A better way to deliver healthcare
For many of us, a simple trip to the doctor or the dentist can be anxiety provoking, but for someone with an intellectual disability or an autism spectrum disorder, such visits can be overwhelming if not intolerable. Beyond just a fear of medical procedures, the clinical environment itself with its bright lights, loud sounds, unexpected physical sensations, crowded waiting rooms and foreign smells can prove challenging for a neurodivergent patient. Without adaptative supports in place, these individuals have difficulty accessing basic routine healthcare and often must do so in a hospital setting or go without.
A dream nine years in the making
The dream was big– to create a first-of-its kind clinic in Montreal where neurodivergent patients could access both medical and dental services in one location. The Azrieli Foundation and its partners began exploring options for such a clinic as early as 2015. The facility they envisioned had to include a training component to teach medical staff how to care for patients in an accessible, holistic and personalized way. There also needed to be a purpose-built space that could offer soothing sensory elements like brightly coloured walls, sound-adjusted machinery, nature motifs and other calming features. The final requirement was a partnership with the provincial government to enable funding for healthcare visits for all who qualified.
It took nine years of hard work on behalf of many dedicated partners but in April of 2024, The Azrieli Clinic for the Neurodivergent Community officially opened to the community. In attendance were the partner organizations that made it happen including McGill University, Montreal General Hospital, the Jewish General Hospital, the Integrated University Health and Social Services Centre (CIUSS) for West-Central Montreal and Quebec’s Ministry of Social Services.
Located at the CIUSS West-Central Montreal healthcare complex in Côte Saint-Luc, the new clinic offers a sensory-controlled, stylized environment that makes routine medical and dental visits a less fearful experience for neurodivergent children and adults.
The clinic includes the following unique features:
- A calming room with special equipment that helps patients relax and minimizes the use of anesthetics
- Appointments that are longer than in other clinics ranging from 45 minutes to 1 hour instead of 15 minutes
- Demonstration tools to explain to patients what will happen during their exam
- A priority given to non-invasive medical technologies
- Staff who have received training to adapt their communication skills and use specialized treatment tools for clients with an ID and/or ASD
- An accessible funding model for all who qualify regardless of address
The clinic provides 900 dental and 750 medical visits per year and offers neurodivergent individuals and their families a new and better way to access medical and dental care.
This is just one example of how partnerships between like-minded organizations can activate ideas that give everyone the opportunity to live a full life to the best of their ability.
“General healthcare is absolutely fundamental to well-being but has remained an unmet need for neurodiverse individuals for far too long. This clinic offers a model of a continuum of care for others to replicate and will catalyze further partnerships between community-based clinics, hospitals and health professional training programs.“
Naomi Azrieli, O.C., Chair and CEO of the Azrieli Foundation
You can watch a video about the new clinic below.
(Banner photo: from left, Bram Freedman, Minister Lionel Carmant, Dr. Mel Schwartz)
