Downtown Eastside Connections

Downtown Eastside (DTES) Connections is a low-barrier addiction medicine clinic serving all people with substance use disorders. This clinic offers same-day access to treatment for substance use disorders, including opioid agonist therapy, and can connect clients to appropriate community-based health services.

The clinic provides same-day assessment and treatment for substance use disorders that include opioids, alcohol, nicotine, GHB, cannabis, stimulants and benzodiazepines. It offers access to opioid agonist therapy and other treatments. Connections also provides local outreach, referrals to bed-based and other psychosocial treatments, harm reduction supplies, and care that considers psychological and social factors.

Connections offers care to anyone without a prescriber or those who have a prescriber but need bridge prescriptions. The clinic accepts drop-in clients or direct referrals from VCH and non-VCH services. These may include DTES Primary Care sites, non-VCH community partners, hospitals, Access Central – Detox Referral phone line, Overdose Outreach Team (OOT), Lighthouse Virtual Substance Use Care Clinic, Providence Health Care Rapid Access Addiction Clinic (RAAC), Home Health, the Evelyne Saller Centre, and WISH Drop-in Centre Society.

DTES Connections' goal is to provide low-barrier, same-day access to substance use services and then connect clients to appropriate community-based health services. These services may include primary care clinics or bed-based recovery services.

DTES Connections is open seven days per week and is currently accepting new clients.

View patient information handout