TORONTO - Ontario is announcing a program aimed easing the pressure on hospital emergency rooms by linking patients with family doctors and clinics close to home.
Emergency departments see more than five million patients every year, and about half of those visits are for non-urgent conditions.
Health Minister David Caplan says the new service will help people get the care faster and closer to home.
Health Care Connect is a hotline - 1-800-445-1822 - staffed by nurses that residents can call to help find a family health-care provider.
The province has also compiled health information on www.ontario.ca/healthcareoptions, a website that contains details about health-care facilities.
The site allows residents to type in a postal code and find the nearest walk-in and after-hours clinics, urgent care centres, family health teams, general practitioners and emergency rooms.
The government is also pledging to expand the site to offer information on all front-line health services in Ontario, including community care centres, laboratories and long-term care homes.
