At McMaster Family Practice (MFP), we are a team of over 90 health care providers dedicated to the health and wellness of you and your family. We are one of three clinics within the McMaster Family Health Team. As a teaching clinic, we providing training to new family doctors and other health professionals. We're also always researching the newest ways to provide the best care to our 20,000+ patients! We're always here for you and are excited to have you as part of the MFP family! [embed]https://youtu.be/UexpeNiadq4[/embed]

OCEAN Secure Messaging for McMaster Family Practice Patients

McMaster Family Practice is now offering secure online messaging between patients and their healthcare provider using OCEAN software. All information communicated using OCEAN will be saved to your Electronic Medical Record (EMR). To get started, please visit the below link to set up an account: OCEAN Secure Patient Messaging **NOTE** This upload portal is not a method of booking or requesting appointments. The portal is meant to ensure the confidentiality of patient information during digital transfer. It is the patient’s responsibility to call and book an appointment (if required) to address the content of any uploaded document. Please be aware that forms may take up to 1 month to be completed. Please note that your healthcare provider will not routinely see your answers [to medical forms] until the time of your next appointment. If you have an urgent medical problem, please contact McMaster Family Practice at 905-546-9885 or proceed to the nearest emergency department.

Dear McMaster Family Practice (MFP) Patients, We hope you had a safe holiday season and a happy new year! Over the next few weeks, MFP will continue to be open to provide access for our patients. If you are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19 (e.g., fever, cough, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, headaches, fatigue, joint pains, nausea/vomiting), we will be offering you a virtual assessment first to determine the best next steps. We can also offer you a virtual appointment to discuss the latest recommendations for self-isolation if you have been exposed. For your information, please feel free to download the latest algorithms for diagnosing COVID-19 based on symptoms alone, as well as recommendations for self-isolation after a high-risk contact. Hamilton Public Health (https://www.hamilton.ca/coronavirus) remains your go-to guide for the most up to date information on vaccines, testing criteria and booking, as well as isolation recommendations. To ensure that MFP can respond to all our patients in a timely fashion, we will be prioritizing appointment spots for those that require an urgent clinician assessment within 24-48 hours. For all other appointment reasons, we will do our best to book these in the future with the clinician of your choice. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to respond! McMaster Family Practice

COVID-19 Vaccine

McMaster Family Practice patients 12 years of age and older can now book their COVID-19 vaccines/ boosters at the clinic! Please call 905-546-9885 to book an appointment (often available same day or next day); no walk-ins please. The vaccine given will be Moderna (Pfizer will be given to those between 18-29 for a booster or those between 12-17 for first/second dose). Important Links: COVID-19 Vaccine Consent Form COVID-19 Vaccine Information Sheet (12+) COVID-19 Vaccine Information Sheet (pediatric) COVID-19 What you need to know about your vaccine appt Some helpful information regarding the vaccine is found at the following websites: For patient resources about COVID-19, visit HFAM.ca City of Hamilton: Coronavirus https://www.hamilton.ca/coronavirus Government of Canada: What you need to know about the COVID-19 vaccine for Canada https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/phac-aspc/documents/services/publications/diseases-conditions/what-you-need-to-know-covid-19-vaccine/what-you-need-to-know-covid-19-vaccine-eng.pdf Government of Ontario: COVID-19 (coronavirus) in Ontario https://covid-19.ontario.ca/index.html

MFP Goes Green

We are pleased to announce that our MFP Green Team has been recognized by the HFHT Green Initiative Program with a beautiful plaque that will be on display in our waiting room. The MFP Green Team is a resident-led group that in a short time has worked hard to decrease MFP’s impact on the environment by: 1) Boosting recycling within the clinic 2) Greening of the waiting room with real plants 3) Partnering with True Hamiltonian to design t-shirts to promote the “Prescribing Nature” initiative in which everyone in the clinic was encouraged to prescribe spending time in nature to our patients to improve mental health, as well as getting outside more ourselves! 4) Moving away from using exam bed paper to cleaning between patients in a way that decreases our garbage output 5) Resuming use of cloth, washable gowns and discontinuing our use of paper gowns The team still has more projects on the go and we look forward to announcing further success stories in the near future!

The McMaster Family Health Team is Offering Appointments via Video!

Did you know that the McMaster Family Health Team is now offering appointments via video to all patients using a secure, easy-to-use platform? A video visit allows you to talk online to your healthcare provider using video chat – all from the safety, comfort and convenience of your own home using your computer, tablet or smartphone. Many of the appointments booked with your healthcare provider can be scheduled as a video visit. You can request a video visit when you call the clinic to book your appointment. Here is what some patients have said about their video visits: - “I feel this platform is long overdue. It is very convenient and saves time, transportation and parking fees. Also provides better time management- no wasted time in the waiting room!” - “I found it useful and would love this as an alternative especially in poor weather. “ - “I am completely satisfied with this process. I hope it continues even when COVID-19 is no longer an issue. I like it.” - “One of the positive outcomes of this COVID is additional accessibility with virtual appts, which previously weren't available when I was bedridden & inquired last Dec. I'm hoping you'll continue to keep it as an appt option in the future. Thank you so much!” - “The link was very easy to hook up to. Very pleasant experience.”

Privacy Consents

Consent for Virtual Care	Consent for Electronic Communication	Consent for Email Communication

COVID-19

Please review the below documents for information on self-isolation and self-monitoring for coronavirus. For more information, please see our most recent updates on COVID-19. If you have a fever and/or new onset of cough or difficulty breathing AND In the 14 days before symptom onset, you have: •been to a COVID-19 impacted area, or •you have been in close contact with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19, or •you have been in close contact with a person with acute respiratory illness who has been to a COVID-19 impacted area please call your family physician's office. To contact your physician at McMaster Family Practice, please call 905-546-9885. For patient resources about COVID-19, visit HFAM.ca

COVID-19 Patient Screening Guidance Document

How to Self-Monitor	How to Self-Isolate	Self-Isolation: Guide for caregivers, household members, and close contacts