South of the bay family practice

Frequently Asked Questions

Phone Line

Our phone line is open from 9am until 4pm closed from 1-2pm for lunch. We do not have an answering service, if you are unable to reach us we are either helping a patient or currently on the phone.

Same Day Appointments

Same day appointments are offered to patients with an urgent ailment at a first come first serve basis.

Health Care While Traveling

Traveling within Canada

When you show your valid Ontario health card in another Canadian province or territory, you will be covered for some of the same services you’re covered for in Ontario including:

physician services (e.g. visit to a walk-in clinic)
services provided in a public hospital (e.g. emergency, diagnostic, laboratory)

Any service or treatment you receive in another Canadian province or territory must be medically necessary for it to be covered by OHIP.

Services that are not covered by OHIP in another Canadian province or territory include:

services not covered in Ontario (e.g. cosmetic surgery)
ambulance services (including transport and paramedic)
prescription drugs and other drugs given outside a hospital
home-care services
fees charged by private hospitals or facilities
diagnostic or laboratory services outside of a public hospital
long-term care or residential services
assistive devices (e.g. prosthetics)

We recommend that you buy private health insurance before leaving Ontario to cover any uninsured services you may need.

Traveling Outside of Ontario

Location of patient and physician when Virtual Care Services are performed:

Both the patient and physician must be located in Ontario for the services to be insured and payable under OHIP (see section 37.1 of Regulation 552 under the Health Insurance Act).

Annual Check ups

Why is my doctor no longer scheduling annual checkups?

Ontario, like many jurisdictions, is following the evidence in no longer recommending annual physical exams. Instead, your doctor may recommend periodic health exams based on your age, risks and the tests you need. This approach is known to be more effective in promoting health and preventing disease.

Learn more about health check-ups for adult patients (external website).

Preventive Care Screening

Screening for Breast Cancer

Cancer screening is testing done on people who may be at risk of getting cancer, but who have no symptoms and generally feel fine. Screening can find breast cancers when they are small, less likely to have spread and more likely to be treated successfully. People ages 50 to 74 have a lower risk of dying from breast cancer when they are screened regularly with mammograms.

Screening for Colorectal Cancer

The fecal immunochemical test (FIT) is a screening test for people at average risk of getting colorectal cancer. Someone is at average risk if they are 50 to 74 years old with no first-degree relative (parent, sibling or child) who has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

Screening for Cervical Cancer

A Pap test is a screening test that can detect cell changes in the cervix that may lead to cancer before people feel any symptoms. Currently, the Ontario Cervical Screening Program recommends that anyone with a cervix (women, transmasculine and non-binary people) who is or ever has been sexually active have a Pap test every 3 years starting at age 21. But we are in the process of updating this recommendation. If you are under 25, talk to your family doctor or nurse practitioner about whether you should wait until age 25 before starting cervical screening with the Pap test.

You can stop regular screening with Pap tests at the age of 70 if you have had 3 or more normal tests in the previous 10 years.

School Aged Immunizations

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) is holding immunization clinics throughout the summer to help school-aged children (age 4 to 18) Catch Up, Keep Up and Stay on Track with routine immunizations that may have been missed during the pandemic

Appointments for these immunization clinics are required and can be booked online or by calling Health Connection at 1-877-721-7520 (toll free) or 1-705-721-7520.

https://www.simcoemuskokahealth.org/Topics/Immunization/Clinics-and-Programs/Summer-Immunization-Clinics-for-School-Aged-Children

REPORT AN IMMUNIZATION

https://www.simcoemuskokahealth.org/Topics/Immunization/Report-an-immunization

Covid Immunization

Effective July 7th 2023, you should consider delaying receipt of a COVID-19 booster dose until the fall. This is to ensure you will meet the expected 6-month recommended interval from your last dose. Receiving a booster dose in the fall, heading into respiratory illness season, will maximize protection against COVID-19 outcomes when peak circulation of the virus is expected.

The decision to receive a booster dose prior to fall 2023 may be appropriate for certain individuals based on their unique health status and personal situation. A booster dose should be administered to individuals who choose to receive one if they are eligible, meaning a recommended six months has passed since their last dose or confirmed COVID-19 infection.

COVID-19 booster doses are available for everyone aged five years and over to help restore protection that may have decreased since your last dose. Booster doses help give protection from severe illness, long term COVID-19 symptoms, and hospitalization.

There are many opportunities for vaccination in Simcoe Muskoka.

Minor Ailments Pharmacists

Minor ailments came into effect on October 1, 2023.

Pharmacists, pharmacy students and interns in Ontario are authorized to prescribe certain medications for thirteen minor ailments:

Allergic rhinitis
Conjunctivitis (bacterial, allergic and viral)
Dysmenorrhea
Hemorrhoids
Impetigo
Tick bites, post-exposure prophylaxis to prevent Lyme disease
Urinary tract infections (uncomplicated)
Candidal stomatitis (oral thrush)
Dermatitis (atopic, eczema, allergic and contact)
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Herpes labialis (cold sores)
Insect bites and urticaria (hives)
Musculoskeletal sprains and strains
acne;
canker sores;
diaper rash;
yeast infections;
parasitic worms (pinworms and threadworms); and
nausea and vomiting in pregnancy