Access Primary Care Dufferin & Caledon: Helping You Find a Family Doctor

By Anette Groves

I'd like to share an important resource designed to help connect people in our community with local primary care providers.

Many residents in Caledon are currently without a regular family doctor or nurse practitioner, which can make it difficult to access timely, preventive, and coordinated care close to home. As our community continues to grow, so does the need for accessible primary care services.

Access Primary Care Dufferin & Caledon was created to help meet this need. The program brings partners together to strengthen connections between providers, support the growth of team-based care, and make it easier for residents to find the care they need, when and where they need it. Through this collaborative effort, we are working toward the shared goal of connecting every resident to a primary care team by 2029, while improving care experience for both patients and providers.

Led by the Hills of Headwaters Collaborative Ontario Health Team and developed in partnership with local care providers, this program offers a simple, centralized way for Dufferin & Caledon residents to find and connect with a family doctor or nurse practitioner.

The program aims to:

• Make it easier to connect patients with available providers
• Reduce administrative work for primary care offices
• Prioritize patients with urgent or more complex health needs
• Improve coordination, efficiency, and overall patient experience

Access Primary Care Dufferin & Caledon also works alongside provincial services like Health Care Connect offering a community-based pathway that helps ensure residents are connected to care smoothly and efficiently.

To learn more, visit:
hillsofheadwaterscollaborative.ca/accessprimarycare

I would also like to note that clinics in Bolton are currently accepting new patients, providing additional options for residents seeking primary care.

Looking ahead, the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) School of Medicine, established in September of 2025, welcomed 94 students in its inaugural class, 75% of whom reside in Peel Region.

This initiative supports the training and retention of local physicians and is expected to contribute to improved access to care overtime. Together, these efforts represent positive steps toward strengthening access to primary care services across our communities.