A new mobile health clinic is working to increase public access to primary care in Toronto, and residents will start seeing them set up shop at public library locations across the city.
The new collaboration between University Health Network and the Toronto Public Library is aimed at helping people get the help they need, especially for those who are vulnerable like the homeless.
“There are thousands of people in the city having challenges to access primary care, basic health-care supports, social care and so what we saw is that we need to be moving towards meeting people where they’re at as a health system,” said Dr. Andrew Boozary, executive director of the Gattuso Centre for Social Medicine.
A “myriad of folks” have already been seen at the mobile centre, with Boozary saying they’ve met with youth with different health or mental health challenges, refugees, newcomers and more.
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The Sanderson branch of the library at Bathurst and Dundas streets was chosen as the initial pilot and Boozary said it was chosen because they were seeing a high level of health-care related calls, high rates of homelessness and higher rates of poverty. He added the proximity to Toronto Western Hospital was also a factor.
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“You could throw a stone from the door of the Sanderson branch to the emergency department,” he said. “It just seems so obvious for us to start with that partnership, again, given the neutral understanding of the needs of the community and also the proximity to some of the health-care resources as well.”
The program looks to provide “universal health care,” with a nurse practitioner, registered nurse and mobile health support representative on each team.
As of Tuesday, one mobile health clinic is in operation, running five days a week at the Sanderson branch which was identified as “high need.”
It was a “perfect opportunity” for the public library, with adult services senior manager Aly Velji saying it could help vulnerable populations.
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“Knowing that a lot of people are really kind of struggling with finding care supports or even health-care supports in their areas or even not knowing where to go, the library is a great place for everyone to come and get those supports,” said Velji. “So we’ve been able to kind of help a lot of individuals who are finding barriers in accessing those services.”
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The Sanderson branch was also chosen because a larger number of individuals accessed it that didn’t have connection to other primary care supports, Velji said.
Each van also provides more than just medical professionals, with Boozary showing Global News they contain all the medical supplies needed for examination and a full bed to do those exams.
The aim is to operate as a full-scale primary care clinic, with the hopes of alleviating pressure on emergency rooms.
No identification is required to access service, either, which Boozary said he’s hopeful will help rebuild trust in communities and ensure the most vulnerable are able to feel comfortable in visiting.
“It’s really to be as inviting and open an experience and for those conversations to happen and, hopefully, ongoing conversations,” he said.
—with files from Global News’ Megan King.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
