December 22, 2023
As you are thinking of the upcoming holidays, we recognize the need to seek unexpected medical care at a time when many services are reduced or closed is probably not as top-of-mind for you as it is for us at London Health Sciences Centre. But we want to change that! We want you to be prepared in advance, so that in the event the need for health-care services suddenly arises you are well informed and less stressed because you know your options.
We know your to-do list is long, so we’ve created the following handy holiday health care checklist of items and contact information to gather that can be completed in a matter of minutes.
If you have a medical emergency, please phone 911 or go directly to your nearest Emergency Department.
As the holidays are often when our Emergency Departments experience their highest volumes of the year, please be aware that those who do not require emergency care for illnesses or injuries may face potentially long wait times, as the most critically ill patients will be seen first. To help you prepare for a visit, current estimated wait times for non-urgent and non-emergent concerns are always available on our public website.
Make a notation of any hour changes to your primary care physician’s office, your family health team’s after-hours urgent care option, and any related on-call service availability.
Renew your current prescriptions ahead of time to ensure you have enough to carry you through the holiday period.
For a number of common ailments, you may be able to seek care from a pharmacist in select pharmacy locations that will be open to support our community during the holidays.
Know the location and contact information for nearby walk-in clinics or urgent care clinics. Know your health care options now and always.