Dear Patient,

I regret to have to inform you that I will no longer be able to continue providing medical care to patients who reside outside of Ontario.

I am grateful for the trust you have placed in me as your healthcare provider these past years. Please know that this decision was not made lightly. Over the years, the administrative demands of my practice have grown significantly. The volume of work outside of office hours has become unsustainable. Despite my best efforts to continue on, including bringing on additional physicians, I find myself at a juncture where I must reduce the size of my practice.

Consequently, all patients who reside outside of Ontario will be discharged from my practice as of August 1st, 2024.

Due to a shortage of doctors in Ontario, the ByWard FHT will unfortunately not be able to accommodate patients seeking to register with another provider.

To send a copy of your medical records to another facility, via fax or mail please contact ByWard FHT directly. Note that your written authorization is required to release your medical records and an administrative fee for this uninsured service will apply. A consent to release personal health information can be found on the ByWard FHT website at: https://bywardfht.ca/our-clinic/forms/ .

For assistance in finding a new physician, RAMQ patients can visit the following websites:

• Cisss-Outaouais

https://cisss-outaouais.gouv.qc.ca/language/en/accessing-a-service/care-and-services-in-the-community/find-a-doctor

• CarnetSante
  https://carnetsante.gouv.qc.ca/aide/services/vous-inscrire-GAMF

Until July 31^st, 2024, ByWard FHT remains available to you for appointments. Please rest assured that any investigations (imaging, blood tests, etc.) that I have ordered or recommended remain valid (even if they are scheduled after August 1st, 2024). Please do not cancel any tests and continue with any planned follow-up blood or imaging tests. I will follow up on these specific results with you.

As of August 1st, 2024, the ByWard FHT will no longer be available to you for appointments. Therefore, for new medical concerns or routine follow-ups, please seek care at a walk-in clinic in the Ottawa and Gatineau area, such as Clinique Marleen Tasse or Appletree Medical Group. This includes prescription renewals, blood test requisitions, cancer screenings, and so forth.

Serving you these past years has been a privilege.

Sincerely,

Dr Maike-Svenja Milkereit, MD CCFP