How to refer your patient

AccessMHA is a coordinated point of service access for your patient’s mental health, substance use health and addiction needs. A referral to AccessMHA provides access to a suite of services, removing the guesswork of knowing where to refer your patient. A staff member will assess your patient’s situation and will match them to appropriate services. If an appropriate service does not exist within our network, the AccessMHA staff will help connect them with other local services that might be a better fit.


To refer your patient, please fill out the AccessMHA referral form through Ocean Health Map or click the button below.

Refer your patient through Ocean portal

Current Service Area for Ocean Referrals

How it Works

Refer through Ocean portal or online referral form

AccessMHA staff member assesses patient's needs

AccessMHA matches patient to services or helps them find appropriate services

Physician/ Nurse Practitioner is informed of outcome

Resources for Professionals

Still have questions? Please see  FAQ for Professionals.

Resource Description Contact Information
Health Quality Ontario Standards of Care Quality standards outline for clinicians and patients what quality care looks like. There is a focus on conditions or topics where there are large variations in how care is delivered, or where there are gaps between the care provided in Ontario and the care patients should receive. www.hqontario.ca QualityStandards@HQOntario.ca
Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Evidence-based approach to identifying patients who use alcohol and other drugs at risky levels with the goal of reducing and preventing related health consequences, disease, accidents and injuries. https://www.ccsa.ca/resources-alcohol
META:PHI A provincial initiative to support health care providers in treating people struggling with substance use health disorders. Provides simple tools and references for clinicians working with people with substance use health disorders in the emergency department and primary care settings. www.metaphi.ca/provider-tools.html
MacHealth Opioids Clinical Primer This online CME program provides an overview of key concepts and skills for physicians and clinicians facing common challenges in the management of patients with chronic pain, including reducing the risks of opioids and addressing opioid use disorder. https://machealth.ca/programs/opioids_clinical_primer/
Suboxone CME course 6 training modules in total, with an estimated completion time of one hour per module. www.suboxonetrainingprogram.ca/en
Addiction Care and Treatment Online Certificate The Addiction Care and Treatment Online Certificate is a free online certificate course targeted at health care professionals interested in learning more about providing care to patients with various substance use health disorders, including alcohol, tobacco, stimulants, cannabis, and opioids. www.bccsu.ca/about-the-addiction-care-and-treatment-online-certificate
Incorporating alcohol pharmacotherapies into medical practice: A treatment improvement protocol (TIP-49) Provides the basic information, evidence- and consensus-based guidelines, tools, and resources necessary to help healthcare practitioners treat patients with Alcohol Use Disorders. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64041
Project ECHO Project ECHO links expert inter-professional teams at an academic hub with primary care providers in local communities. Primary care providers become part of a learning and support community, where they receive mentoring and feedback from the team of experts. www.echoontario.ca
CAMH Portico Portico Network is a resource for mental health and addiction professionals and people who encounter mental health and addictions in their daily work. The available evidence-based information, tools, toolkits, videos and podcasts are designed to inform and support day-to-day practice. www.porticonetwork.ca/en
Medical Mentoring for Addictions and Pain network MMAP connects family physician mentees to mentor physicians with expertise in chronic pain and addictions who provide advice and support in the areas of diagnosis, psychotherapy and pharmacology to help members navigate the complexity and growing public health concerns in managing chronic pain. https://www.ontariofamilyphysicians.ca/education/collaborative-mentoring-networks/medical-mentoring-for-addictions-and-pain-mmap
Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments The Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) is a network of academic and clinical experts that provide up-to-date scientific information, treatment guidelines and educational activities for health professionals, and clear and useful information about symptoms and treatments for patients and families. https://www.canmat.org/
Oxford Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma Resources Oxford Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma (OxCADAT) aims to improve the understanding and treatment of anxiety disorders and offers resources for therapists. https://oxcadatresources.com/
Canadian ADHD Resource Alliance Independent, not-for-profit, resource organization for medical, healthcare and research professionals with an interest in the field of ADHD https://www.caddra.ca/
Ottawa Depression Algorithm An online depression algorithm for primary care professionals (such as family physicians and nurse practitioners) in the treatment of adult depression at point of care. It helps you assess, diagnosis and manage your patient. Should you decide to refer, it has information and links to local resources. https://ottawadepressionalgorithm.ca/en/start
Collaborative Mental Health Network CMHN links family physicians from across the province with GP Psychotherapist and Psychiatrist Mentors in collaborative relationships to facilitate access to case-by-case support and ongoing continuing professional development. https://www.ontariofamilyphysicians.ca/education/collaborative-mentoring-networks/collaborative-mental-health-network
Ottawa Anxiety Algorithm An online anxiety algorithm for primary care professionals (such as family physicians and nurse practitioners) in the treatment of adult anxiety at point of care. It helps you assess, diagnosis and manage your patient. Should you decide to refer, it has information and links to local resources. https://ottawaanxietyalgorithm.ca/en/start

Screening Measures

Resource Description Contact Information
Substance use health- CAGE Screening measure to identify alcohol-related problems. www.hopkinsmedicine.org/johns_hopkins_healthcare/downloads/CAGE%20Substance%20Screening%20Tool.pdf
Substance use health - MAST Screening measure for alcohol-related problems. https://counsellingresource.com/quizzes/drug-testing/alcohol-mast/
Drug Screening Questionnaire (DAST) Screening measure for substance use health in the past 12 months. www.sbirtoregon.org/wp-content/uploads/DAST-English-pdf.pdf
Substance use health - AUDIT Screening measure for alcohol consumption, drinking behaviours, and alcohol-related problems. https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/Audit.pdf
Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Screening measure for depressive symptoms. https://www.ementalhealth.ca/index.php?m=survey&ID=42
Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale Screening measure for anxiety symptoms. https://www.ementalhealth.ca/index.php?m=survey&ID=3

FAQs for Professionals

  • Do you serve all levels of mental health/substance use health (mild, moderate, severe)?

    Yes, we serve all levels of mental health/substance use health.

  • What geographic area do you serve?

    We cover parts of eastern Ontario, please look at our current service areas for more detailed information

  • What are the suite of services?

    The AccessMHA network includes a wide range of options to match your patient’s needs. Services include individual and group counselling, psychotherapy, psychiatric consults, substance treatment programs, peer support, and more. Please see our list of partners and core collaborating agencies for more information.

  • What should my patient expect during the assessment appointment? (i.e. how long, what is asked)

    An AccessMHA staff member will meet with your patient to discuss their needs/goals. There will be an initial short screening call that takes approximately 15 minutes. If further information is necessary to determine which service to match your patient to, a longer assessment appointment will be booked. The duration of this appointment can vary but could be up to 1 hour.

  • How long will my patient wait for their assessment?

    If you are using the AccessMHA.ca self-referral form, you can help your patient book directly into an assessment appointment for a date and time that works for them. If referring via Ocean, an AccessMHA staff member will be in contact with your patient to book a screening call. Most clients can select an intake appointment within 2 weeks of their self-referral, however assessment availability will depend on the volume of referrals and patient availability for the call.

  • What if my patient is under 16 years of age?

    If your patient is under 16 years of age please continue to use your existing referral practices for now. You can consult the resources for youth below. 


    For Champlain: 

    • Contact 1Call1Click.ca and they will help connect them to the service they need.

    For South East: 


  • How will I be notified of the outcome of my referral?

    If you refer via Ocean, updates will be provided through the platform, similar to other Ocean eReferrals. If referring via the public referral form, a letter will be sent to you by mail or fax regarding recommendations and next steps for your patient.

  • Why should I refer patients to AccessMHA?

    AccessMHA takes the guesswork out of where to refer your patient. Available services, referral processes and wait times are constantly changing, making it challenging for healthcare professionals trying to find the right service for your patient. With one referral, you can help to connect your patient with one or more services that will match their needs.

  • Clinicians have the option of referring patients though Ocean or using the public referral form. The patient can fill out the referral form themselves at home. Which pathway is recommended?

    We recommend that you make a referral on behalf of your patients who come to you for mental health and addictions support as some services can only be accessed with a physician or nurse practitioner referral.


    Ocean can auto-populate the form from your EMR if you have access to it, and allows two way communication with AccessMHA, so you will receive more information about services your patient has been connected with.


    If you don’t have access to Ocean within your EMR, you can still access the professional form at www.oceanhealthmap.ca. When using this method, you may notice that the questions differ slightly from the public referral form. Additionally you will receive feedback via email rather than paper or fax.

Feedback/Suggestions

If you have a question, concern or would like to provide feedback please email primarycaresupport@accessmha.ca with a direct phone number where you can be reached. Please do not include any patient’s personal health information in your email. 


Help with a recent referral

If you have recently referred a patient to AccessMHA, you can provide them with a link to this next steps handout in English or French to let them know what to expect. If you’d rather print off copies for your office, you can find black and white versions in English and French.


To inquire about an existing referral, please use the direct messaging feature in Ocean. This ensures protection of your patient’s personal health information. Learn more about how this feature works here.


If you are inquiring about a recent referral submitted outside of Ocean, please email

primarycaresupport@accessmha.ca with a direct phone number where you can be reached, so our team can securely follow up on the referral.