Cool Aid Society opening medical clinic for unhoused community

The unhoused community in Victoria will soon have access to a new health clinic that is being opened by Cool Aid Society. 

The Joe Haegert Community Health Centre was a decade in the making and is set to open on September 9th.

The clinic is named after Dr. Joe Haegert, who was the founder of Cool Aid’s health care program. 

Cool Aid says he was known for his everlasting kindness and establishing low barrier, trauma-informed care for vulnerable Victorians.

“We’re very proud that the new community health centre (CHC) is named in his honour and excited that it will be the medical home for so many more vulnerable people in our community,” said Dr. Chris Fraser, medical director for the Cool Aid Community Health Centre.

The new clinic is located at Cool Aid’s Crosstown location on Burnside Road East, which will also offer 100 new affordable market homes and 54 new supportive homes. 

Residents of the development and others in need will have access to onsite medical services including counselling, mental health supports, treatment for infectious and chronic diseases, pathways to recovery and a pharmacy through the clinic. 

“We’re integrating housing and barrier free health care at Crosstown,” said Dr. Fraser. 

“We’ll be able to enroll people at the Dr. Joe CHC and provide flexible follow-up care, so they can more easily access the complex care they need.”

Patients who have been treated by Cool Aid’s mobile health clinic teams will also be welcome at the new Crosstown clinic. 

Medical staff at the Joe Haegert CHC are trained in specialized skills and are taught to maintain high levels of empathy to better connect with patients, allowing them to address and improve health challenges in a compassionate manner.