Helping people access healthcare / Asistiendo a gente acceder a servicios de salud
Who We Are
Ya Estoy Aquí Healthcare Collective helps newcomers in Toronto who don’t have OHIP find healthcare.
Some of us have faced the same challenges: waiting for hours in emergency rooms, being turned away, or not knowing where to go. We are people with IFHP, international students, people living with expired or no immigration status. We are also nurses and designers who live and work in the community.
We offer clear, trusted help through our healthcare navigation manuals, social media, and community referrals. Our work is based on relationships, lived experience, and care.
What We Do
Help you find clinics that accept IFHP, UHIP, or no insurance
Connect you to trusted interpreters and community support
Share honest, safe steps to get the care you need
Healthcare Navigation Manuals
Ya Estoy Aqui – Healthcare Navigation Manual (English – v1.3) (PDF)
For people living in Toronto with expired or no immigration status. This manual is a special tribute to the Latinx community, but has great resources for all community members.
Sorry, I’m New Here – Healthcare Navigation Manual Vol. 2 (PDF)
For people living in Toronto without OHIP and the service providers who support them.
Ya Estoy Aqui – Healthcare Navigation Manual (Español – v1.3) (PDF)
Para las personas que viven en Toronto con estatus migratorio expirado o sin estatus. Este manual es un homenaje especial a la comunidad Latinx, pero tiene excelentes recursos para todos los individuos viviendiendo en la ciudad.
Sorry, I’m New Here – Healthcare Navigation Manual Vol. 2 [Pocket Guide] (PDF)
Condensed version of the original navigation manual. For people living in Toronto without OHIP and the service providers who support them.
Why It Matters
Newcomers often face barriers that go beyond language: rejection, confusion about insurance, and lack of safe places to ask questions.
True support for newcomers goes beyond simply providing resources, and trust can only be earned from genuine, ongoing connections. To truly break down barriers, services must be shaped by the people who use them.
Our model is not neutral. It carries the voices, frustrations, and urgency of our own group members who have lived and are living with precarious immigration status as reflected in our work. We stand with them, because they have, and will always have, the final say on what we’re standing for.
