Primary care
Bloodwork, in the same building
Specimen collection happens here, as part of your appointment — not on a requisition you take somewhere else on another day.
Why this has its own page
Most of the care described on this site depends on recurring bloodwork. Hormone therapy needs monitoring. PrEP needs testing every three months. HIV care runs on viral load and CD4 results. Chronic conditions need periodic panels.
And the single most common way that monitoring stops happening is not refusal — it is the extra trip. A requisition handed over at the end of an appointment, to be taken somewhere else, during working hours, on a day you have not yet found.
Collecting the sample here turns two appointments into one. For care that depends on testing every three months, that is the difference between monitoring that happens and monitoring that is theoretically supposed to.
What that covers
- Hormone levels and the monitoring that goes with hormone therapy
- Baseline and follow-up testing for PrEP
- Viral load and CD4 monitoring
- HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B and C testing
- Kidney and liver function, lipids, blood count
- Diabetes and thyroid monitoring
- Pre-operative bloodwork for surgical assessments
- The ordinary panels any family practice orders
Swabs and urine samples for sexually transmitted infections are collected here too, and for most of those you can take the sample yourself in private — see testing.
What it’s like
You will be drawn by a person who does this all day, in a room with a door, under whatever name you have asked us to use in conversation. You will not be asked to explain your body to get a sample taken, and you will not have to hold a requisition listing your tests while you queue.
If needles are difficult for you — and for a lot of people they are, for reasons ranging from ordinary fear to past medical experiences that went badly — say so. Lying down, going slowly, not watching, and taking a break are all normal accommodations, not special treatment.
What this is not
This is a specimen collection service attached to a clinic, not a standalone commercial lab. Samples are processed by a licensed laboratory, and results come back to your clinician here.
You can still use any lab you prefer if that suits you better. If you are already established with one, a requisition works there exactly as it always has.
What it costs
Bloodwork ordered by a clinician here, for a covered indication, is covered by OHIP with a valid health card — as it is anywhere in Ontario. Collection is not billed to you separately.
A small number of tests are not publicly funded regardless of where they are done — certain tests requested for employment, immigration or insurance purposes among them. If what you need falls into that category we will tell you the fee before it is taken, not after.
Common questions
Do I need to fast?
For some tests, yes — lipids and glucose most commonly. We will tell you when booking, and if you have turned up unfasted for a test that needs it, that is usually rearrangeable rather than a wasted trip.
Do I need an appointment?
Usually your draw is part of the appointment you are already in. If you are coming back for repeat monitoring, we will tell you whether to book or just come in.
Can I get bloodwork here if my doctor is somewhere else?
That depends on arrangements that are not finalised yet, so we would rather not promise it before we can deliver it. It will be answered clearly here before we open.
How do I get my results?
Through your clinician here, who will explain what they mean rather than leaving you to interpret a number. How and when depends on the test, and we will tell you before you leave.
Which name will be on the sample?
Laboratory requisitions and health-card billing are bound to your legal name — that is a system constraint, not our preference. Everything within our control uses the name you use, and we will tell you plainly where the constraint applies rather than letting you find out at a counter.