Finding a Family Doctor in the Soo
No family doctor? Tap your situation for the steps to take, the papers to gather, and exactly who to contact — from Health Care Connect to the local clinics.
If you don't have a family doctor or nurse practitioner in the Soo, you are not alone — thousands of people here are in the same spot since the Group Health Centre changes. This page walks you through what to actually do. Tap the situation closest to yours.
What's your situation? Tap the one closest to yours.
Good to know
An emergency can't wait for a clinic
Chest pain, stroke signs (face drooping, arm weakness, slurred speech), severe bleeding, or trouble breathing — call 911 or go to the Sault Area Hospital emergency department at 750 Great Northern Road. It's open 24 hours.
Health811 is free and always open
Call 811 any time, day or night, to talk to a nurse and to get on the family-doctor waiting list. It's a free Ontario service.
No one should charge you to find a doctor
Getting on the Health Care Connect list is free. If anyone asks you to pay a fee to 'find you a doctor faster' or to jump the line, that's not how it works — don't pay.
The wait is real — register anyway, and register early
Lists are long and a match isn't guaranteed, but you can't be matched if you're not on the list. Sign up, keep your phone number and address current with Health Care Connect, and use walk-in clinics or 811 for care in between.
Official links
- Health811 — find a doctor or nurse practitioner — Register with Health Care Connect online, or call 811 free, 24/7.
- Ontario — Find a family doctor or nurse practitioner — How the provincial system works and what to expect.
- Algoma Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic — Primary care for Sault residents without a provider.
- Group Health Centre — Access Care Clinic — Current status and eligibility for de-rostered GHC patients.
- Sault Area Hospital — Emergency department, 750 Great Northern Road — open 24 hours.