Preventative Care
Preventing disease and illness before it happens through annual physicals, cancer screening, immunizations, etc.
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Here at the Woodbine Family Health Team we provide a wide range of preventive care options. The Woodbine Family Health Team is a Primary Care Office. A very large part of primary care focuses on preventative care. Preventing disease and illness before it happens through annual physicals, cancer screening, immunizations, etc.
Make your appointment today and speak to your Healthcare Practitioner about what preventative care is right for you.
Please see attached document link below for childhood immunization schedule for Ontario.
Immunizations are not just for our children. Adults need vaccines too. Please see this link for more details for what immunizations adults need
Cervical Cancer Screening
Regular screening is an essential defense against cervical cancer. Cervical cancer screening can detect early cell changes on the cervix caused by persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. These changes seldom cause any symptoms, but can progress to cancer if not found and treated. Screening is the only way to detect changes that might lead to cancer. (Ministry of Health – Ontario)
Overview:
The cervical cancer screening program is run out of our office. All eligible female patients between the ages of 21 to 70 are participants. Prevention and early detection are the key objectives. Cervical cancer screening with PAP tests can detect cell changes and precancerous lesions associated with persistent infection with high-risk types of human papillomavirus.
All women should have regular PAP tests starting at age 21 if they have a known history of any kind of sexual activity. PAP tests can find cell changes early, long before there are any symptoms and before a diagnosis of cancer. With regular PAP tests and the HPV vaccine, it is possible to prevent cervical cancer.
Appointment information and Follow-up
Appointments for your PAP testing can by made by calling the office at 416-342-5140. You man request a female health care provider for you PAP testing. PAP test results are available 4-6 weeks after your test.
HPV Vaccine
The HPV vaccine is a major breakthrough in cancer prevention. The HPV vaccine Gardasil 9 is the vaccine used in Ontario’s HPV immunization program. The vaccine protects against nine types of HPV. Gardisil 9 is recommended for both females and males.
Three doses of the vaccine are required for complete protection. The HPV vaccine has been approved for use in over 100 countries, and over 40 million doses of vaccine have been distributed worldwide. The HPV vaccine is approved for females aged 9 to 45 and for males aged 9-26.
Ontario now offers vaccination against cancer-causing Human Papillomavirus (HPV) free of charge to all boys and girls in Grade 7. The program is run through school-based clinics by local public health units.
For the majority of students who are eligible for the HPV vaccine, the vaccine is given in a series of two injections, six months apart. For those who receive their first dose after the age of 14 years, or who are immunocompromised (have a weakened immune system), the HPV vaccine is given in a series of three injections over a six-month period.
Boys or girls in Grade 7 who are unable to begin or complete the HPV vaccine series in the 2016-2017 school year are eligible to catch-up missed doses through their local public health unit, free of charge, until they finish Grade 12.
HPV immunization as well as regular PAP tests (starting at age 21) can reduce the risk of cervical cancer in women. (From Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Website)
Colorectal Cancer Screening
Colorectal Cancer refers to cancer of the colon or rectum. The colon, which is also called the large intestine or large bowel, is a hollow tube five to six feet long and is coiled within the abdomen. The rectum is the last six inches of the colon. This is not a part of our bodies we spend a lot of time thinking about and certainly not talking about, but the colon is a hardworking organ that helps our bodies absorb water and excrete waste.
Cancer in the colon or rectum can take up to 10 years or more to develop to an advanced stage. This is why it is very important to make regular screening for colorectal cancer a part of your routine health checks.
Fecal Occult Blood Testing (FOBT)
The Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) is the screening method for average risk people between the ages of 50 and 74. It is a simple test that you can do in the privacy of your home. The FOBT is the most widely available test for screening for colorectal cancer.
It is recommended that men and women between the ages of 50 and 74, who do not have a family history of colorectal cancer and do not have symptoms, be screened every two years using an FOBT. Studies show when this screening test is performed every two years, combined with a colonoscopy for those who test positive, it will reduce death from colorectal cancer by 16 per cent over a decade. (From Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Website)
Testing
An FOBT kit can be given to you the patient at the office to take home. You need to have a requisition from your healthcare provider inside of your FOBT kit in order to send it to the lab for testing. You can get your requisition and kit at a regular patient appointment or if you call to pick one up.
Appointment Information and Follow-up
To make an appointment with your Healthcare Provider, or to organize picking up an FOBT kit please call the office at 416-342-5140.
Your test results for FOBT test will be sent directly to your physician to review. Follow-up appointments can be made for 3-4 weeks after you mail your FOBT kit.
Breast Cancer Screening
The goal of breast cancer screening is to detect cancer early and provide treatment. Mammography is currently the recommended test used to detect breast cancer.
It is important to find breast cancer early because:
- There is a better chance of treating the cancer successfully
- It is less likely to spread
- There may be more treatment options
- When breast cancer is caught early, 90% of women fully recover after treatment
The Ontario Breast Screening Program (OBSP) – a program administered by Cancer Care Ontario – provides mammography screening for women at average risk of developing breast cancer aged 50 years and older.
Now, women aged 30-69 who are found to be at high risk for developing breast cancer will also have access to OBSP services including annual mammography and breast MRI screening.
Overview: OBSP
First established in 1990, the Ontario Breast Screening Program (OBSP) provides high quality breast cancer screening services to women living in Ontario. It is operated by Cancer Care Ontario and funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
The OBSP currently accepts women who fall into the following two categories:
- Women at average risk of developing breast cancer, age 50 and over:
Evidence shows that regular mammograms for women who are at average risk and 50 years or older, are the most effective way to detect breast cancer early. Average risk means you have no other risk factors simply than being a woman and being older (i.e. 50 and over).
- Women at high risk of developing breast cancer, age 30 to 69:
As of July 1, 2011, women in Ontario aged 30 to 69 who are at high risk for breast cancer due to genetic factors or a personal or family history suggestive of hereditary breast cancer can receive an annual breast screening MRI and mammogram through the OBSP.
How to get a mammogram:
- All physicians in our Family Health Team are members of the OBSP
- When you go for your first mammogram, you will automatically be entered as part of the OBSP. You will receive reminder letters for your screening from the program, and copies of your test results are sent to your family doctor to review.
- Women aged 50 and over who are at average risk may refer themselves to the OBSP. To self-refer, please call an OBSP site directly to make an appointment.
- Women between the ages of 30 to 69 who are at high risk will need a referral from their doctor or nurse practitioner to be screened at an OBSP centre.
Appointment information
If you are a female between the ages of 50 and 74 in our Family Health Team, you are already a participant of the OBSP. Letters will be sent to you by the OBSP indicating how and where to book your appointment. After your appointment, follow up letters will be sent to your home indicating the time interval for your next screening date. Your family doctor will review all results, and willl review these results with you when you book a follow up appointment 2-3 weeks after your test is complete.
Letters
You will receive 2 letters from the OBSP. The first letter will prompt you to book either your first appointment, or to book any follow-up appointments. There will be a second reminder letter sent, if you do not book your appointment after receiving the first letter.
Diagnostic Image Locations
If you need to book your mammogram, the following imaging locations are part of the OBSP. Locations are available here.
If you do not have a requisition, you will need to call your doctor’s office to obtain one before booking your appointment..