The Nanaimo Mental Health and Substance Use (MHSU) program are looking for an Addiction Medicine, Family Physician to provide part-time services with the Complex Care Housing (CCH) Team in Nanaimo. Services will occur on site at three supportive housing locations in Nanaimo: Samaritan Place, Wesley Street and Prideaux Place. The patient population is complex, difficult to house individuals with moderate to severe mental health, substance use or chronic medical co-morbidities, behaviour problems, history of violence, hoarding (etc) in order to support individuals to retain housing.

The successful candidate will provide General Practitioner (GP) Addiction Medicine Services to clients living with complex medical conditions including persistent mental health and/or substance use disorders to all CCH clients at Tillicum Apartments as well as at various locations as required in an outreach setting.

Services to be provided include: Primary care for acute and chronic medical conditions, screening and treatment of STI’s and viral blood-borne illnesses, specialty referrals as appropriate; Addiction medicine services including assessment and provision of OAT, alcohol anti-craving medications, Safer Supply, harm reduction, possibly low-risk alcohol withdrawal management; Mental health support in collaboration with program Psychiatrist including assessment, referral, continuation of psychiatric medications. Physician must have methadone prescribing ability, and preferably advanced AM skills

The successful candidate, as part of the multidisciplinary CCH team, will works in collaboration with Nursing, Social Work, Metal Health Support workers, Occupational Therapy as well as peer support workers & persons with lived and living experience.

Island Health is part of the UBC Faculty of Medicine Island Medical Program. The successful candidate will be required to provide teaching and training for medical students and residents. A clinical faculty appointment at UBC is necessary.

Start Date

As soon as possible

Benefits

Furnished office space, computer and administrative support provided. 

Community Information

Nanaimo, an exciting urban community with a breathtaking waterfront, provides an opportunity to enjoy an active exciting lifestyle with a multitude of year-round recreational opportunities including golf, mountain biking and walking trails, kayaking, paddle boarding and sailing, or dive to explore three artificial reefs created by wrecks sunk in the harbour. In winter, both downhill and cross-country skiing can be enjoyed at Mount Washington, just 1.5 hours north. This vibrant, growing city of 120,000, is a great place to raise a family and boasts its own symphony and theater, offers post-secondary education at the Vancouver Island University, is just 15 minutes by seaplane or ferry to downtown Vancouver and a pleasant drive to Victoria.