(NC)—What you may not know about our health care system is that you have comprehensive health care options that include family health teams, nurse practitioners and urgent care centres. These different services provide care that will help curb ER wait times and improve access to primary care providers.

While family physicians and ER doctors continue to play an invaluable role in the health care system, nurses and other practitioners have taken on larger roles in delivering primary care. Ontarians are empowered to make the right choice based on their individual needs. Some of those choices are:

• 300 family health teams, with health care practitioners like nurse practitioners, dietitians and family doctors that provide care through one point of access;

• Expanded breast screening centres, with 155 clinics that provide women 50 plus with mammograms (without a referral from a doctor) to help detect breast cancer;

• 25 nurse practitioner-led clinics which will be open across the province by the spring of 2012;

• 15 urgent care centres in major cities help alleviate ER congestion and deliver fast and effective care;

• More than 100 community health centres that provide support and services for immigrants and ethnic communities to better navigate the health care system.

The Ontario government is using a modern, improved access to care approach to deliver health care to Ontarians. You now have more health care options available to you that provide enhanced individualized, patient-centered care.

You can visit www.ontario.ca/healthcareoptions to learn more about the options available in your community.