Ribbon-cutting inauguration of the clinic on February 12. From left to right: Jean Pigeon, President and Director General of the Fondation Santé Outaouais, Patricia LaRue, Director of the Clinique des femmes de l’Outaouais, Camylle Legault, President of the Fondation Choquette-Legault, Suzanne Tremblay, Députée de Hull, Marc Bilodeau, President and General Director with Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de l’Outaouais (CISSSO), Catherine Ferembach, Associate Deputy Minister for the Status of Women Secretariat, and Julie Lamoureux, Sexual and Reproductive Health Advisor for Women’s Health at the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services. Photo: Courtesy
Outaouais’s non-profit Women’s Clinic continues to provide essential care at new location
Sophie Demers
La Clinique des femmes de l’Outaouais has moved from their 228 Saint-Joseph Blvd. location to their new larger location at 920 Saint-Joseph Blvd.
Founded in 1980, the clinic started by offering abortions and increased their services over time. Today, they are still the only clinic offering abortion in the Outaouais as well as offering a variety of services such as consultations for contraception, family planning, IUD and implant insertion, Pap tests, perimenopause and menopause care, and services for individuals who have experienced sexual assault.
The clinic describes itself as a feminist non-profit organization with the objective to provide professional and safe reproductive health care services. They also advocate, promote, and defend the right to choose in all matters of sexual and reproductive health.
Clinic director Patricia LaRue explains that the clinic had been operating at their previous location since 2004. However, the building was sold to a private clinic that opened a private college in the building. “We felt it was necessary to move to the new clinic because we were sharing an entrance hall. We didn’t want our clients to have to go through groups of students when they come for abortion services, or any of our services, when it can already be overwhelming.”
LaRue explains that the clinic aims to be a safe space where anyone can access care in a compassionate, quiet, safe, and confidential manner. Over the past few years, the clinic raised funds to support their move. Through community donations, and support from various governmental organizations, such as the Centre intégré de santé et des services sociaux de l'Outaouais (CISSSO) and the Ministry of Health, the clinic raised enough money to move at the beginning of this year.
The official inauguration of the new clinic took place on February 12. “All in all, it was a positive thing to be able to move, because we’re able to improve the way we offer our services,” said LaRue. “We want to make sure that people are able to make the decision, an informed decision on what they want to do with their life, and we're there to support them, give them information and make sure that they're able to exercise their choice.”