How do I access specialists and
diagnostics?

Primary care is your first stop for health care, no matter your age or stage of life. It includes things like checkups, treatment when you are sick, and personalized advice to help keep you healthy. Primary care providers focus on your overall health and can help with a wide range of health issues, connect you to specialists and necessary testing (diagnostics), and can help prevent, identify and treat illness.

Family doctors (or general practitioners): They diagnose and treat most health issues. If you need a specialist, like a heart doctor (cardiologist) or skin doctor (dermatologist), your family doctor will refer you. They also order tests, like blood work or X-rays (diagnostics). Nurse practitioners: These are nurses with advanced training who can do many of the same things as doctors, like diagnosing and treating illnesses or prescribing medicine. Primary care providers focus on your overall health and connect you to other healthcare services when needed.

People who are connected to a primary care provider are more likely to have better health results. Primary care providers can help with earlier and faster diagnosis and treatment of health conditions. There is also more consistent care and support for managing you and your family’s health that can be personalized for all members of your family, from babies to seniors.

Health Care Connect refers you to a local doctor or nurse practitioner who is accepting new patients. This service is only available if you have a valid OHIP card. Call 1-800-445-1822 or visit hcc3.hcc.moh.gov.on.ca Community Health Centres (CHCs) have doctors and nurse practitioners that you can be connected to. You do not need Ontario Health Insurance (OHIP) to access most services at CHCs. You can also ask a friend or family member to see if they know of a family doctor or nurse practitioner who is accepting patients.

If you DO have OHIP but are not connected to a primary care provider, you can receive care through a walk-in clinic. A walk-in clinic is a medical practice that provides non-urgent care to patients without an appointment. Walk-in clinics are a good option for people who don’t have a family doctor, or who have a family doctor but can’t reach them. Doctors and nurse practitioners at walk-in medical clinics can assess and treat minor illnesses and injuries and they can refer you to specialists. You can find a full list of walk-in medical clinics in North York and/or provide services for residents of North York by visiting centralhealthline.ca and clicking on the ‘North York’ tab and the ‘Find Services Near Me’. PLEASE NOTE: The emergency department should only be used if you have a serious or urgent medical problem. If you have chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding or a head injury, sudden onset of weakness/dizziness, mental health crisis or emergency, a car accident, loss of consciousness, sudden change in speech or vision or any type of severe pain, go to your nearest emergency department or call 911.