The Happy Valley Family Health Team is committed to providing primary health care, chronic disease management, and teaching regarding health promotion and disease prevention through our programming. If you are interested in any of these programs, or think you might benefit from some of the services we provide, please call the office or book an appointment with your family doctor.
Certified Respiratory Educators provide routine education, monitoring and support to our patients with COPD (and their families). Our goal is to assist our patients towards improved symptom control and self management of their disease.
To book an appointment, please contact the front staff.
hhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi8-STWh9sw/
https://lunghealth.ca/lung-disease/a-to-z/copd/fitness-for-breath/
Our program provides routine monitoring for our diabetic patients. Our goal is to improve their health and reduce potential diabetic complications. Education and support is available from our multi-disciplinary health team to assist in managing diet, exercise and medication.
To book an appointment, please contact the front staff.
Have you recently been discharged from hospital? If you’ve recently been admitted and discharged from hospital, we want to hear about it! Please call the office to book a follow-up appointment with your family physician. In the event you do not need to attend a clinic appointment, the hospital discharge program nurse will call you to ensure you are managing at home. We also have our pharmacist review your list of medications when you are discharged. Your chart is updated at this time to reflect any changes in medications and any discrepancies will be clarified. If you have any questions about this program, please call the office and ask to speak with the hospital discharge program nurse.
Our Hypertension Management Program aims to help our patients prevent and manage high blood pressure. Patients will meet with a nurse to review their health history as well as risk factors that can lead to elevated blood pressure. Together, we will develop a lifestyle-based plan in hopes of lowering and managing your blood pressure.
What to expect at your appointment:
https://hypertension.ca/hypertension-and-you/about-hypertension/what-is-high-blood-pressure/
https://hypertension.ca/hypertension-and-you/about-hypertension/what-are-the-causes/
https://hypertension.ca/hypertension-and-you/managing-hypertension/know-my-bp-number/
https://hypertension.ca/hypertension-and-you/managing-hypertension/what-can-i-do/
If you feel this program would be beneficial, please ask your doctor for more information at your next appointment, or contact the office and ask to speak with the hypertension nurse.
Immunization protects you and your family by preventing the spread of disease; it is one of the most important and cost-effective public health innovations. As immunization rates increase, the disease risk for everyone is reduced. In Canada, immunization has saved more lives than any other health intervention, and has contributed to a reduction in morbidity and mortality in adults, children and other vulnerable populations.
We offer appointments with our immunization nurse Friday afternoons from 1pm-4:30pm. Please call the clinic to book your appointment.
Having your child vaccinated is the best way to prevent serious illnesses, including many that are easily spread in schools and day care centres. Vaccines make your child’s immunity stronger. In the first few years of life, your child is most at risk of contracting serious vaccine-preventable diseases. The vaccination schedule is designed to protect your child before they are exposed to such diseases. By immunizing your child on time, you can prevent illness and protect from serious diseases, usually for their lifetime. Sometimes they will need a “booster” vaccination to ensure the protection is long-lasting. Usually, these vaccinations are done at routine childhood visits. Please call and request to speak to our immunization nurse for any questions you might have. Alternatively, you can refer to the immunization schedule for Ontario, which can be accessed below:
http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/programs/immunization/static/immunization_tool.html
Vaccines help adults stay healthy too. Regardless of age, vaccination provides the most effective protection against disease. With certain vaccines, adults require a booster shot in order to maintain immunity. Any adults who were not adequately immunized as children are at risk of contracting vaccine-preventable diseases, and can also infect others. It is important that your vaccinations are up-to-date to ensure adequate protection for yourself and your family members. Please call and request to speak to our immunization nurse regarding any questions you might have. You can also refer to the resources below for any questions you might have regarding adult immunization:
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/vaccination-adults.html
https://www.immunize.ca/adults
Herpes zoster, also known as shingles, is a painful disease that results from the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), the same virus that causes varicella (chickenpox). After you have the varicella (chickenpox) infection, the virus lies dormant for many years. It can become active again and present itself in the form of shingles. Symptoms of shingles include headache, fever and a painful rash that develops on one side of the face or body. You may feel itching, tingling, burning or pain prior to the appearance of the blistering rash. The most frequent complication of shingles is prolonged and severe pain known as post-herpetic neuralgia. One in three Canadians develops shingles in their lifetime, with the incidence and severity increasing after age 50.
Shingles vaccination is recommended for people 50 years of age and older. Shingrix® can reduce the risk of shingles by over 90%. It requires two doses to be given two to six months apart. Common side effects are pain, redness and swelling at the site of injection, as well as muscle pain, headache, fatigue, nausea and fever. These side effects may be bothersome and typically last up to 3 days. The cost of the two dose series is approximately $300. Patients age 65-70 may be eligible to receive Shingrix® publicly funded at no cost. Shingrix® can be given in patients previously vaccinated with Zostavax® and in patients who have previously had shingles.
https://www.shingrix.ca/en-ca/index.html
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/vaccination-adults.html
https://www.immunize.ca/
If you are interested in receiving Shingrix® please contact our office at 519-284-3450 or discuss with you health care provider.
There are pneumonia vaccines available for adults. If you are interested in this, please call the office or ask your physician about this at your next appointment.
Influenza (or “the seasonal flu”) is a respiratory illness that spreads easily. It is caused by the influenza virus. Anyone can get the flu. The flu leads to thousands of deaths each year, mostly among the elderly, but young children and those with chronic health conditions are also at risk. In Canada, the flu season usually runs from November to April. One of the most effective ways to protect yourself from the flu is to get the flu shot each year in the fall.
Upcoming flu shot clinics: available by appointment
If you are unable to make it to one of our flu shot clinics, please call the office to book an appointment with our immunization nurse. If you have received your flu shot elsewhere, please contact our office so that we can update our records.
If you are someone who routinely receives a medication administered by a nurse such as an allergy shot, Vitamin B12, Depo-Provera, Methotrexate, Eligard, etc., you will need to book an appointment to have your shot administered. Please call the office and we will find a time that works for you.
Travel Vaccinations
We are no longer offer travel consultations. Please visit: www.stratfordtravelclinic.ca
to book an appointment with their office.
The Memory Clinic is an inter-professional approach to providing early diagnosis and treatment for problems associated with memory loss. The team members work with family physicians at The Happy Valley Family Health Team to provide comprehensive care for patients and family members dealing with dementia and other conditions involving memory loss. For many of these conditions, early diagnosis and treatment can help to maintain independent living and quality of life for as long as possible.
Before your appointment, the Memory Clinic team will send a package for you and your family to help you prepare for your visit and provide you with more information about what to expect at your appointment.
In the Memory Clinic, you and your family members will meet with our team of nurses, social worker, pharmacist and physician for a comprehensive assessment. This information can provide you and your family doctor with a better understanding of your condition and steps you and your family can take in your care. Each appointment will take approximately 2 hours. We encourage you to bring along a family member or someone who knows you well to your visit to help ensure a thorough assessment.
If you would like an assessment by the Memory Clinic at the HVFHT please speak to your family physician.
Skin Treatment clinic is provided once every 3 weeks. Cost is $40.00 per visit and a refund will be offered to the patient if the lesion is covered under OHIP. To book an appointment, please contact our front staff. Skin Treatment clinic dates are listed on the home page.
Our smoking cessation program is available on an ongoing basis and runs in partnership with the Perth District Health Unit. We offer individual appointments to assist patients with their efforts to quit smoking. Free Nicotine Replacement Therapy (patches, gum, lozenges and inhalers) is currently available from our clinic through the STOP Study.
To book an appointment, please contact the front staff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XrnFuEiYjU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mznlQQFAsiM/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=us-jdNEHAkk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HTaR-U05Eg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRWT1KvAOSs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoAvKh0Rc3c
https://www.nicotinedependenceclinic.com/en/Pages/Self-Help.aspx
268 Maiden Lane, Box 1120
St Marys, ON
N4X 1B7
519–284–3450
Disclaimer:
The information provided on this website including medical information, is for use as information or for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical care by a qualified doctor or other qualified healthcare professionals. We do not warrant that any information included within this website will meet your health or medical requirements. This website does not provide any medical or diagnostic services so you should always check with a health professional if you have any concerns about your health.
© 2013 All Rights Reserved Happy Valley Family Health Team
