How EYRND OHT Built After-Hours Access: The Central Region Virtual Urgent Care Clinic and Community Health Clinics

Most conversations about OHT innovation focus on attachment. The Eastern York Region North Durham OHT (EYRND OHT) tackled the other half of the access problem: what happens when people need care today and the family doctor's schedule — or the lack of a family doctor — can't absorb it.

A virtual clinic with regional reach

In partnership with Oak Valley Health and Ontario Health, EYRND OHT operates the Central Region Virtual Urgent Care Clinic (VUCC): a nurse practitioner-led virtual clinic running daily from 1 to 9 p.m., including statutory holidays, for urgent, non-life-threatening conditions. Launched in July 2023, it has served communities from Mississauga to Huntsville and Orangeville to Markham — booked entirely online, with appointments available to anyone in the Central Region, attached or not. (Full disclosure: the VUCC's online booking runs on Empower Health's platform — this is a program we're proud to power.)

Bricks and mortar where it's needed

The virtual clinic is paired with in-person Community Health Clinics in Stouffville and Uxbridge offering same-day and next-day appointments — including a children's rapid access stream in Stouffville with providers who specialize in paediatric care. Together, the CHCs and VUCC give the region an urgent-care ladder that doesn't start at the emergency department.

“One of the greatest values of being part of an OHT is the opportunity to see the tangible impact of our team's work — such as Community Health Clinics and the Virtual Urgent Care Clinic. Witnessing our planning come to life and knowing we're helping individuals in our community is incredibly rewarding.”

— Joyce Wong, Interim Manager, EYRND OHT

What other OHTs can borrow

Three design choices stand out. First, nurse practitioner-led delivery made the model staffable at regional scale. Second, self-serve online booking as the only front door meant no regional call centre had to be built — patients book their own slot, and capacity is visible in real time. Third, integration with OHT partners lets the clinic hand patients back to primary care and community services rather than becoming another silo. With the Primary Care Act, 2025 now pushing every OHT toward universal attachment, EYRND is also working with partners on connecting unattached residents to providers — the natural next chapter.

Sources & further reading

• EYRND OHT — Virtual Urgent Care Clinic
• EYRND OHT — Community Health Clinics (Stouffville & Uxbridge)
• Central Region VUCC — media kit and program overview
• Oak Valley Health — From vision to action: Joyce Wong on EYRND OHT
• Oak Valley Health — Virtual care and regional programs