Coronavirus (COVID-19) Client Update

The World Health Organization (WHO) has upgraded the status of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) to pandemic status. Unison is closely monitoring the situation and will continue to follow guidelines provided by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care guidelines and Public Health.

Unison is committed to ensuring the health and safety of all staff and clients. As such, we may experience service and program disruptions during this time.

Please call and check the updates below before visiting a Unison site.

 

PROGRAM/SERVICE UPDATES

Click on a service or program below:

Click here for changes to our location hours.

 

HEALTH CARE CLIENTS

Unison is closed for walk-ins.

Most of our health care appointments are now by telephone.

  • Please call ahead to book a telephone appointment.
  • When the Unison doctor or nurse calls you, the phone number you will see will be the main Unison site phone number, or ‘private number’, or ‘blocked number’. Please answer if you see anything like this around the time when you are expecting our call.
  • Your doctor or nurse may run late for the telephone appointment. Please wait at least 30 minutes after the scheduled time before you contact Unison.

 

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE HEALTH CARE COVERAGE (OHIP OR IFH)

Follow the links below for information on navigating through this virus without health coverage.

Patient Resource Health Network for Uninsured Clients

Access to health care for uninsured patients during COVID-19 in Toronto guide for providers

 

The Government of Ontario has information about COVID-19 in multiple languages. Click here for more information.

 

WHAT TO DO IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE THE VIRUS

Please take this self-assessment if you have COVID-19 symptoms or have been in close contact with someone who has symptoms:

Self-Assessment Tool

If you are having difficulty breathing or experiencing other severe symptoms, call 911 immediately. Advise them of your symptoms and travel history.

 

TEMPORARY CHANGES FOR COMMUNICATION WITH CLIENTS

Effective April 1, 2020

In order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, Unison will be limiting in-person appointments. E-mail communication may be offered by your Provider.

If you use e-mail with your health care provider, you should know that there are some risks. There is a lot of cyber-crime on the internet, and your health information can be stolen or disclosed without your consent. Some steps that you can take to protect your personal health information are:

  • using your own computer/device (not using an employer’s or someone else’s computer/device);
  • e-mailing on your own home internet connection (not on public or guest wifi)
  • do not open attachments in e-mails that could be spam (read How to spot phishing e-mails [insert hyperlink] for more information)

We may still need to see you in person. If this is the case, we will let you know.

You should also understand that e-mail is not a substitute for attending the Emergency Department if urgent care is needed.

If you want to stop using e-mail, please let us know. We will reply when you ask us to stop using e-mail, so you know that we got your message.

Unison may decide to stop using e-mail at any time. If we do, we will let you know. We will stop e-mails immediately after we inform you without waiting for your reply. Please make sure you inform us if you change your e-mail address.

 

ASTHMA AND CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)

Do you have questions about asthma and COVID-19?

You can follow the link below to find answers from Asthma Canada to common questions regarding asthma and COVID-19.

https://asthma.ca/coronavirus-covid-19-and-asthma/

 

CRISIS SUPPORT INFORMATION

Crisis Support and Distress Lines

CAMH Quick Guide to Mental Health Resources Serving Toronto

 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

About coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

Know the Difference: Self-monitoring, self-isolation, and isolation for COVID-19

How to isolate at home when you have Covid-19

How to care for a person with COVID-19 – Tips for caregivers