tel: 705-444-5885 • fax: 705-444-1393
For more information about Family Health Teams, please visit
http://www.health.gov.on.ca/transformation/fht/fht_understanding.html.
A Family Health Team is an approach to primary health care that brings together different health care providers to co-ordinate the highest possible quality of care for you - the patient.
Our reception desk is open from 8:30am-5:00pm
All of our healthcare providers do offer appointments before or after these hours to accommodate our patients.
Patients who are under the care of one of the Family Physicians on our team.
All services are covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP.) Your doctor can refer you if you have a valid health card and are part of our group.
Although we try to accommodate all patients in a timely manner, occasionally there is a wait for some services. Please contact our reception desk to find out approximate wait times.
This is a term that is used to refer to impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), conditions that place individuals at risk of developing type 2 diabetes and related complications. Essentially, this means that your blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough for you to be diagnosed as having type 2 diabetes.
Importantly, not everyone with pre-diabetes will progress on to having type 2 diabetes - a number of those diagnosed will even revert back to having normoglycemia. This may be achieved through maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
A diagnosis should be made through the use of laboratory glucose tests. A confirmatory laboratory glucose test may be required.
Although varying, there is generally a wait to access our services. All referrals are reviewed, and those who need to be seen more urgently will usually be accommodated. If appropriate, you will be provided with relevant resources while waiting and have the opportunity to have a consultation with other members of our multi-disciplinary team.
We work in conjunction with the diabetes center at the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital. Persons with these types of diabetes are seen at this service.
Our Counsellors have all earned degrees, usually at the Masters level, in social work, psychology, or a related field.
Counselling is offered to patients of Family Doctors associated with the GBFHT in Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, Creemore, Stayner, and Clarksburg.
All FHT services are covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP.)
Counsellors at the Georgian Bay Family Health Team are mandated to provide short term counselling services: this means that each patient has a maximum of 10 sessions available to them.
Our health team often has a wait for our services up to eight weeks long. We will work with you and your Family Doctor to ensure that service is offered as quickly as possible. After being referred, you will be required to complete an intake appointment to place you on the waiting list, ensuring that more urgent matters receive attention first. Your patience and co-operation is greatly appreciated.
If you or a family member feels they are in crisis you should either go to your local emergency room, or call the Mental Health Crisis line at 1-888-893-8333. Children and youth can access help by calling the Kid's Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868.
Any Family Physician who is part of our health team may refer to the OTN service. You will then be matched with an appropriate specialist by the telemedicine team.
Telemedicine uses video cameras and monitors to connect you to Specialists who are not located near you, reducing the need to travel to receive care. You will be able to see, hear and talk to a Physician Specialist or other health care professional.
A Telemedicine appointment is just like a regular appointment; only the Specialist you will be seeing and speaking with is on a monitor. Before you arrive, the Specialist you are going to see will already have relevant information about you to support your Telemedicine visit. However, you may be asked to bring test results, medications or x-rays with you.
A health care professional who has been trained in telemedicine will be with you during your visit. The videoconference connection is made with the specialist at a different location and the visit begins.
The Registered Nurse with you may assist with the examination, using tele-diagnostic equipment.
No. You will not be billed for this service. It is covered under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP ).
Just like a regular Doctor's appointment, your Telemedicine visit will be private and confidential. It can only be seen and heard by the health care professionals involved, and will never be recorded or duplicated.
You are not required to have quit, just have an interest in quitting, we will help guide you through the process at your own pace with no pressure.
There are often studies being done offering supplies to help you quit. We can help you link to any of these options.
If you require assistance immediately you should go to your nearest emergency room, or contact your Family Physician.
We will do a home visit if required. If ongoing home care is required we will facilitate a referral to the Community Care Access Centre (CCAC).
Healthy eating and regular physical activity are keys to a healthy lifestyle and weight management. There is no one best diet for everybody. Some diets are too extreme and restrictive in terms of what you can and cannot eat. Instead, the best weight loss diet is the one that you can stick with for life.
Your visit is covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP).
Although occasionally we do have a short wait for our services, you will likely be able to see our Registered Dietitian within a few weeks.
You can contact EatRight Ontario and speak directly to a Registered Dietitian and get your questions answered on everyday food choices, disease prevention and popular nutrition topics. Visit their website at www.eatrightontario.ca or call toll-free 1-877-510-510-2. This service provides easy-to-use nutrition information to help you make healthier food choices.
You are not required to log your food intake for the first appointment, although if you would like to you may. Please bring any questions you may have.
A Registered Dietitian (RD) is a health professional who can provide advice on nutrition, food, and healthy eating choices to help you look good and feel great. Registered Dietitians take complex medical and nutrition research and make it easier for you to make daily food choices and plan healthy meals. They can show you how healthy eating can be fun, enjoyable and delicious! Registered Dietitians are your trusted experts in nutrition.
The titles "Dietitian" or "Registered Dietitian" are protected by law. This means that only someone who has met specific educational and professional requirements is legally allowed to use these titles, or the initials, RD, P.Dt, and Dt.P. (in French).
All Registered Dietitians in Ontario are Members of the College of Dietitians of Ontario (every province has its own college). As a member of the College, a Registered Dietitian must practice according to set standards and laws that protect the public, just like you would expect from Doctors, Nurses, Pharmacists and other health professionals.
The terms "Nutritionist" or "Registered Nutritionist" are not protected terms in Ontario. This means that anybody can call themselves a Nutritionist and there are no standards for their quality of care.
Heart Failure is the term used to describe the symptoms and signs that occur when your heart becomes less efficient at pumping blood around the body, either while you are at rest or during exercise.
Although Heart Failure is very serious, many people can improve their condition with appropriate medicines, device therapy, surgery, or by making changes to their lifestyle.
Heart Failure occurs because the heart muscle is damaged. It has many causes, the most common being:
As CHD is the most common cause of Heart Failure, major risk factors for CHD also increase the risk of Heart Failure. These include:
Heart failure is a relatively common chronic disorder and it is rising as the population gets older. In Canada, approximately 2.7 million currently are affected.
There are many strategies to help you prevent Heart Failure. Our Heart Nurse will go over many ways of preventing and controlling Heart Failure. Some of these include:
If you have recently been diagnosed with Hypertension (high blood pressure) you should take it seriously, but there are positive steps you can take. The odds are good that most people will have high blood pressure in their lifetime. In fact, 90% of people with normal blood pressure at age 55 will have high blood pressure as they get older. However, it's important to know that even though high blood pressure is quite common, it is still a dangerous condition that should be monitored closely by a doctor.
Normal blood pressure is less than 120 (systolic) over 80 (diastolic)-written as 120/80.
For 85%-95% of people with high blood pressure, the cause of their high blood pressure is not known. In rare cases, high blood pressure can be caused by kidney problems, alcohol use, or birth control pills.
The risk of developing high blood pressure increases as you get older. People with relatives that have high blood pressure are more likely to develop high blood pressure. African Americans have a very high rate of high blood pressure compared with Caucasians.
People who regularly eat food that is high in salt are more susceptible to high blood pressure. Being overweight also puts you at risk for many illnesses, including high blood pressure.
Studies have shown that people with heightened anxiety, intense anger, and suppressed expression of anger were more at risk of developing high blood pressure.
During a regular physical exam, a Doctor or other healthcare provider uses a sphygmomanometer to check blood pressure. This common device should be familiar to you: it consists of a cuff fastened around the arm, attached to a bulb. The cuff is fastened around your upper arm, and then the doctor inflates the cuff by squeezing the bulb. The Doctor then releases the air from the cuff, and listens with a stethoscope for the first heartbeat that can be heard. The pressure at which the first heartbeat is heard is called systolic blood pressure. The pressure at which the Doctor can no longer hear the heart sound is called diastolic blood pressure.
Prehypertension is a blood pressure measurement of 120/80 to 139/89. Stage 1 Hypertension is defined as 140-159 over 90-99. A blood pressure above those levels is considered Stage 2 Hypertension.
It helps to have someone in your life who understands your condition and why you have to make these lifestyle changes. Make sure you share your feelings with people you love and get their support. Our Hypertension Nurse can help you with monitoring, suggestions for controlling your Hypertension, and we can help connect you with support in the community.
Hypertension can be a very serious condition, but with the help of your Doctor, in conjunction with our Hypertension Nurse you can keep it from causing other health issues so that you can live a healthy and happy life.
The Clinic is run by a Nurse Practitioner who comes to visit Stayner Collegiate Institute and Collingwood Collegiate once a month. You can also see her in our office.
The Nurse Practitioner can help you with all kinds of issues - family concerns, medical questions, questions regarding sexual health, birth control prescriptions and advice, and any other concerns you may have.
No. Your appointment with the Nurse Practitioner (NP) is confidential; the NP does always encourage you to share your questions and concerns with your family as well as your Family Physician.
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