When Nurse Practitioner Maggie McNabb joined KCHC in 2023, she brought with her years of experience in emergency and trauma nursing and a passion for supporting vulnerable youth—through sexual assault response, child protection, and care for survivors of human trafficking.
Today, she most often divides her time between the One Roof Youth Wellness Hub on Princess Street and our Midtown Kingston Health Home, working with young people aged 12 to 26, many of whom are navigating extraordinary challenges.
At One Roof, no two days for Maggie look the same. Her schedule is often packed with appointments, but she still finds time for outreach—visiting encampments with the addictions or housing teams, seeing youth at RISE supportive housing, or even driving out to Cloyne to provide care at the local K-12 school.
“There are so many barriers for youth,” Maggie explains. “Stigma and not having ID, like a health card, make it hard to get medication, referrals, or testing. Many don’t have a reliable phone—or any phone—so they miss appointments. And when services discharge clients after just a few missed visits, it can feel really discouraging for them.”
Maggie says having access to a centralized social service hub is vital for youth, offering medical, mental health, social, and housing support all in one place. Because centralized services like these typically only exist in larger
urban centers such as Ottawa, Montreal or Toronto, youth from across the region often come to Kingston—or are even dropped off here—when they have nowhere else to go.
The transition from pediatric to adult care can also be a difficult time, with limited support for youth in this in-between stage. To help bridge the gap, teams at One Roof have begun early transition planning to ensure youth are
ready and supported as they move into adult services.
“We see youth who are dropped off from places like Cobourg or smaller towns because there aren’t many options for them elsewhere,” Maggie says. “They’re falling through the cracks, and we know it’s an important time to get
them stable.”
Maggie shares one story that stands out—a young man who faced significant trauma and instability throughout his life. Apprehended by CAS as a child, he grew up in foster and group homes and became a crown ward. As a teen, he
turned to substances like alcohol and crystal meth, experienced incarceration, homelessness, and had his own child apprehended.
Through One Roof, he connected with the Crime Prevention program, accessed primary care and counselling, and enrolled in Youth Catalyst, where he maintained sobriety throughout the 16-week program. He earned his driver’s license, achieved ongoing recovery, and moved to Alberta to work full-time at a lumber yard.
“He’s now back in Kingston and still doing really well,” Maggie says proudly. “I find this population is incredibly open to change, and even small interventions can have a big impact on their life trajectory. Youth are resourceful, resilient,
and have a great sense of humour—which makes my job so rewarding. They inspire me every day.”