Due to COVID-19, we have temporarily changed our appointment line phone number as our booking staff are now working from home. If you'd like to book an appointment please contact us at:
647-370-3203
We understand it can be hard to reach us, and we are sorry. We are doing the best we can to answer your calls and provide the quality of care we are known for. Thank you for your patience during these challenging times.
A message from Choice in Health:
June 3, 2020
Since March it feels like the world has turned over and so many things we’ve taken for granted have disappeared. Visiting with family and friends, attending community events, and celebrating summer in Toronto as we once did seems hard to imagine now. Accessing health care and essential services like abortion care has become even harder. Fear of COVID-19, a lack of PPE, and the spreading of misinformation has prevented people from seeking the care they need. This new reality also forced healthcare providers to radically change how we deliver care. Some changes were difficult. At CIHC we had to stop clients from bringing support people with them and we suspended our pre-procedure counselling program. We’ve also innovated to continue to meet our client’s needs. In April we launch Ontario’s first virtual medication abortion program and in May we made our counsellor available over video conference to help clients navigate complex health care systems remotely.
All of these changes have occurred among a backdrop of a systemic problem of racial oppression that divides us. At the start of pandemic there was a brief moment of global togetherness and a sharing of #weareallinthistogether but the curtain has been pulled back and it has revealed what was always there: A world, a Canada, a Toronto, that is upholding a system of oppression that privileges those in power.
These injustices have always been there but they received new attention with the deaths of George Floyd and Regis Korchinski-Paquet in May. As the calendar flips to June we also welcome Pride and Indigenous History Month. June is often a celebratory month, full of colour and community. This June we would be remiss if we failed to acknowledge the founding role of Black, Trans, and Two-Spirit People in the history of these movements. As an abortion provider the connection to Pride or Indigenous History is not immediately obvious but as current leaders within our movement we must not be silent on how the history of reproductive choice is also wrapped up in denying 2SLGBTQ people the right to create families, forcing sterilization on Indigenous, Black and Latina Peoples, massive health disparities among Black women and children, and a failure to provide gender-inclusive and affirming care to Trans clients. To heal and to do the work of allyship is to acknowledge our own privilege and history. Denying the complicated parts of our history undermines the dignity of those we now claim to serve.
So this June we wanted to say Happy Pride, Happy Indigenous History Month, and to our Black Community members we see you and we stand with you. Here are the small but meaningful steps we at CIHC are taking on our journey to be anti-racist and inclusive.
- Our team has developed an inclusion statement which is guiding us in creating an actionable work plan to ensure we hold ourselves accountable to our equity and Anti-Black racism goals
- Our team is participating in the Ontario Indigenous Cultural Safety Training program designed for healthcare workers to support Indigenous Health transformation in Ontario
- CIHC is adopting recommendations from 2019 guidelines:Trans-Inclusive Abortion Services that were developed by A.J. Lowik, PhD Candidate at the University of British Columbia. This includes encouraging gender diverse individuals in our space as clients, staff members, and board members.
This doesn’t go far enough but reconciliation and healing begins one step at a time.
In solidarity,
The CIHC Team
Compassionate, Caring and Confidential Care Since 1990.
March 23, 2020
A message from CIHC,
The COVID-19 pandemic has meant that the delivery of many health services has had to adjust. At the CIHC what hasn’t changed is our commitment to providing high quality, safe abortion services, However, to continue offering these services some new processes have had to be implemented:
- Our booking team is now working from home, which means we have a new phone number and we will need your patience with booking while we figure out this new system. If you don’t get through, please leave a message, we will call you back.
- Support people are no longer able to accompany you to through your appointment
- We are temporarily halting pre-procedure counselling. If you'd like counselling please talk to our booking staff to be connected with our counsellors over the phone.
Thank you for your patience as we navigate a new system.
We are confident that we can continue to provide the high-quality service we are known for.
Warmly,
CIHC Team
March 16, 2020
Message from our Executive Director regarding COVID-19 and the impact on our services
Hello CIHC Community and Clients,
I’m writing with regards to the COVID-19 global pandemic and the measures our clinic is taking to ensure we continue to provide abortion services while keeping staff and clients safe. As a clinic we are closely monitoring guidelines from Public Health Ontario and our colleagues at the Ontario Medical Association, Toronto Public Health and the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario. CIHC has been screening staff and clients for suspected COVID-19 infection since February 2020. Effective today we are moving to an enhanced screening and safety precautions.
Screening - what you need to know:
1. You will be asked screening questions at the time of calling and when you arrive for you appointment.
2. You may be asked to wait two weeks for your appointment, if this makes you ineligible for an abortion at CIHC we will support you with a referral to the appropriate clinic or hospital.
3. We ask that you monitor yourself between the time of booking your appointment and your actual visit. If your health changes please call us asap so that we can assess and provide a referral if needed.
Your appointment - what you need to know:
1. Effective March 17, 2020 support people will no longer be able to join you during your appointment
2. To maximize the space between yourself and others we are asking that you sit in assigned seating when you arrive.
3. We have removed all shared reading material from the waitroom. Please bring a book or magazine to read while you wait.
4. Normally cell phones are not allowed within the CIHC, however we recognize that staying close with your support people may be more important than ever. Effective March 17, 2020 you are able to bring your phone in but we ask that you disinfect it when you arrive and refrain from videotaping or using face-to-face video call apps while in the clinic.
5. You will be asked to wash your hands when you arrive
Enhanced cleaning -what you need to know:
?We are disinfecting all surfaces twice daily
?Shared material like clipboards and pens are being cleaned between each client
?CIHC is following precautions shared by Public Health Ontario
The impact of COVID-19 on the health care system is evolving rapidly which means CIHC may have to change our practices over the coming days or weeks. Please continue to check back on our website regularly for updates. We are committed to staying open and keeping clients and staff safe. If you have concerns about your upcoming appointment please call us.
Warmly,
clare
For more information about COVID-19 here are some trusted resources:
?Ontario Ministry of Health “Case Definition” of a probably case COVID-19
?Ontario Ministry of Health Self Assessment Tool
?Public Health Ontario’s guide to Self Monitoring for COVID-19
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Choice in Health Clinic is a non-profit Toronto abortion clinic that is centered on our clients' needs. If you are experiencing an unwanted pregnancy, we have a full range of services for you to use:
Surgical abortions up to 15 weeks from the start of your last menstrual period/monthly bleed (LMP)
Medication abortions up to 9 weeks LMPCounselling services before & after your abortionFree interpretation
Preparation for your surgical appointment
PLEASE NOTE: Unfortunately, we do not accept walk-ins. Please call our clinic to book all appointments.
Call (647)-370-3203 to book an appointment with us.
Many of our clients are unsure about the differences between Medication and Surgical abortions. To help our clients better understand what to expect with each option, we have added a new tab under ‘Services’, titled “Which Abortion to Choose?”.
The clinic will be offering services on the following Saturdays:
Saturday June 6th
Saturday June 27th
Up Coming Clinic Closures:
Friday June 25th
*While we aim to keep this information as up-to-date as possible our availability is subject to change. Please call for more information.
All our services are free with an Ontario Health Card (OHIP).There are no extra fees.Our clinic is staffed entirely by folks who support your right to control your own body and make informed decisions about your reproductive health. We are respectful, caring and non-judgmental. Our doctors are all specially trained in the highest quality abortion care.
We are licensed by the Ministry of Health and inspected by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.
Read More About Us:
Our Purpose
and Values
What Makes Us Special
What Our
Clients Say
Under eighteen?
All Ages Welcome!
You can have an abortion, birth control access, and counselling at Choice in Health Clinic. You do not need a parent's consent.
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