated harm reduction, safer supply, and primary care services to clients with on-site laboratory services.
This complex was built through the generosity of the late Carl P. Vanderspek. Mr. Vanderspek donated the source of funds for the creation of H2H. Carl P. Vanderspek started as a businessman. Upon achieving outstanding business success, he diverted into philanthropic works. He seeks out causes that generate the most potential positive impact on the community, especially the underserved groups in the communities.
Dr. Rolando Barrios said that the Hope to Care Complex’s main objective is to empower clients. An interdisciplinary team assists clients to meet their essential psychosocial needs such as housing, income, food, and security. This can be achieved through care plans centered around the client’s goal.
According to research, an individual’s access to primary care determines positive health outcomes. Without immediate care, an individual is deprived of their fundamental rights. However, statistics show that approximately 7,500 residents residing at the heart of DTES have minimal access to primary care.
That is why H2H reaches out to clients to provide integrated, accessible health care. Many of these clients have multiple complex conditions such as HIV, Hepatitis C, substance abuse, and mental health issues.
With H2H, clients can receive the following health care:
- Safe supply of the drug
- Protection from toxic street drugs
- Drug use monitoring in the supervised consumption area
- Intervention
- Safe and judgment-free space
- Available staff to guide clients with comprehensive primary and specialty care
- Support the client’s mental health needs
- Assist clients in demonstrating the safest way to use drugs
- Assist clients in other high-priority medical areas.
The above services are conducted at the Hope to Health Research and Innovation Complex. In addition, the on-site laboratory provides clients with various testing needs. Laboratory testing includes:
- Monitoring of genetic changes in viruses could lead to tailored therapy
- Genetic makeup testing for drug side effects
- Therapeutic drug level monitoring to investigate drug absorption, treatment adherence, toxicities, and side effects.