A local doctor just prescribed an infusion of funds for Bradford’s food bank.
Dr. Brian Taylor, founder and chief executive officer of Road to Recovery Health Clinics, presented the Helping Hand Food Bank with a donation of $750 at their new location in the town’s community and social services hub at 177 Church St. on March 8.
“This donation helps the food bank tremendously,” said food bank executive director Carolyn Khan, noting increased costs of food and rent “which is another added cost on top of everything that the government does not fund.”
Taylor has been practising medicine for about 22 years and in addition to his family practice in Bradford, has also been running addiction treatment clinics for about 12 years, with seven locations in Ontario including one in Bradford which currently has about 50 patients.
That’s how the issue of food insecurity and the role it plays in addiction was brought to his attention.
“One of our patients was talking about it, and it surprised me because I never thought that he would have to go to a food bank,” Taylor said.
Based on his conversations with patients undergoing addiction treatment, Taylor estimates that about 25 per cent of them have experienced food insecurity at some point.
From his perspective, it’s just one of several overlapping issues including the rising the cost of living, mental health and addictions which can become layered together to drive the need for the food bank, especially for those lacking support from family.
“This is absolutely 100 per cent necessary, all the time, but particularly right now. It’s a difficult time,” Taylor said.
In some cases, not necessarily in Bradford, Taylor can tell just by looking at a patient that they haven’t been eating enough.
“You can see that they’re choosing the drugs more so than they are food, and that’s probably because they have a mental illness,” he said.
It’s not always so obvious, though.
“They don’t come out and say it, unless you start to get to know them,” he said. “There’s some shame associated.”
Khan acknowledged the stigma around using a food bank, and explained the new location’s entrance is located at the back of the hub to help maintain privacy for clients.
Items are also provided in bags without the food bank’s logo, and while volunteers make monthly deliveries to help support clients with mobility issues, those deliveries are made using personal vehicles, not the food bank’s branded van.
Khan acknowledged that some clients are dealing with addictions, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, but emphasized that they are not turned away.
“We do see people struggling with addictions here. Is it obvious? Yes,” she said. “We don’t deny them service. We’re not making those judgment calls.”
Road to Recovery offers opioid, cocaine and alcohol detoxification programs. The clinics can prescribe medications such as Suboxone, methadone and slow-release oral morphine (SROM) in combination with medical care, counselling, and other support services to provide a “whole-person” approach to treating opioid addiction.
Still, Taylor estimated about 40 per cent of patients relapse and the clinics can’t solve all of the underlying issues.
“Everybody has to work together to try to help the community,” he said, adding he has a meeting scheduled for May to speak with an MPP about funding to help cover the clinics’ capital costs.
The medication prescribed is covered through OHIP.
Updated statistics weren’t available, but as recently as December, the food bank was estimated to be serving about 1,500 people in Bradford and their most-needed items currently include Kraft Dinner, juice boxes and granola bars.
For more information about Road to Recovery, visit: roadtorecovery.clinic.
Further details about the food bank and how it has been supporting the community since 1991 can be found at bradfordfoodbank.ca.
