ALBANY BOOKING INFORMATION – DURING COVID19

The flu vaccine is now available.

 Albany Clinic Patients Only  

Book Online or Call   

Pre Booked Appointments only

No Walk-Ins will be able to be seen  

 

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HIGH DOSE FLU VACCINE IN SHORT SUPPLY AS OF OCT 22ND ALL PATIENTS 6 MONTHS AND UP WILL RECEIVE THE  REGULAR FLU VACCINE  AS PER PUBLIC HEALTH & NACI RECOMMENDATION

The Albany Medical Clinic – Flu Clinic will only be operating until Friday, Nov 5, 2021.  After November 5, 2021, please get your flu vaccine at your local pharmacy or nearest Public health Clinic (eg. Thorncliffe Park – 45 Overlea Blvd)

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Adults 65+ – Influenza can make older adults very sick. Two vaccines are approved just for seniors to give better protection against the flu. A high-dose flu vaccine (Fluzone® QIV-HD) is the preferred choice for adults 65 years and older. If this vaccine is not available, then Fluad® is recommended. This vaccine is an adjuvanted vaccine. An adjuvant is a substance added to a vaccine that helps to boost your immune response to give stronger protection. If neither of these vaccines are available, do not delay in getting vaccinated. All flu vaccines provide good protection.  (Source:  Toronto Public Health)

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Flu vaccines will be administered by appointment only at each of the City’s five mass immunization clinics. On October 27, 2021, Toronto residents will be able to start booking their appointment at https://www.tphbookings.ca.

For more information from Toronto Public Health: https://www.toronto.ca/311/knowledgebase/kb/docs/articles/public-health/communicable-disease-control/vaccine-preventable-disease/flu-shot-clinics-seasonal-flu-when-and-where-to-get-your-flu-shot.html

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************AMC Re-opening Plan – Phase 1 – effective July 23, 2021

Now that Ontario has moved in Step 3 of it’s re-opening plan on July 16, 2021, we will be implementing some changes that reflect the changing situation with COVID-19.

Starting July 23, 2021, our lobby screening booth has been removed – but our COVID-19 screening signage remains.  If you are coming in for an in-person visit, please make sure that you do not have any COVID-19 symptoms and take a moment to read the screening signs before you enter the elevator.  For physician appointments, you will already have had COVID-19 screening on the phone when your appointment was being confirmed but if you are feeling unwell on the day of your in-person visit – don’t come in; call to switch your appointment to a telephone visit.

We continue to have decals on the floor of the lobby to limit the number of patients in the lobby at any time.  If you arrive and all the decals are filled, please wait to enter until there is availability.

We continue to limit our elevators to 4 patients at any time.

We continue to limit the number of patients in the building at any time by continuing to limit the number of chairs in our waiting rooms.

Our family physicians will be slowly increasing the number of patients being seen in person – with focus on preventive care and chronic disease management (diabetes, hypertension etc) but we are still limited to how many patients we can see based on current physical distancing requirements.  Please be patient as we carefully re-open and increase our patient visits.

Our Walk-in Clinic continues to be telephone visits first – if our physician thinks you need to be seen – you will be asked to come in.  We are not accepting drop-ins or patients presenting at the Walk-in Clinic without a telephone visit first.  Again, we are currently limited to 5 chairs in the waiting area in our Walk-in Clinic due to physical distancing requirements.  If your issue requires an in-person visit, a physician will see you.

Finally, as a Clinic, we strongly recommend and encourage that all eligible patients get the COVID-19 vaccine.  Continued re-opening and returning to a more normal operation depends on vaccination and continued compliance with public health initiatives.  Stay safe and please get vaccinated!

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COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout in Ontario

If you have specific questions about getting vaccinated, please make an appointment to discuss with your family doctor directly.

Find out more information on the COVID-19 vaccine by clicking this link: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/covid-19-vaccines-ontario

Here are the ways that you can get a COVID-19 vaccination:

  • Website – Online Booking – Province of Ontario – Click on this link to use the Province’s booking system:  https://covid-19.ontario.ca/book-vaccine/
  • Pop-up mobile clinics – In hotspot postal codes, community leaders are organizing pop-up clinics.  Check social media and flyers posted in your community for details.

NOTE: At this time, the Albany Medical Clinic is NOT planning any additional vaccination clinics nor give the COVID-19 vaccine on site.  Rexall Pharmacy, on the ground floor of our building, is administering the COVID-19 vaccine (Moderna). Please contact Rexall directly to make an appointment.

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(Update Nov 30, 2020)

VIRTUAL VISITS FIRST (telephone/video)

ONLINE 24/7 BOOKING!

click ‘BOOK ONLINE’ in the top right of this page or

just scan the QR code below with your camera phone

If you have a fever, onset of cough or shortness of breath, STAY HOME and book a VIRTUAL visit.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, our doctors in family practice (including the Walk-in Clinic) are booking VIRTUAL visits first.  Please do NOT come to the Clinic until you have had a VIRTUAL visit with one of our doctors.  If the doctor feels that a face to face visit is required, you will be asked to come into the Clinic.  If you are coming into the Clinic, please wear a mask.   

NOTE:  Your VIRTUAL visit will either be a telephone call or a video visit.

NOTE:  Doctor telephone calls to you may show on your phone as ‘Blocked Caller’ or ‘No Caller Id’.  Please ensure your device is set to allow calls of this nature and that you still pick up.

NOTE:  Please be advised Opioids/Narcotics will not be prescribed or renewed in the Walk-In Clinic.  Please see your family physician for controlled substance prescriptions.

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Patient Appointment Reminders by Email! (Update:  August 13, 2021)

We are sending out email appointment reminders to patients with booked appointments with our Nursing Station, and we’ve just added Family doctor appointments.

We will be rolling out appointment reminders for specialist appointments as well – starting with our Obgyn’s and Rheumatologist – Dr. Yazdani.

Follow the instructions to confirm your appointment and don’t forget to complete the Covid-19 screening questionnaire!    Stay tuned – we will be rolling this out across the Clinic over the sumemr months!

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If you have a family doctor at the Albany Medical Clinic, you can BOOK ONLINE (click here) 

Or: you can call:  416-461-9471, stay on the line and someone will help you.

If you need to send a medical photo to your doctor, click here for guidelines on how to take a quality photo.

When you have your photos ready to send, click ‘SUBMIT DOCUMENTS’ in the top right of this page.

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Publicly Funded Shingrix Update

Jan 17/21 – We do not have publicly funded Shingrix currently in stock. 

If you do not qualify for the publicly funded Shringrix or otheriwse wish to get the vaccine, we do have Shingrix available for sale.

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Our NURSING STATION will be open Monday to Friday and will only be accepting booked appointments; no drop-in appointments until further notice. (Ear Syringing, Injections, etc.) Please call our Call Centre at 416-461-9471 to book your Nursing Station appointment.

Our DIAGNOSTICS DEPARTMENT will be CLOSED on Saturdays and Sundays until further notice. (X-ray, Ultrasound, ECG, Holters, etc.)

Our OHIP funded PHYSIOTHERAPY DEPARTMENT is now open effective July 7, 2020.

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Online Booking Tips: 

– Have your Health Card number ready.

– If we have your email address, an email confirmation will be sent automatically after booking your appointment if you click on ‘Email confirmation’. (You can then cancel your appointment online if you needed to!)

– Online bookings can be cancelled online with a minimum of 24 hours advance notice*

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Information for Patient for Virtual Care

COVID-19 is placing stress on Canada’s public health system. Our clinic is starting to offer virtual care to make sure that we can continue to care for our patients safely and effectively. This means that we will be using video and audio technologies for some patient visits rather than asking all patients to come into our office. Some of these technologies are provided by the Province. Others have been provided by vendors such as Google, or Apple to help make discussions with your care provider as easy as possible during these difficult times. Some health concerns can be addressed with virtual care alone, but in some cases your doctor may ask you to visit a hospital or other health-care facility if necessary, for a physical examination.

We do our best to make sure that any information you give to us during virtual care visits is private and secure, but no video or audio tools are ever completely secure. There is an increased security risk that your health information may be intercepted or disclosed to third parties when using video or audio communications tools. To help us keep your information safe and secure, you can:

• Understand that this method of communication is not secure in the same way as a private appointment in an exam room.

• Use a private computer/device (i.e., not an employer’s or third party’s computer/device) and a secure internet connection. For example, using a personal computer or tablet is more secure than using someone else’s computer, and your access to the Internet on your home network will generally be more secure than an open guest Wi-Fi connection.

You should also understand that virtual care is not a substitute for in-person communication or clinical examinations, where appropriate, or forgoing to an Emergency Department when needed (including for any urgent care that may be required).

If you are concerned about using video or audio tools for virtual care, you can ask our office to arrange for you to visit a different health-care provider or other health-care center where you can be seen in person. However, please note that visiting a health care provider in person comes with a higher risk of coming into contact with COVID-19 and the possibility of spreading the virus.

By providing your information, you agree to let us collect, use, or disclose your personal health information through video or audio communications (while following applicable privacy laws) to provide you with care. In particular, the following means of electronic communication may be used or video conferencing (including but not limited to Skype, Facetime, etc.).