Sault Area Hospital is in the process of moving several of its addiction treatment services into a Group Health Centre building on East Street, near the men’s shelter and Community Resource Centre.
Shortly after the Northway Wellness Centre opened in the former Sault Star building on Old Garden River Road, SAH announced it was pursuing a Phase 2 to move additional addiction services into vacant space in the building.
That would have moved some of the addiction services currently being offered downtown to the former Sault Star building, where the residential withdrawal management and safe beds programs have been located since 2023.
Two years after the Northway Wellness Centre opened, SAH is now in the final stages of planning a move of its Rapid Access Addiction Medicine Clinic, better known as the RAAM Clinic, into a GHC-owned medical building at 170 East St.
“The RAAM Clinic will be relocating later this year — we are currently finalizing the details, with the move expected to take place in December,” said Brandy Sharp Young, the hospital’s director of communications and public affairs, in an email.
Currently, the RAAM Clinic operates a few doors down, at 123 East St.
SAH’s Addictions Treatment Clinic (ATC), also currently located at 123 East St., will also be relocating to 170 East St. in December.
A three year agreement has been signed between the hospital and GHC for the move, said Sharp Young.
Asked if the move means the consolidation of addiction services at Northway Wellness Centre is no long in the plans, Sharp Young said the following:
“The proposed Northway expansion remains under consideration at this time, and further exploration is required before any decisions are made.”
Once moved, the RAAM Clinic will join SAH’s Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) and Community Treatment Order (CTO) programs, which are already being offered at 170 East St.
“This relocation will consolidate services by bringing several community-based mental health and addictions programs together under one roof,” said Sharp Young.
“The new site was carefully considered to ensure it provides a safe and accessible environment for clients and staff, while also offering us the opportunity to consolidate service locations.”
The 20,000 square-foot building was valued at $3.4 million when it was gifted to the GHC in 2012 for $1, plus the assumption of an outstanding mortgage of $988,000 through a numbered company owned by GHC. In December of 2024, 170 East St. was listed on REALTOR.com for $1.5 million.
At the same time, GHC’s GNR Professional Centre at 773 Great Northern Rd. was also listed – with an asking price of $4.2 million. The sale of that building was completed earlier this year.
At a recent press conference, GHC president and CEO Lil Silvano said part of the reason for selling the buildings was to reduce risk to the organization because it isn’t funded for capital improvements.
“Our funding is through a leasing arrangement. We are still leasing in those spaces, we just no longer own the building which means we don’t own any repairs that are needed in those buildings,” said Silvano at the press conference.
Ashlee Gerard, manager of communications, planning and risk, said the sale of the East Street property to a local buyer is being finalized.
“GHC will remain in the building as a tenant, and there will be no interruption to any of our programs or services operating there,” she said in an email.
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