If you are currently experiencing the onset of any of the following symptoms: thoughts of suicide, harming yourself or others, chest pain, shortness of breath or trouble breathing, severe abdominal pain, loss/alteration of consciousness, slurred speech or trouble speaking, sudden loss of vision, trouble raising your arms or weakness on one side of your body, face or numbness or drooping, please call 911 or visit an emergency department immediately.
If you have a non-life threatening urgent health concern, your first call should be to your family doctor or nurse practitioner.
Public Health offers immunization clinics across the province for anyone who is eligible for routine vaccines. These clinics help ensure access for people who do not have a family doctor or nurse practitioner, or who cannot easily access one.
All routine vaccines are free for those who are eligible.
The Northern Zone Mobile Health and Wellness Team travels throughout Colchester, East Hants, Cumberland and Pictou to provide health and wellness-based services in rural community areas.
Anyone can access this service by calling 782-370-0424 to book an appointment, or via drop-in for wellness groups at our community location:
640 Prince Street, Suite 204
Truro, Nova Scotia
VirtualCareNS gives Nova Scotians virtual access to a family doctor or nurse practitioner.
There are now two options within VirtualCareNS:
Full Care (Nova Scotia licensed family doctors and nurse practitioners)
REGISTER FOR VIRTUALCARENS - I AM ON THE NEED A FAMILY PRACTICE REGISTRY
Basic Care (Canadian licensed family doctors and nurse practitioners)
REGISTER FOR VIRTUALCARENS - I HAVE A FAMILY DOCTOR OR NURSE PRACTITIONER
Nova Scotia Health is offering a virtual option for people coming to the hospital with urgent, non-life-threatening health issues. Virtual Urgent Care is not a replacement for the local emergency department but will be particularly helpful during times when the local emergency department is temporarily closed.
Receiving urgent care virtually is simple, safe and confidential. At times when virtual urgent care is offered, patients will be assessed by on-site triage staff and register as usual.
Some examples of what may be able to be seen through a virtual appointment include:
You can find locations and hours of operation here.
Urgent Treatment Centres (UTC's) provide access to care for those with unexpected, non-life-threatening health concerns with appointments offered within one to two days.
Appointments are required and can be made by calling the numbers below:
Mobile primary care clinics address non-urgent health issues and are not an emergency service. The types of health concerns that may be addressed at these clinics include:
They can not order bloodwork or diagnostic imaging (ex, xRay, ultrasound, etc), provide immunizations, or complete medical forms (unless indicated here). You can find the scheduled locations and access information for upcoming Mobile Primary Care Clinics here.
Community Pharmacy Primary Care Clinics are available widely across the entire province. These pharmacist-led clinics will provide an extended suite of pharmacy primary care services at no charge to people with a valid Nova Scotia Health Card.
Appointments are required and can be booked here. You can usually get an appointment within a day or two.
Sexual Health Clinics offer confidential, inclusive, and accessible sexual health care services for Nova Scotians.
They are not primary care clinics, and the services offered at each clinic across the province may vary. There is no cost associated with visiting a clinic.
In Nova Scotia, if you have recently been diagnosed with diabetes or need more help to build your self-management skills, a physician or nurse practitioner can refer you to a Diabetes Centre near you.
Diabetes Centres (DC) are located across Nova Scotia. They vary in hours of operation from full-time to part-time. A number offer satellite services to smaller communities.
Diabetes Educators support patients living with diabetes by conducting person-centered assessments, and providing self-management education, skill building, and empowerment to meet goals set collaboratively by the patients and their care teams. Diabetes Educators help patients choose interventions (pharmacological, nutrition, physical activity, psycho-social, technology) that fit with their lifestyle and reduce disease progression and complications. Our teams offer follow-up to monitor and reevaluate care plans to support patients on their diabetes journey.
Click here to learn more about Diabetes Centres and find a location near you.
prideHealth supports Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual (2SLGBTQIA+) people by improving their access to safe, coordinated, comprehensive and culturally appropriate primary health care. We support individuals, families and NSH/IWK staff to promote health equity and affirming care.
prideHealth is a partnership between Nova Scotia Health and IWK Health.
prideHealth provides the following services for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community:
To request navigation support, contact the Wellness Navigators by phone or email:
902-487-0470
prideHealth@nshealth.ca
View more information and resources here.
Public Health Mobile Unit (PHMU) is a team of healthcare professionals who travel across Nova Scotia in specially equipped vans, bringing Public Health services directly to communities.
Whether it's vaccinations, testing or helping people find the health services they need, PHMU makes it easier for Nova Scotians to access care close to home.
Learn more at Public Health Mobile Unit.
Call 811 to speak with a registered nurse for health care advice, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Also, there is information on more than 500 health topics at: 811.NovaScotia.ca.
*During busy times a nurse may not be available right away. In those cases, a Telehealth Associate will take your information, and a nurse will call you back. This may take several hours during peak activity periods.
Well Woman Clinics offer a variety of health-related services and health education, delivered by a female doctor or nurse. The services and days and hours of operation vary by clinic.
No referral is required.
A full list of Well Women Clinic locations across Nova Scotia can be found on the YourHealthNS website.
You can visit any of NSH's Emergency Departments when you require primary care during their regular hours of operation.
Visiting the emergency department will often require long wait times, and more urgent cases are always treated as a priority. If your primary care care issue isn't life threatening, the emergency department may not be the best choice for you to access primary care.
Click the button below if you would like to start over and complete the Accessing Primary Care questionnaire with different answers.