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Scarborough Health and Community Care News
Issue 1: December 2023
Your Scarborough OHT Community Newsletter
Newsletter Highlights
Meet our Community Co-Editors
Finding Your Family Doctor in Ontario Made Easy
Keep yourself safe this Cold & Flu season
Introducing One Stop Talk: A new mental health support for every child and youth across Ontario
Finding health and social services close to home
We want to hear from you!
Meet our Community Co-Editors
Jiaping (Kevin) Li: Jiaping is a Client and Family Advisor for SOHT. He has a strong background in community leadership and advocacy. He is quite interested in helping Scarborough families receive the care that they need. Jiaping has an academic background in Education, Economics and Management. He had been an assistant to the late City Councillor Cynthia Lai (Scarborough North) from 2018 to 2022. Jiaping speaks Mandarin and English.
Jillian Ball: Jillian is a user of healthcare services in Scarborough and is a Client and Family Advisor for SOHT. She is passionate about making healthcare accessible and equitable for all Scarborough residents. Jillian has an academic background in statistics, population health and biology. She is an avid healthcare advocate and was recently President of University of Toronto Scarborough’s Health and Society Student Association.
Translated Article
認識你的共同編輯- Meet Your Co-Editors (Chinese Translation)
Finding Your Family Doctor in Ontario Made Easy
Good health is your most valuable asset, and having a trusted healthcare provider is an essential part of maintaining it. We understand that finding a family doctor can be a struggle at times, but fear not – we're here to guide you through the process.
The first step in finding your family doctor is to enroll in the Health Care Connect program. This service connects you with a family doctor or nurse practitioner in your community. Here's how to get started:
● Visit the Health Care Connect website (www.ontario.ca/HealthCareConnect) ● Sign up by providing some basic information about yourself.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario also publishes a “Find a Doctor search” tool at the https://doctors.cpso.on.ca/?search=general. You can narrow down your options by filtering for doctors in your preferred location. This ensures you'll have convenient access to medical care when you need it most. Communication is key when it comes to your healthcare. You can also filter your search by language to find a healthcare provider who can effectively communicate with you.
Health Care Connect will then match you with an available healthcare provider in your area.
Family Doctor vs. Nurse Practitioner
Now that you're on your way to finding a primary care provider, let's clarify the difference between a family doctor and a nurse practitioner:
● Family Doctor: Family doctors are fully trained physicians who can diagnose, treat, and manage a wide range of medical conditions. They provide comprehensive care for individuals and families of all ages.
● Nurse Practitioner: Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with advanced training in healthcare. They can diagnose and treat common health conditions, prescribe medication, and provide health education. Nurse practitioners often work collaboratively with family doctors.
Pharmacists can now prescribe medication
In Ontario, pharmacists play an increasingly vital role in your healthcare. They can prescribe routine medications and renew existing prescriptions, making it easier and more convenient for you to access essential medicines. Started in 2023, pharmacists can also prescribe certain medication to treat some common ailments. Including hay fever, pink eye, dermatitis, cold sores, insect bites, urinary tract infections (UTIs), etc.
OHIP Coverage
Your Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) card provides coverage for a wide range of medical services, including doctor's visits, hospital care, and medically necessary procedures. However, it's essential to know that OHIP may not cover certain services, such as cosmetic procedures, prescription drugs provided in non-hospital settings (such as antibiotics prescribed by your family doctor), dental services provided in a dentist’s office, eyeglasses, contact lenses, and laser eye surgery.
It's a good practice to clarify coverage with your healthcare provider before undergoing any non-emergency medical procedures or treatments.
Feedback on Your Family Doctor
Your feedback is valuable in ensuring you receive the best possible care. If you have concerns or compliments about your family doctor, here's how to provide feedback them:
Contact your healthcare provider directly and discuss your concerns or compliments. If the issue remains unresolved or you wish to escalate it, you can contact the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) and submit a complaint at https://www.cpso.on.ca/en/Public/Services/Complaints-and-Concerns
Remember, your health and well-being are our top priorities. Finding a primary care provider is a crucial step towards achieving and maintaining good health. We hope these steps and tips help you in your search for the right healthcare provider in Ontario.
Stay healthy and take care of yourself and your loved ones!
Translated Article
在安省輕鬆尋找家庭醫生 - Finding a Family Doctor (Chinese Translation)
குடும்ப மருத்துவரைக் கண்டறிதல்- Finding a Family Doctor (Tamil Translation)
Keep yourself safe this Cold & Flu season
In September 2023, Scarborough Ontario Health Team (SOHT) Partners came together to plan Scarborough’s response to this Winter’s COVID and Flu season. An outcome of this planning session is our Ontario Health Team’s collaboration in developing our SOHT Respiratory Resources.
Information on COVID and Flu resources in Scarborough can easily be found in the Resource section of SOHT’s Website. In this section you will also have access to SOHT’s Interactive Map, which will show information such as: where to receive the COVID and Flu vaccine in Scarborough, where to access walk-in clinics, and where to access paediatric (children) clinics.
If you or your loved ones are looking for COVID and Flu resources in other areas of Toronto, this can be found through the Toronto Health and Social Service Directory at www.torontoservicedirectory.ca. This directory can also be used to find other resources and services across Toronto.
Article Translation
在這個呼吸季節支持您的家人- Supporting Your Family this Respiratory Season (Chinese Translation)
Introducing One Stop Talk: A new mental health support for every child and youth across Ontario
One Stop Talk/Parlons maintenant (OST/PM) is a new virtual and confidential counselling service rolling out across the province. It provides children and youth (aged 0-17 years) with immediate, low barrier access to free mental health support when needed. When a child or youth connects with One Stop Talk/Parlons maintenant through www.onestoptalk.ca, or 1-855-416-8255, they will be connected to a professional clinician for a virtual or telephone session of brief therapy. OST/PM aims to fill the service gaps that leave children and youth waiting and struggling to navigate a complex healthcare system while increasing the availability of in-the-moment intervention.
How does it work?
Through the participation of a network of agencies across the province, OST/PM-designated therapists will provide online or telephone counselling sessions for children, youth and parents/ caregivers (with their child). A child or youth can connect with a registered therapist (via phone or online) for a brief single therapy session, and there is no limit to the number of times they can contact OST/PM.
The virtual sessions usually focus on a single issue and support the individual through the co-development of an action plan with an OST/PM therapist. If additional or ongoing services are needed, an OST/PM Service Navigator is available to provide a warm hand off by sending a referral to more local services coordinating care closer to home.
OST/PM is available Monday to Friday from 12 PM to 8 PM (EST) and from 12 PM to 4 PM (EST) on Saturdays.
Connecting with OST/ PM will ensure that children and youth in Ontario:
- receive standardized counselling therapy from trained, experienced and registered clinicians located across the province;
- have access to after-hours service, including Saturdays (increasing availability of in-the-moment intervention);
- receive a personalized plan, co-developed and shared with the client;
- self-select services at the right time and obtain support for a current concern/issue; and,
- are provided with a warm hand-off and referral to additional services, if needed, within the same interaction.
This innovative pan-provincial initiative, funded by the Ministry of Health, addresses key challenges within the child and youth mental health sector, a priority area in Ontario’s Roadmap to Wellness. It also supports the government’s commitment to creating a more connected and comprehensive mental health and addictions system, ensuring that Ontarians receive the right level of service at the right time and in the right place.
Please visit onestoptalk.ca or parlonsmaintenant.ca to learn more about the program.
If you have any questions about this initiative, please email communications@onestoptalk.ca
Article Translation
Finding health and social services close to home
Eight Ontario Health Teams serving Toronto have come together to expand the Toronto Health and Social Services Directory (torontoservicedirectory.ca), a website that helps people more easily find health, social and community services in Toronto, including the former municipalities of East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough and York.
The directory includes more than 8,000 health, social and community services listings in Toronto. The listings are drawn from three existing service directories in Ontario: 211 Ontario, ConnexOntario and thehealthline.ca.
By combining the Toronto-based and Toronto-serving listings from these directories in one place, the Toronto Health and Social Services Directory makes it easier for people to find the services they need. This helps ensure local residents are better able to identify and access health, social and community services that are close to where they live or where they would like to get care.
Features of the Toronto Health and Social Services Directory include:
· Ability to search by location combined with topic or keyword
· Easy-to-find service topics, including Older Adults, Caregivers, Mental Health, Health Care, 2SLGBTQI+, Newcomers, Income Support, Housing and more
· Ability to search for services offered in specific languages
· Detailed service listings that include eligibility, address, hours, accessibility and contact information
In addition, the participating Ontario Health Teams are working with the Toronto Child and Family Network to ensure a comprehensive list of local services for children and families are included in the directory. These listings will be added to the directory in the coming months.
Complementary to existing directories
The Toronto Health and Social Services Directory is not meant to replace existing service directories, including Health811, 211 Ontario, ConnexOntario and thehealthline.ca.
Instead, it is meant to be a complementary navigation resource for patients/clients, caregivers and community members in Toronto. Individuals are welcome to use the directory or other navigation tool they feel is best for them.
In addition, the Toronto Health and Social Services Directory does not provide emergency services. Individuals who need emergency care should call 9-1-1 or go to their nearest hospital emergency department.
Developed with input from local residents
The Toronto Health and Social Services Directory was developed with input from patient/client, caregiver and community advisors from across Toronto. They provided feedback during the development of the directory, including on its search functions and design.
This helps ensure the directory serves patients/clients, caregivers and community members as effectively as possible. The directory also helps health, social and community services providers, including family doctors, more easily find other services that their patients/clients may benefit from.
Improving navigation at local level
The Toronto Health and Social Services Directory is an expansion of the East Toronto Service Directory (services.ethp.ca), which was launched by East Toronto Health Partners, the Ontario Health Team serving East Toronto, in March 2022.
The expanded directory is part of all Ontario Health Teams’ mandate to improve local navigation to care services. It is supported by the City of Toronto and the Ontario Health Teams serving Toronto, which are funded by the Government of Ontario.
Quotes
“For many community members, navigating the health, social and services system can be a complex and challenging task. For this reason, we’ve taken efforts to make the Toronto Health and Social Services Directory as easy to use as possible for local residents. We’ve also worked with partner organizations to help ensure the information they are sharing in their listings is as transparent, trustworthy and timely as possible – these are a few of the necessary ingredients for client-centred and trauma-informed services.”
– Jasper Rottiers, Community Advisor in Toronto who contributed feedback during the development of the Toronto Health and Social Services Directory
“Family physicians spend a lot of time looking up services to support patients. Being able to access accurate, up-to-date service listings in Toronto in one place helps improve our overall standard of care by allowing physicians to focus more time directly on our patients.”
– Dr. Leon Bhatia, Family Physician in Toronto
“As Ontario Health Teams, we are committed to supporting our community members in finding the health, social and community services they need, close to home. This helps ensure local residents are able to find the services they need at the right place at the right time. We look forward to continuing our work with partners, including Ontario Health Teams serving Toronto and their member organizations, to maintain and update the directory as needed so it serves local residents as effectively as possible.”
– Margery Konan, Manager of Integrated Care at East Toronto Health Partners who co-led the development of the Toronto Health and Social Services Directory on behalf of the eight partner Ontario Health Teams
About the Toronto Health and Social Services Directory
The Toronto Health and Social Services Directory (torontoservicedirectory.ca) is a website that helps people more easily find health, social and community services in Toronto, including the former municipalities of East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough and York. If you live and/or get care in these areas, the directory is a guide to finding care close to home. However, the directory does not provide emergency services. If you need emergency care, please call 9-1-1 or go to your nearest hospital emergency department. The directory is a partnership between eight Ontario Health Teams serving Toronto. It is supported by the City of Toronto and the Ontario Health Teams serving Toronto, which are funded by the Government of Ontario.
About Ontario Health Teams
Ontario Health Teams are a model of care that the Government of Ontario introduced in 2019. They are a new way to organize and deliver services in local communities to provide patients with better connected care. Under Ontario Health Teams, the healthcare providers who care for patients/clients (including hospitals, doctors and home and community care providers) work together as one coordinated team – no matter where they provide care. Learn more about Ontario Health Teams.
Eight Ontario Health Teams serving Toronto are partners in the Toronto Health and Social Services Directory:
- Downtown East Toronto Ontario Health Team
- East Toronto Health Partners
- Mid-West Toronto Ontario Health Team
- North Toronto Ontario Health Team
- North Western Toronto Ontario Health Team
- North York Toronto Health Partners
- Scarborough Ontario Health Team
- West Toronto Ontario Health Team
Representatives from each of these Ontario Health Teams, including providers, administrative staff and patient/client, caregiver and community advisors, worked together to develop the directory and play a role in maintaining it.
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We want to hear from you!
Submit your feedback and be entered into a draw to win a $50 gift card!
Did you find this newsletter helpful? What would you like to hear about in our next newsletter? Share your thoughts with us and be entered into a draw to win a $50 gift card! Click here to submit your feedback and enter into the draw: https://forms.office.com/r/Ru4Zjqh2vR
Thank you in advance for your important feedback. All submissions will be reviewed by SOHT and used to improve our Community Newsletter content.
Article Translation
提交您的意見並參加抽獎，贏取一張價值 $50 的禮品咭 - Submit Your Feedback! (Chinese Translation)
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