Welcome to Community of Care

Welcome to Community of Care, a one-stop site where family physicians can look up specialist information, discuss primary care integration and find useful tips on how to access Sunnybrook services.

This site - and the database of specialists - was created for family doctors in the Sunnybrook community who told us, as part of our engagement efforts, they wanted to search specialists by name and clinical focus to better navigate care for their patients. In this database, there are more than 300 specialists commonly sought for referrals by community family physicians.

We also wanted to improve access. To that end, we now have a new cardiac surgery hotline, available 24/7 for use by family doctors and cardiologists. As well, a maternal fetal medicine specialist will provide telephone advice from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday to obstetricians and family doctors whose patients may be experiencing a complicated or high-risk pregnancy.

In addition, doctors can learn from and with each other through our monthly rounds  - we provide 1.5 hours of free parking. We also encourage you to comment on our trending health care topics, where you can weigh in on trending issues.

This is only one part of our integration efforts. In December, we were identified by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care as a Health Link as one of 19 early adopters in the province. Our working name currently reflects our geographic location - North Toronto East.

With that designation, we will now start the transformative process aimed at helping care for all patients, but particularly those regular users of the health care system: the top 5 per cent of Ontario's population who consume two-thirds of the health care budget.

As community family physicians, let us know what you think. You will help set the editorial calendar for the site as we work together to improve access and provide the best care.