HELPFUL LINKS

Healthcare services in your community

• • Your Health

    Ontario’s Ministry of Health offers several tools to help you find health care services in your area. Get an overview of what’s available.

• • Health811

    Don’t have a family healthcare provider? Sign up to be referred to a family doctor or nurse practitioner who is accepting new patients in your community.

• • Public Health Units

    Public Health Units offer education, health promotion and disease prevention programs to the public. This site will help you find a Public Health Unit in your area.

• • ServiceOntario INFOline is a multilingual telephone line that provides information and referral for Ontario government and Ministry of Health programs and services. You can call ServiceOntario INFOline at 1-866-532-3161 or TTY 1-800-387-5559.

Cancer screening

• • Ontario Ministry of Health - Cancer Prevention and Care

    In the early stages, breast, cervical, colorectal and lung cancer can be impossible to see or feel. Learn about cancer prevention and screening services available in Ontario’s health system.

• • Cancer Care Ontario Screening Programs

    Regular screening can help detect pre-cancerous changes or cancer at an early stage. Find out about Ontario’s organized cancer screening programs for breast, colorectal, cervical and lung cancer.

Genetic testing

• • Please speak to your doctor or nurse practitioner to see if genetic testing is appropriate for you. For more information on genetic testing, visit the Canadian Cancer Society’s website. Or to talk to a Cancer Information Specialist at the Canadian Cancer Society, call toll-free 1-888-939-3333 (TTY 1-866-786-3934).

Healthy eating

• • UnlockFood.ca

    Find tips for meal planning, healthy recipes to try at home and tools to help you reach your healthy living goals. o speak for free with a Registered Dietitian, call Health811 at 811, TTY 1-866-797-0007. Ask about programs or resources available in your community or through your local Public Health Unit.

Physical activity

• • Public Health Agency of Canada – Physical Activity

    Find guidelines and tips to help you live a healthier lifestyle that includes regular physical activity.

• • Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology – 24-Hour Movement Guidelines

    Find tips to get active and recommendations for people of all ages for regular physical activity.

• • Get Active Questionnaire

    Becoming more physically active can help reduce your cancer risk and improve your overall health. Use this form to find out if you need to check with your doctor or nurse practitioner before you start physical activity.

Breastfeeding

• • Public Health Units

    Ontario’s Public Health Units provide breastfeeding education and support from Public Health Nurses. Use this link to find the Public Health Unit nearest you.

• • Health811 offers free telephone counselling 24 hours a day/7 days a week for mothers who are breastfeeding or chestfeeding. Call Health811 at 811 (TTY 1-866-797-0007). Or find out more about Breastfeeding Supports.

Sexual health

• • Sexandu.ca

    Certain sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can increase your risk for human papillomavirus (HPV) — the primary cause of cervical cancer. This site will help you learn more about safe sex and how you can protect your sexual health.

Alcohol

• • The Canadian Cancer Society – Alcohol and Cancer

    Drinking alcohol can increase your cancer risk. This site offers advice on reducing your risk if you choose to drink, and gives practical tips on how to lower your alcohol consumption.

• • ConnexOntario – Health Services Information for Ontarians

    If you are experiencing problems with alcohol, you will find free and confidential health services information here to help you, 24-hours a day.

Quitting smoking

• Tools to help you become smoke-free are available online at Smokers’ Helpline, including:

  • An online chat forum with people planning to quit, people who have quit and Quit Coaches
  • Support from a quit-smoking counsellor by texting iQuit to the number 123456 (in Ontario)
  • Self-directed and personalized information to help you reach your goals
  • The QuitMap.ca website to find a quit smoking counsellor or group in your community

  To speak with a Quit Coach on the phone, contact Health811 at 811, TTY 1-866-797-0007.

  Other resources to help with quitting smoking include:

  • The Ontario Ministry of Health’s Quit Smoking website
  • Health Canada’s On the Road to Quitting program
  • Make Your Home and Car Smoke-Free
  • Visit the Indigenous Tobacco Program website to access resources for First Nations, Inuit, Métis and urban Indigenous peoples

High blood pressure

• • Information on how to prevent or manage high blood pressure from Hypertension Canada.

Sun Safety

• • Learn more about the dangers of sunburn at the Government of Canada website.

• • Learn how you can use the UV Index to protect your skin at the Environment Canada website.

• • Advice on how to protect your skin and reduce your risk of skin cancer from the Canadian Dermatology Association.

• • Do not forget to protect your eyes when you are in the sun. Learn more from Doctors of Optometry Canada.

• • Find tips on sun safety for children from the Canadian Paediatric Society.

Workplace and environmental exposure

• • Health Canada – Air Quality and Health

    Find out how indoor and outdoor air pollution can affect your health and what you can do to reduce your exposure to it.

• • Health Canada – Health Risks of Asbestos

    Learn about the sources and health risks of asbestos and what you can do to minimize your risk.

• • Health Canada

    Search alphabetically for environmental and occupational chemicals and find out what you can do to reduce your exposure to them.

• • CAREX Canada - Profiles and estimates of occupational and environmental exposure

    Read profiles and estimates of occupational and environmental exposure for a number of known, probable and possible carcinogenic (cancer-causing) agents.