Welcome to the GHC Access Care Clinic
The Group Health Centre Access Care Clinic (ACC) is being established as a temporary solution to bridge the gap for GHC patients being de-rostered on or after May 31, 2024. Our innovative clinic, led by Nurse Practitioners, is dedicated to providing essential healthcare services during this transitional period.
Clinic Location
Our clinic is conveniently located at:
170 East Street, 3rd Floor, Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Operating Hours
We are open from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Note: Our phone line opens at 8 a.m. to assist with appointment scheduling.
Making an Appointment
To make an appointment, please call us at 705-908-3875
Appointment Scheduling
Currently, appointments are available only on the same day. We are committed to keeping you informed of any future changes to our appointment scheduling process.
Walk-In Policy
Please note that the clinic does not accept walk-in visits. Appointments are required to ensure that we can provide you with timely and efficient care.
Services Offered
Our clinic provides a range of essential services, including:
- Urgent Care: Immediate attention for conditions requiring prompt care.
- Episodic Care: Treatment for sudden illnesses or conditions that do not require long-term management.
- Chronic Disease Symptom Management: Support and treatment plans for managing chronic conditions.
- Prescription Maintenance: Ensuring continuous access to necessary medications.
- Ongoing Referrals: Facilitating referrals to specialists and other healthcare services.
- Access to GHC Programs and Services: Continued utilization of GHC’s resources and programs.
Patients will benefit from the continued utilization of the GHC Electronic Medical Record, which houses their history and provides ongoing access to MyChart, an electronic patient portal.
Reducing Healthcare System Burdens
The GHC Access Care Clinic will help reduce the risk of unnecessary Emergency Department visits and other burdens on our already strained health system. While we continue to focus on recruiting and retaining healthcare providers, this clinic ensures that our patients receive the care they need.
We are dedicated to supporting our patients during this transitional period and ensuring they have access to the care they need. If you have any questions or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Accessing GHC's Access Care Clinic:
The GHC Access Care Clinic is specifically established to provide care for GHC patients who were de-rostered on or after May 31, 2024. To be eligible for this temporary clinic, patients must not have registered with another physician or Nurse Practitioner. This service aims to provide continued healthcare access until patients secure a new primary care provider.
- No, recently announced funding will provide care for patients de-rostered on or after May 31, 2024.
- The GHC continues to work hard to secure additional funding and create a mechanism to provide care in the future for previously de-rostered patients.
No, if your physician left GHC and you transitioned with them as part of their new practice, you are not eligible to access the GHC Access Care Clinic. This clinic is specifically designed for patients who were de-rostered from GHC and do not have access to a primary care provider.
Yes, GHC will provide well-baby care for newborns of de-rostered patients.
No, the GHC Access Care Clinic is only available to individuals who were de-rostered from GHC on or after May 31, 2024.
No, if you currently have a primary care provider at GHC, you will continue to see your existing provider for your healthcare needs, which includes access to the same-day clinic.
Yes, you will continue to have access to all GHC services except for the same-day clinic.
Services & Care Provided:
- The clinic services will act as a bridge to essential care management for patients without a primary care provider.
- The GHC Access Care Clinic will offer a range of healthcare services tailored to meet the needs of de-rostered patients. These services include:
- Urgent Care: This is immediate care for conditions that require prompt attention but are not severe enough to necessitate an Emergency Department visit.
- Episodic Care: Treatment for sudden illnesses or conditions that do not require long-term management. This includes the completion of forms.
- Chronic Disease Symptom Management: Support and treatment plans for symptom management of chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, CHF, COPD, and asthma.
- Prescription Maintenance and Renewal: Ensuring continuous access to necessary medications.
- Ongoing Referrals: Facilitating referrals to specialists and other healthcare services as needed.
- Access to GHC Programs and Services: Continued access and utilization of GHC programs typically available to rostered patients only (Anticoagulation Clinic, Congestive Heart Failure, Family Health Program).
- Well-Baby Care: Care for newborns of recently de-rostered patients.
Care at the GHC Access Care Clinic will primarily be provided by Nurse Practitioners and Nurses, who will be supported by Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) and Allied Health Workers.
Your referral is still valid. Follow-up notes from the specialist will be forwarded to the primary care provider who ordered the referral.
- You will continue to have access to GHC Chronic Disease Management Programs, including the Anticoagulation Clinic, Family Health Worker Program, and Injection Clinic.
- While the clinic aims to manage chronic conditions as effectively as possible, our primary goal is to bridge care until patients are attached to a permanent primary care provider who can undertake comprehensive chronic disease management. We are, however, committed to providing the best care possible under these circumstances.
- Here’s our approach:
- Specialist Referrals: Recognizing the complexity of chronic disease management, we utilize specialist referrals when advanced care is needed beyond what the clinic or GHC’s Programs and Services can provide. This ensures that patients receive expert care tailored to their specific conditions.
- Leveraging GHC Programs and Services: You will continue to have access to GHC’s existing programs designed to support chronic disease management. These programs offer additional resources and specialized care that complement the services provided at the clinic.
- Medication Management: While managing medications, we coordinate closely with pharmacists to ensure continuity and accuracy in medication regimens.
Operational Questions:
Unfortunately, the derostering process through the Ministry of Health typically takes some time. If you encounter this issue, please continue to monitor your status and try re-registering with Healthcare Connect after a few weeks. Alternatively, you can also visit or call Service Ontario, and they can update the information for you.
In the meantime, you can still access care through the GHC Access Care Clinic.
Yes, you will have read-only access to MyChart, which allows you to view your health information and medical history securely.
Additionally, your medical record will remain available to you for 10 years following your de-roster. There is no immediate need to request a copy of your medical records during this period. We ensure that you can continue to access your health information conveniently as you transition to a new primary care provider.
The GHC Access Care Clinic is designed as a temporary solution with the intent to remain in place until patients are re-rostered with a primary care provider at GHC or elsewhere.
This clinic serves as a bridge to ensure that our de-rostered patients continue to receive necessary healthcare services during this transitional period. Our goal at GHC is to ensure that each patient finds a stable medical home where they can receive ongoing, comprehensive primary care.
Efforts to recruit and retain primary care providers are ongoing, and we are committed to minimizing the duration of any disruptions in care for our patients.
Our aim is to ensure that all de-rostered patients receive timely and appropriate care while efforts are made to re-roster them with a permanent primary care provider.
We are committed to doing everything we can with the funding and resources available to create strategies to meet the healthcare needs of our patients as effectively as possible during this period.
Yes, because you are not “attached” to a permanent primary care provider, you are still “de-rostered.
Yes, Healthcare Connect helps connect patients without a primary care provider to doctors and nurse practitioners in their community.
Although GHC is actively trying to recruit new physicians and nurse practitioners, new providers may also join the community in private practice or through another Family Health Team or Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic. Enrolling in Healthcare Connect maximizes your chances of finding a permanent primary care provider, ensuring continuity of care beyond the services offered at the clinic.
Yes, please notify the clinic if you secure a new permanent primary care provider.
Yes, our intention is to transition patients back to a primary care provider.
Patients are randomly selected from the Access Care Clinic’s patient population.
- GHC continues to work with the Physician Recruitment Committee along with Algoma District Medical Group, City of Sault Ste. Marie, and Sault Area Hospital to recruit new physicians to our community.
- In addition, GHC will be launching a new “Grow Your Own Nurse Practitioner” Program. This is an important component of the clinic funding to ensure a sustainable solution to the primary care provider shortage.
Access Care Clinic Location
170 East Steet, 3rd Flor
Sault Ste. Marie, ON.
P6A 3C6
T: 705-908-3875
F: 705-575-8360
Hours of Operation:
Monday – Friday: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Saturday, Sunday, Holidays: Closed
