COVID-19 Vaccine Approved for Children under 5 years old

We’re excited to share an update regarding the approval of the first COVID-19 vaccine for children between 6 months and 5 years of age! Health Canada has approved a paediatric version of the Moderna vaccine. This version of the vaccine will be administered in doses one-quarter the size of that approved for adults.

At the time of writing this blog post, Magenta Health does not have immediate plans to offer the COVID-19 vaccine to patients of any age directly at our clinics. Currently, there are public vaccination sites throughout the city that are offering COVID-19 vaccines to eligible individuals.

Starting July 28, appointments will be available through the COVID-19 vaccination portal and the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre, directly through public health units using their own booking system, participating primary care providers and paediatricians, as well as at participating pharmacies and Indigenous-led vaccination clinics.

Parents and caregivers with questions are encouraged to speak with their health care provider or call the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900 to speak to a health specialist or visit COVID-19 Vaccine Consult Service to book a confidential phone appointment with a SickKids Registered Nurse.

For more resources on how to book your child’s COVID-19 vaccine, general COVID-19 information, and common FAQs about the COVID-19 vaccines, please visit the following page: https://www.magentahealth.ca/covid-vaccine-rollout

Important Notice for Patients of Dr. Anna Piekos

The following message was circulated electronically on June 17, 2022:

I am writing this letter to share some bittersweet news.

My family and I have decided to leave Toronto and relocate to Collingwood. Sadly, this means that I will be stepping away permanently from my family practice at Magenta Health this summer. Although this is the right decision for my family, it was a difficult decision to make. It has been my pleasure and privilege to take care of my patients and their families for the past 8 years.

Since making this decision, I have been actively searching to find the right physician to take over my practice and to help ensure the continuity of your care. 

I am pleased to be able to announce the following arrangements:

  1. From July 4 to September 2, 2022, Dr. Sandra Trat will temporarily cover my practice. Some of you have likely had the pleasure of meeting her as she has been helping to cover the leave of several of my colleagues since Fall 2021.

  2. Starting September 6, 2022, Dr. Tim Ramharry will permanently replace me and take over my practice.

I am very pleased to have found Dr. Ramharry to replace me as your family physician and have  confidence that he will provide you with excellent care!

A brief biography of Dr. Ramharry will be posted within the next few weeks. He is looking forward to meeting you!

There is nothing that you will need to do differently due to these changes. Just continue to book as you normally would; contact the clinic and your family doctor as you always have.

I wish you good health and all the best. 

Kind regards,

Dr. Anna Piekos

*** Additional information from Magenta Health ***

  1. We are cognizant that some current patients of Dr. Piekos transferred to her due to the departure of other Magenta Health physicians. The pandemic has given rise to more changes in life situations among physicians, just like in the rest of the community. We’re doing our best to offer a replacement physician where possible - we are grateful that Dr. Ramharry was available to take over permanently to ensure continuing care.

  2. We don’t anticipate being able to accommodate requests for a family doctor other than Dr. Ramharry, inclusive of requests for a female physician. There is already a significant shortage of family physicians in the community and a very long waiting list of patients attempting to book intake appointments with us. 

  3. Dr. Trat is not a permanent Magenta Health physician. She is not scheduled to remain at the clinic past September 2, 2022, and so it will not be an option to continue to see Dr. Trat after that date.

  4. Dr. Piekos will not be opening a new practice right away so it is not currently a possibility to sign up with her in Collingwood. CPSO information is kept up to date regarding all registered physicians. Please refer to the CPSO website directly if you have any questions about Dr. Piekos’ future whereabouts.

  5. Should you decide to transfer to a completely different physician outside of Magenta Health, please request your medical records by contacting us directly: https://www.magentahealth.ca/request-for-medical-records 

Courtesy in Communication

At Magenta Health, courtesy and kindness guide our staff in relationships with patients, as well as their fellow colleagues.

Our team of staff are made up of individuals in the community who are patients themselves, and understand the challenges of navigating a strained healthcare system. We are your neighbours, your friends, and family members. 

As individuals, we care deeply about being kind, and we work hard to make things a bit easier during these difficult times. As an organization, we strive to show respect and professionalism in all interactions.

Our request for you is simple. Please be kind. 

Several members of the Magenta Health team

You might be frustrated; you might not be getting what you need; a mistake might have been made.  Despite the circumstances, we ask that you remember that the person you’re speaking to, whether in person, by phone, in writing, or by voicemail, is a person. A person who is trying to help you and deserves your kindness.  

It only takes a single rude or aggressive interaction to ruin someone’s day. You wouldn’t want this in your own life. Please don’t be that person for someone else - be the person that makes someone else’s day better.

CLOSING THE LOOP ON MEDICAL RESULTS

We’re excited to share that we’re beta-testing a new tool (built in-house!) to track and audit the receipt of medical results and to “close the loop” with patients. Imagine the tracking codes you get when you order online, but for medical information!

During this beta-test, Dr. Marco Lo and Dr. Priscilla Che are only tracking certain samples collected in-clinic. These patients are then sent a special link containing a tracking code so that they can check on the status of the sample, such as whether results have been received or reviewed.

The plan is to expand this over time to more physicians, more patients, and eventually, every piece of medical information that we expect to receive, whether it’s for medical tests, requests for old medical records, or even reports from specialists.

Doctor's note attesting to COVID-19 Recovery

We are receiving requests from patients asking for a doctor’s note attesting that they’ve had, and have recovered from COVID. This is typically related to travel, daycare, school, or work.

To obtain such notes, please schedule an appointment with your Magenta Health physician after reviewing the following caveats and context:

  • An appointment is required to allow for direct assessment and to review the circumstances with you

  • Providing a doctor’s note is not an OHIP covered service and will typically result in an invoice from your physician

  • Your physician cannot guarantee the sufficiency of their note for the intended purpose. This is particularly the case when it comes to travel. Your physician will not be able to advise on the requirements of different jurisdictions - this will need to be something that you assess and evaluate yourself.

  • Notes will be factual in nature such as “the patient reported to me a positive test on a self-administrated rapid antigen test”.

Important Notice for Patients of Dr. Andrew Chou

The following message was circulated electronically January 26, 2022:

I hope you have had a wonderful holiday and a Happy New Year!

As you know, I have been on leave from my practice at Magenta Health since September 2021. Dr. Sandra Trat has been covering my practice.

Recently, after much thought, I have made the difficult decision to permanently step away from my family practice at Magenta Health.

To help ensure you continue to have a family doctor, I have made the following arrangements:

  • Between now and April 15, 2022, Dr. Sandra Trat will continue to cover my practice.

  • Starting April 16, 2022, Dr. Heba Shamsi will permanently replace me and take over my practice.


Some of you may have already had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Shamsi; she is currently covering a colleague of mine at Magenta Health and I’ve found her wonderful and caring. I am confident that you will be in excellent hands with her. She is looking forward to meeting you! Her brief biography is available here: https://www.magentahealth.ca/shamsi

There is nothing that you will need to do differently due to these changes. Just continue to book as you normally would; contact the clinic and your family doctor as you always have.

It has been a privilege and honour to take part in your care. I wish you good health and all the best.


Warm regards,

Dr. Andrew Chou

*** Additional information from Magenta Health ***

  1. We don’t anticipate being able to accommodate requests for a family doctor other than Dr. Shamsi, inclusive of requests for a male physician. There is already a significant shortage of family physicians in the community and a very long waiting list of patients attempting to book intake appointments with us. We are grateful that Dr. Shamsi was available to take over permanently to ensure continuing care.

  2. Dr. Trat is not a permanent Magenta Health physician. She is not scheduled to remain at the clinic past April 15, 2022 and so it will not be an option to continue to see Dr. Trat after that date.

  3. CPSO information is kept up to date regarding all registered physicians. Please refer to the CPSO website directly if you have any questions about Dr. Chou’s current or future whereabouts.

  4. You might notice invoices for non-OHIP covered services coming from Dr. Shamsi instead of Dr. Chou as of January 1, 2022. For regulatory reasons, you are officially Dr. Shamsi’s patient as of January 1, 2022 although the practical transition won’t be complete until April 16, 2022 as described above.

  5. Should you decide to transfer to a completely different physician outside of Magenta Health, please request your medical records by contacting us directly: https://www.magentahealth.ca/request-for-medical-records

Deferring Non-Urgent Appointments to Prioritize Vaccinations

The following message was added to our online scheduling system December 16, 2021

You are seeing this message because this type of appointment is not currently available for booking.

The reason is because family doctors have been asked to assist with an urgent effort to vaccinate Ontario residents. Magenta Health physicians will be working at community vaccination clinics to participate in these efforts.

This assistance includes deferring non-urgent services such as adult health exams, pap tests, and well child visits for children aged 2+.

Thank you for your understanding and patience; if you are eligible, we highly recommend you receive your vaccinations, including booster shots, as soon as possible.

More information is available here:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/covid-19-ontario-dec-15-2021-booster-announcement-1.6286537

https://www.magentahealth.ca/covid-vaccine-rollout

Important Notice for Patients of Dr. Eugenie Phan

The following message was circulated electronically in early November 2021 by Dr. Eugenie Phan to her active patients:

I have made the difficult decision of closing my family practice in order to focus on my other practice of providing care for homebound seniors through House Calls.  My last day providing care at Magenta Health will be on Friday, December 3rd, 2021.

Your care will be seamlessly transferred to Dr. Jennifer Peng, who has graciously accepted the commitment of taking over your care on Monday December 6th, 2021.  You will use the same booking process and pages to book your appointments with Dr. Peng. Although the news may seem to be sudden, this difficult decision was made some time ago, and we have been actively seeking to find the right physician to whom I would be confident in providing the expertise and level of care that I wish for you.I know you will all be in excellent hands with Dr. Peng.

Dr. Jennifer Peng is a practicing family doctor in the community and will be relocating her current practice to Magenta Health. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto Family Medicine Program and completed her residency training at Mount Sinai Hospital. She has an interest in preventative health and patient education.

It has been an absolute honor to be able to take part in your care. Family practice is about relationship building, and through this relationship with you, I have learned to be a better doctor. I am truly sad to leave, but the challenges of this year have made me realize the need to prioritize my time in an area of care that is under-serviced. I know that the pandemic has been tough for many of you, so please do continue to take care of yourself. Thank you for trusting me with your health.

In Kindness,

Dr. Eugenie Phan


Magenta Health is seeking Registered Practical Nurses

Magenta Health is growing again!

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We are looking for a nimble, personable full-time or part-time RPN interested in providing quality patient care to join our amazing team!

Responsibilities will include both nursing-specific and non-medical tasks, though nursing tasks remain the priority for this role.

Some examples of various nursing and non-medical tasks are:

  • administering injections (immunizations, medications, TB testing, etc.),

  • gathering vitals (from newborns to adults),

  • dressing changes, suture/staple removals, ear flushing

  • communicating results to patients and answering medical questions,

  • assisting with minor procedures,

  • managing clinic flow with nursing team members,

  • medical and non-medical supply restocking, inventory management and ordering,

  • communicating with other clinics,

  • other nursing/non-medical administrative tasks as needed.

We firmly believe in using technology and written electronic communication to enhance patient care, reduce potential errors and streamline the operation of our clinic. We require computer and technology proficiency and highly value excellent writing skills.

As this role involves a lot of interaction with patients and families, a good bedside manner is critical. Though not required, experience in primary care or in fast-paced multi-case environments like an Emergency Department will be highly valued.

The shifts that need to be filled are generally between Monday and Saturday with variable 8-9 hour shifts between 8:30 AM and 4:30 PM. These shifts will be at one of our current 3 clinics (Riverside, Beaches, Midtown). We will work to accommodate individual preferences of where / when to work as much as possible.

The pay will start at $20/hr. Medical and dental benefits start after the 4 month probationary period.

To apply, please fill out the application form and email us your resume in PDF format (no cover letters please!) at the following URL: https://www.magentahealth.ca/application

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

COVID-19 considerations:
Staff & patient safety is important! Clinic staff use full PPE of Level 3 medical-grade face masks, face shields, gowns & gloves. Non-toxic, hospital grade disinfectant used throughout. We have many hand sanitizer/hand washing stations in clinic.

why it’s hard to book an intake appointment

Update 2022-07-15: This post has been revised to reflect the most recent information as of July 2022.

We would like to provide all prospective patients with an update regarding our registration process as it stands today.

We have been pushing forward with our updated registration process, which you can read more about in our original blog post on the topic here. This effort has allowed us to provide as much access as possible to individuals seeking a new primary care physician during these difficult times.

Recently, our availability to accept new patients has become more limited, and we would like to help manage expectations of those who have been patiently waiting. We have outlined several factors below to provide a bit more context.

Volume of Patients Registering

On a monthly basis, anywhere from 300 to over 500 new patient intake appointments are conducted each month with Magenta Health physicians.  Most of these appointments are for families, and so that adds up to potentially 1000 new patients a month.

Unfortunately, upwards of 2000 individuals register each month, meaning there will mathematically not be enough available appointments to accommodate everyone who has registered.

Why do so many individuals register each month?  There’s a multitude of reasons, two key reasons being a provincial-wide shortage of family doctors and the pandemic resulting in people moving more. Our clinics are also generally located in rapidly growing communities.

Prioritization of Patients Whose Physicians Have Recently Departed

Over the past several months, there have been two more Magenta Health physicians that have transitioned away from their practices with our clinic. You can read more about these most recent transitions here and here.

Due to these departures, we have needed to attempt to redistribute another group of approximately 1000 existing patients, which subsequently affects our ability to accept new patients.

New Physicians Joining the Team

Given the continuing demand for care, we are continuing to bring new physicians on board. This summer Dr. Kaitlin Pattrick joined our Beach location. Moving into the fall, we have two more physicians who will be joining Magenta Health.

More physicians will continue to join us in the coming months, although the honest expectation is that our capacity to take on new patients will never fully meet community demand.

What do I do if I don’t see any availability for X days?

For those patients who cannot find intake availability with their assigned physician at their preferred clinic location, we can offer 2 options:

  • Option 1: continue to check back periodically, as cancelled appointments are made available immediately. Additionally, new appointments are released on the 15th of each month, generally at the beginning of the day.

  • Option 2: check other physician availability at your preferred clinic or another clinic location with the understanding that it is not an option to switch physicians or clinics after your initial intake appointment. If you are interested in checking the other clinics, the link to the other clinic intake appointment booking pages is included under Section #8 on the booking page titled “Limited Availability”.

That being said, unfortunately, even with these options, there still may not be enough availability to accommodate all individuals looking to schedule an appointment. In particular, our capacity to accept new patients depends on the individual’s preferred location, preferred physician, and the volume of individuals attempting to book an intake appointment within said preferences.

Unfortunately, we cannot give a definitive timeframe for when you will be able to book an intake appointment. You might be able to book one within a few weeks but it also may take several months. It is dependent on all of the factors that we indicated above.

We sympathize with any frustration that those of you who have been waiting several months may be feeling; we’re doing our best in difficult circumstances to provide as much access to care to as many people as possible.

Important Notice for Patients of Dr. Kaustubh Bal

The following message was circulated electronically November 1, 2021:

We regret to advise that your current family physician, Dr. Kaustubh Bal, will be taking an indefinite leave of absence from family medicine for personal reasons. Accordingly, unless you take one of the further actions outlined in the document below:

  • Between today and December 31, 2021, Dr. Bal will continue to be your family physician and will be available as required.

  • As of December 31, 2021, Dr. Bal will not be your family physician, your file with Magenta Health will be closed, and you will not be able to access care from any other Magenta Health physician

Please read on for your options if you wish to transfer to another Magenta Health family physician. All four of the below options can be accessed at the following link 8PM November 5, 2021: https://magentahealth.ca/dr-bal-departure  We are sending this information out in advance to give everyone a fair opportunity to choose from the below options when the time comes.

  • Your first option is to transfer to Dr. Marco Lo as of December 1, 2021. He sees patients out of 625 Queen St. E., the same location as Dr. Bal. He is not requiring that transferred patients have an intake with him. Instead, the first 50 individuals who sign up with Dr. Lo will be automatically transferred over December 1, 2021 without any further action.

  • Your second option is to transfer to Dr. Meera Nathwani as of December 1, 2021. She sees patients out of 1874 Queen St. E., a different location from Dr. Bal. She is not requiring that transferred patients have an intake with her. Instead, the first 50 individuals who sign up with Dr. Nathwani will be automatically transferred over without any further action.

  • Your third option is to transfer to Dr. Anne Mullen Grey as of December 1, 2021. She sees patients out of 1874 Queen St. E., a different location from Dr. Bal. She is not requiring that transferred patients have an intake with her. Instead, the first 30 individuals who sign up with Dr. Mullen Grey will be automatically transferred over without any further action.

  • Your final option is to transfer to any other Magenta Health physician, at any clinic location, that is accepting patients in the ordinary course, but an intake appointment will be required before you are officially transferred. The transparent and truthful advice is that there will not be sufficient intake availability with physicians accepting patients at Riverside - 625 Queen St. E. - to absorb all of Dr. Bal’s existing patients by December 31, 2021.

If you’re not able to have an intake by December 31, 2021, regardless of the reason, unfortunately Dr. Bal will not be your family physician, your file with Magenta Health will be closed, and you will not be able to access care from any other Magenta Health physician. To be clear, you will still be able to have an intake on or after January 1, 2022, and again becoming a patient of a Magenta Health physician.

If you are unable to have an intake due to a lack of physician availability, we sincerely apologize in advance. The clinic has tried, unsuccessfully, for some time to find a solution that ensures no lapse in care for any individual. Unfortunately, no direct replacement for Dr. Bal could be recruited, and the existing Magenta Health physician team does not have the capacity to absorb all existing patients overnight.

Dr. Bal wishes to express his honour to have had the chance to care for those currently in his practice; he looks forward to continuing for the next few months, until December 31, 2021.

We will update this page (https://www.magentahealth.ca/blog/2021/11/1/important-notice-for-patients-of-dr-kaustubh-bal) with more information and answers to frequently asked questions as they arise.

Sincerely,
Magenta Health & Dr. Kaustubh Bal

We are reopening our clinics to offer more in-person appointments!

As you may have already seen, we are shifting away from a #VirtualFirst approach and reopening all of our clinics to allow more access for patients to book virtual AND in-person appointments themselves.

We have made some adjustments in order to keep our clinic capacity at a safe number that still allows for physical distancing where possible. We will continue to maintain safety protocols including regular disinfection of all of our clinics. Please also continue to wear a mask when attending any in-person appointment at our clinics. We are working to balance the need for in-person medical care with the need to keep everyone safe as part of our new normal.

We have answered some common questions and outlined some of the changes we are implementing below. We ask that you review the below carefully before booking or emailing in to ask questions about our reopening plans.

Will I be able to use the online booking pages to book in-person appointments?

In general, yes, but there are some physician specific nuances. Please refer to your own physician’s booking page for more information on booking appointments.

Are you still screening patients for Covid-19 symptoms?

Yes, we will still be screening all patients when they arrive at a clinic for in-person appointments.

If you answer yes to any of our screening questions AND your appointment can be postponed (as explained here), you may be asked to leave and reschedule your appointment.

We are also asking that all patients self-screen prior to their in-person appointments.

Can I be seen for an in-person appointment if I have symptoms of Covid-19?

For infection control purposes, patients who screen positive on our Covid-19 self-screening questionnaire should avoid visiting the clinic in person until infection symptoms have resolved. Patients who have screened positive can book virtual appointments as usual, but in-person appointments are available only under exceptional circumstances.

How do/Can I schedule X type of appointment?

Please refer to your own physician’s booking page for specifics on how to schedule each type of appointment. We have taken great care to include instructions for broad types of appointments.

If you do not see your concern listed, it can likely be booked as an “any other reason” appointment.

Can more than one caregiver attend appointments?

As mentioned above, we will be running all of our clinics at a reduced capacity.

In light of this, we continue to ask that patients limit the number of accompanying caregivers to one person. Please be sure to self-screen both individuals who will be attending the appointment for Covid-19 (there will be a link in the appointment confirmation email to do so).

In-person urgent care clinics are returning!

Our in-person urgent care clinics are returning! The clinics will now be rotating through all 3 locations (Riverside, Midtown and Beaches) so please keep this in mind when booking and double check your appointment location before coming to the clinic.

They will be offered by APPOINTMENT ONLY (no walk-ins), in the evenings Monday through Thursday and Saturday mornings.

Will my physician be penalized if I use a walk-in clinic (virtual or in-person)?

Yes, the government has resumed penalizing physicians when their patients seek health care outside of Magenta Health. For example, visits to walk-in clinics (in-person and virtual), or seeing another family physician.

We understand, of course, that there are sometimes exceptional circumstances where you will need to visit a walk-in clinic for an urgent concern but please consider this a gentle reminder that, in general, we ask patients to not use walk-in clinics (virtual or in-person). In fact, we offer urgent care appointment options within the clinic for all patients so they don’t have to go elsewhere. 

Please note this does not apply to seeing a specialist or accessing the emergency department virtually or in-person.

My doctor asked me to come for an in person appointment. Why can’t we do this over phone or video instead?

Please see this page.

I have moved out of Toronto. Can I keep seeing my Magenta Health physician?

Please see this page.

What will happen if Ontario (and/or Toronto) goes back into a lockdown?

We will continue to monitor the situation with Covid-19 and will make any necessary adjustments to scheduling and our clinic practices to ensure the safety of patients, staff and the community. 

We will inform all patients should there be any changes.

If you have questions after reading through this blog post, please feel free to contact us.

Wrapping up #VirtualFirst

Update 2021-09-14: Appointments past September 13th are now available.

A long 18 months ago, we were one of the first clinics in the country to go #VirtualFirst. We like to think we even helped coin the term!

Through the sacrifices of many, the hard work and compromises of everyone, and the innovation of vaccine developers, we think we’re coming through to the other side. There will still be challenges, particularly due to emerging variants of concern and the fact the entire population isn’t yet eligible to be vaccinated, but, we’re getting there.

We’re currently working to wrap up #VirtualFirst by the middle of September, at which time we are aiming to allow more access for patients to book their own virtual OR in-clinic appointment. To get there, we’re developing new screening protocols, updating cleaning and disinfection protocols, ordering in more equipment and supplies, and completely revamping our scheduling. Since we used physical equipment from the clinics to enable our staff to work remotely, we're also busy re-outfitting our tech.

We extend our thanks to our patients, our staff, our physicians, and the community for their cooperation and efforts. We ask that you please be patient with us for the next few weeks as we sort things out. We’ll be sending an email blast out and updating our website as soon as everything is prepared for you; in the meantime, please know that appointments past September 13th cannot be booked yet!

We look forward to seeing many of you in person again.

Seeking a female physician?

As we receive many questions from potential new patients asking to be assigned to a female physician or whether they can see a female physician more generally, this blog post is designed to help answer the most frequently asked questions.

Kindly review, and should there be further questions, feel free to get in touch!

I’m female. Why did I get assigned to a male physician?

For reasons discussed here, we do not assign new patients to physicians based on their age, ethnicity or gender.

However, as individuals may have reasonable particular preferences related to religious, cultural or other personal reasons, we offer the opportunity to choose a different physician upfront. We further discuss in detail the reasons here, here and here.

How do I get reassigned to a female doctor?

Everyone who registers and is successfully processed will have been sent a link to book with a particular physician.

On that page, there should be a paragraph (see screenshot) explaining how to switch to a different physician. Just a reminder, you need to switch before booking an appointment.

Please note that we do not maintain any physician waitlists.

Annotation 2020-09-10 160831.png

There are female physicians at my preferred clinic location but there are no available appointments. What can I do?

If you cannot find a suitable appointment for yourself, we ask that you check back later. You are most likely to find a suitable appointment time on the 15th of every month. This is when new appointments are generally released. Cancelled appointments also become bookable by others immediately.

Our staff do not have the ability to book appointments outside the listed availability, nor do we maintain a waiting list or last minute cancellation list.

Please visit this link if you would like to check the availability of other physicians accepting patients at other Magenta Health locations.

Please note that we do not maintain any physician waitlists.

There are no female physicians at my preferred clinic location. What can I do?

Option #1 - Book with a female physician at a different clinic location than your original preferred location with the understanding that it is generally not an option to switch physicians or clinics once the intake appointment is completed.

Please visit this link if you would like to check the availability of other physicians accepting patients at other Magenta Health locations.

Option #2 - Periodically check back at your preferred clinic location. If there is a female physician accepting new patients, their name and availability will automatically show up. To access a list of all available physicians, including female physicians, at your preferred clinic location, see the section on the booking page labelled “Switching Physicians”.

Please note that we do not maintain any physician waitlists.

Can I start seeing a male physician and then switch to a female physician when one becomes available?

It is not an option to switch physicians or clinics after your initial intake appointment. We discuss in detail the reasons here and here.

Can I see a female physician at a different Magenta Health location then switch to my preferred location when a female physician becomes available at my preferred location?

It is not an option to switch clinics after your initial intake appointment absent specific circumstances. We discuss in detail the reasons here.

I was referred to this specific female physician by Health Care Connect (HCC). How can I book with them?

HCC is a government organisation that helps Ontarians find family doctors. Being referred by HCC does not automatically mean that you are a patient of the suggested doctor. Individuals still have to register via our website and the suggested physician may not be available when the registration is processed.

I was referred to this specific female physician by a friend/family member but I don't see the physician on the available list. How can I book with them?

The appointment booking pages accessible here list all physicians who are actively accepting patients.

Our other physicians may sometimes agree to accept specific individuals, for example, family members of existing patients.

If you already have a physician's express agreement to take you on as a patient, please email us and we will look into it and get back to you directly.

Disinfectants and clothing

The pandemic is affecting all aspects of healthcare, not the least of which is the increased disinfection of facilities and equipment.

At Magenta Health, we use Health Canada approved hospital grade, non-toxic disinfectants to disinfect exam rooms and equipment after each patient visit.

We’ve been asked sporadically if our disinfectant can cause stains on clothing. The answer is: we’re not really sure – maybe with certain fabrics and in certain situations?

We’ve done some testing ourselves and were not able reproduce the staining. We’ve checked the manufacturer label and with our supplier to confirm that the disinfectants are generally fabric and colour safe. That being said, with all the different types of fabrics out there and the increased use of disinfectants at the clinic, it is possible that certain fabrics might be affected in certain instances.

Just be aware when you attend an in-person appointment that there may be a slight chance of your clothing possibly being affected in some way so you may wish to not wear your top-end designer bottoms!

Download the COVID Alert mobile app to protect yourself and your community

We highly recommend everyone download and install the COVID Alert mobile app.

The new app, called COVID Alert, will warn users if they have been near someone who has tested positive - https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/covid-pandemic-app-ontario-1.5670239

Since we can’t all be experts in privacy and technology, we thought it helpful to note that Professor Michael Geist has publicly advised he has also installed this app. As one of the strongest and most well known Canadian advocates and scholars on privacy and technology law, if it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for us!

Please continue to do your part in keeping yourself, your friends and family, and your community safe.

An inside look at Magenta Health in-person clinic during COVID-19 pandemic.

Wow, it’s been 8 weeks since we launched our #VirtualFirst approach mid-March!

As part of this approach, patients are generally seen via phone or video with a small number being assessed in person as needed.

Surveys are indicating that many people are worried about getting infected when visiting a clinic in person; here’s an inside look at how we’re working to keep everyone safe.

* - many thanks to the parents of this cutie for consenting to sharing this photo!

* - many thanks to the parents of this cutie for consenting to sharing this photo!

As you can see from the photo, physicians don full PPE (personal protective equipment) to physically examine patients of all ages.

Other precautionary measures include but are not limited to:

  • spacing appointments sufficiently apart to support physical distancing of patients,

  • limiting the accompanying adult to one parent,

  • pre-screening patients for symptoms prior to assigning appointment times,

  • minimizing staff and patient interactions,

  • disinfecting exam rooms after each patient encounter,

  • regular disinfection of high-contact surfaces,

  • providing masks to patients as needed.

Recently, we even made our COVID-19 pandemic processes available to other primary care clinics and physicians in an effort to promote collaboration and discussion between primary care providers.