Need a Nurse Practitioner or Family Physician? Get Connected! The North East Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) recommends that orphaned-patients looking for a primary care provider should contact Health Care Connect. To register with the program, people can call 1-800-445-1822 (they’ll need a pen and paper and their OHIP card) or register online at www.ontario.ca/healthcareconnect. Once registered with Health Care Connect, Northerners then talk to a Care Connector, nurses employed by the North East Community Care Access Centre (NE CCAC), who work to refer them to a family health care provider as soon as one becomes available. Patients are put into two main categories — the complex-vulnerable and regular. Complex-vulnerable patients include children, pregnant women and those with complex and/or chronic medical conditions. Although priority is given to those in the first category, Care Connectors work with physicians to ensure that they have a balanced practice. Those who have registered but whose medical condition has changed are urged to update their status with Health Care Connect, as it might mean a shorter wait time. Primary care options in Northeastern Ontario include: 538 family physicians 27 Family Health Teams 6 Community Health Centres 6 Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics 1 Group Health Centre 16 Nursing Stations 3 Aboriginal Health Access Centres For information on where to find these health care providers, call 1-866-330-6206 or visit www.ontario.ca/healthcareoptions. (“Orphaned patients” is a term that refers to patients who have no primary care provider.) Please click here to read the full news release from the North East LHIN.