Know your options for care during the holidays
December 22, 2025
As we head into the heart of the holiday season where service reductions and closures are common, we are sharing the different medical care options that will be available across our community, because we know unexpected health events won’t wait for the New Year!
Emergency and urgent care options:
- If you have a medical emergency, do not delay seeking care. Please phone 911 or go directly to your nearest Emergency Department immediately.
- Our Emergency Departments (EDs) are open 24/7, but please be aware that the holidays are often when our EDs experience their highest volumes of the year. Those who do not require emergency care for illnesses or injuries may face potentially long wait times, as the most critically ill patients will be seen first. To help you prepare for a visit, current estimated wait times for non-urgent and non-emergent concerns are always available on our public website.
- Please note that due to limited space during busy respiratory season, only one care partner per patient is allowed in the Children's Hospital Emergency Department waiting room. Once a patient has a bed space additional care partners are welcome to join so that they are able to be part of care conversations.
- Remember that Virtual Urgent Care might be appropriate for you (or a family member) if you have a medical issue that is NOT life-threatening but requires urgent medical attention and you’re unable to access timely care through a primary care provider. Adult and paediatric appointments can be booked online.
Expect the unexpected: Prepare in advance for non-emergency/non-urgent health care needs
In addition to the above, you can give yourself the gift of peace of mind by taking the following quick steps to help ensure you are ready to meet your non-emergency/non-urgent health-care needs throughout the holiday period.
- Renew your current prescriptions ahead of time to ensure you have enough to carry you through the holiday period.
- Make a notation of any hour changes to your primary care provider’s office, your family health team’s after-hours urgent care option, and any related on-call service availability.
- For a number of common ailments, you may be able to seek care from a pharmacist in select pharmacy locations that will be open to support our community during the holidays. Make a note of what locations will be open near you.
- Know the location and contact information for nearby walk-in or urgent care clinics.