The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) North Bay and District has published a plain-language guide titled “Understanding the science of addiction: How our brain rewires itself” to help people in Mattawa, Ontario, understand how addiction affects the brain. The explainer reframes addiction as a health issue rather than a moral failing and describes how substance use can alter dopamine pathways and impair decision-making and impulse control.
Local families and health workers can access resources and supports through CMHA’s East Nipissing Mental Health Services (ENMHS). ENMHS is based at the Mattawa General Hospital and provides intensive case management and crisis intervention, including a Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team that serves residents along the Hwy 17 east corridor from East Ferris to Mattawa.
Residents seeking help can visit the Mattawa Drop-In Centre/ENMHS at 150 Water St. (Mattawa Medical Building) or contact staff at the Mattawa General Hospital program. The Mattawa Drop-In Centre offers educational programming — weekly seminars and monthly activity calendars — to help community members learn about recovery and available services; callers should contact the office for the current schedule.
On January 15, 2025, Ontario Health awarded funding to the North Bay Regional Health Centre and CMHA North Bay and District to provide 39 addiction withdrawal and treatment beds — part of a reallocation of 53 beds that had originally been planned for Canadore College. The expansion is intended to strengthen local capacity and reduce the need for residents in northern communities to travel to larger centres such as North Bay or Sudbury for intensive care.
For immediate assistance, Mattawa residents can call the Mattawa office at 705-744-4567; the North Bay Regional Health Centre crisis line is available 24/7 at 1-800-352-1141. CMHA’s explainer emphasizes that framing addiction as a brain-based health issue can reduce stigma and encourage people to seek support without judgment.
