The Blue Door Clinic at Casey House provides free primary health care services for uninsured and precariously insured people living with HIV in the Greater Toronto Area. Clients at Blue Door Clinic are not eligible for the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) or for the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) and are therefore unable to access healthcare easily. Examples of populations with temporary immigration status include people who are newcomers, refugees, international students, and migrant workers. It was originally founded as a grassroots project between multiple local community partners, and today, in addition to permanent staff it continues to be supported by clinicians from some of its founding organizations.
Care from Blue Door Clinic is truly personalized for each client. Appointments are scheduled for a minimum of 90 minutes to ensure clients have enough time to see multiple clinicians and address their health concerns. Delivering care through an HIV-primary-care model means that clients receive holistic support for any physical and mental health conditions, in addition to routine management of an HIV infection. This appointment format is especially helpful for individuals coping with a new HIV diagnosis, those with multiple health conditions, and people who require language interpretation.
Providing support and a listening ear to someone in their preferred language can be a huge comfort. Some staff speak more than one language and there are peer workers who provide language support as well. Peers also share empathy and their experiences with Canadian health care, the immigration process, or mutual personal challenges, especially during a client’s first visit. For many clients, their initial visit can come with anxiety about their health conditions, social stigmas, and confusion about navigating the new health care system ahead.
“I really like to provide care with cultural sensitivity. To everybody who comes to Blue Door Clinic and worries about how this is going to work, I tell them, ‘Don’t worry. I have been where you are, and we’re going to take care of everything.’ It’s nice that clients see someone who they can relate to and who speaks their language. Even when they book a follow up appointment, I want them to feel stability and comfort knowing they will see me again.”
– Program assistant, Blue Door Clinic
Services offered:
Case management
During an initial appointment, the case manager introduces clients to the clinic, explains the model of care, and the roles of the interdisciplinary team. Additionally, they support clients in navigating complex Canadian social service systems including immigration, health care, and social services.
Nurse practitioner
A nurse practitioner has an important role in the team, capable of key duties such as diagnosing, prescribing new medications, and ordering medical tests and diagnostics. Since Blue Door Clinic clients do not have health insurance, a nurse practitioner or physician provides essential interim primary care until clients can be connected to a long-term care provider. Many clients may discover their various diagnoses during the medical exam of the immigration process. Not only could they learn that they live with HIV, but they may also discover other ailments like hepatitis C, syphilis, diabetes, or anemia. Nurse practitioners can provide health education and resources to address each condition.
Casey House team
Blue Door Clinic clients have access to Casey House’s outpatient services. Clients may see specialists like our mental health clinician or physiotherapists. Nurses facilitate specimen collection for blood work and STI testing, as well as ensuring clients are up-to-date with vaccines and immunizations. The Blue Door team has also referred Blue Door Clinic clients to Casey House’s Inpatient unit for those requiring 24/7 health monitoring to stabilize their conditions.
Barriers to care:
Some clients have emigrated from environments with a high prevalence of HIV stigma. These communities may have deeply engrained erroneous beliefs that being HIV+ is a moral failing, and carrying the social burden of stigma can make taking the step to access care a difficult decision. Following a referral, the team at Blue Door Clinic combats these stigmas with a warm welcome on-site. Sometimes, all it takes is some meaningful time to build trust and a relationship before someone can truly thrive. The clinical lead recalls one client, who was initially too scared to be seen entering Casey House. After bringing them in through an alternate entrance and working with them over a year, that client is now a member of the Blue Door Clinic client advisory committee and feels comfortable providing feedback and bringing forward suggestions.
In addition to seeing a physician or nurse practitioner, accessing health care procedures can be costly and inaccessible for folks who do not have insurance. In Ontario, provincial standards of health care include recommended preventative testing in addition to standards for treatment. Blue Door Clinic does its best to combat these challenges by covering the cost of select procedures based on severity, or by connecting clients with compassionate care programs that provide free medications and medical reimbursement for specific procedures that require external referrals.
As Blue Door is expressly for people without access to health insurance, all clients eventually transition to permanent care provider, which as of fall 2026 can be at Casey House. Typically, by this time clients are on track to complete the Canadian immigration process and register for OHIP. Near this later stage, the case manager builds a transition plan that includes a six-month stabilization period as they connect clients to new health providers for HIV care, primary care, and more. These providers have more than the same services, they also have the same standards of compassionate care. Many clients stay within the Casey House ecosystem and continue accessing outpatient services.
The staff at Blue Door Clinic feel privileged to serve this diverse population.
“I really enjoy being a nurse practitioner with the Blue Door Clinic. The clients are a lovely group of humans from diverse backgrounds, who make my work very fulfilling.”
– Nurse practitioner, Blue Door Clinic
“Clients have so much wisdom that they bring from their lived experiences. As a provider, it’s a privileged to learn and care for them.”
– Case manager, Blue Door Clinic
With their health stabilized, clients are better positioned to thrive in their lives, careers, and education. Being able to make deep human connections through health care is a special skill and magic that happens every day at the Blue Door Clinic.
October 5, 2026
Inside outpatient care: Blue Door Clinic
The Blue Door Clinic at Casey House provides free primary health care services for uninsured and precariously insured people living with HIV in the Greater Toronto Area. Clients at Blue Door Clinic are not eligible for the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) or for the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) and are therefore unable to access healthcare easily. Examples of populations with temporary immigration status include people who are newcomers, refugees, international students, and migrant workers. It was originally founded as a grassroots project between multiple local community partners, and today, in addition to permanent staff it continues to be supported by clinicians from some of its founding organizations.
Care from Blue Door Clinic is truly personalized for each client. Appointments are scheduled for a minimum of 90 minutes to ensure clients have enough time to see multiple clinicians and address their health concerns. Delivering care through an HIV-primary-care model means that clients receive holistic support for any physical and mental health conditions, in addition to routine management of an HIV infection. This appointment format is especially helpful for individuals coping with a new HIV diagnosis, those with multiple health conditions, and people who require language interpretation.
Providing support and a listening ear to someone in their preferred language can be a huge comfort. Some staff speak more than one language and there are peer workers who provide language support as well. Peers also share empathy and their experiences with Canadian health care, the immigration process, or mutual personal challenges, especially during a client’s first visit. For many clients, their initial visit can come with anxiety about their health conditions, social stigmas, and confusion about navigating the new health care system ahead.
“I really like to provide care with cultural sensitivity. To everybody who comes to Blue Door Clinic and worries about how this is going to work, I tell them, ‘Don’t worry. I have been where you are, and we’re going to take care of everything.’ It’s nice that clients see someone who they can relate to and who speaks their language. Even when they book a follow up appointment, I want them to feel stability and comfort knowing they will see me again.”
– Program assistant, Blue Door Clinic
Services offered:
Case management
During an initial appointment, the case manager introduces clients to the clinic, explains the model of care, and the roles of the interdisciplinary team. Additionally, they support clients in navigating complex Canadian social service systems including immigration, health care, and social services.
Nurse practitioner
A nurse practitioner has an important role in the team, capable of key duties such as diagnosing, prescribing new medications, and ordering medical tests and diagnostics. Since Blue Door Clinic clients do not have health insurance, a nurse practitioner or physician provides essential interim primary care until clients can be connected to a long-term care provider. Many clients may discover their various diagnoses during the medical exam of the immigration process. Not only could they learn that they live with HIV, but they may also discover other ailments like hepatitis C, syphilis, diabetes, or anemia. Nurse practitioners can provide health education and resources to address each condition.
Casey House team
Blue Door Clinic clients have access to Casey House’s outpatient services. Clients may see specialists like our mental health clinician or physiotherapists. Nurses facilitate specimen collection for blood work and STI testing, as well as ensuring clients are up-to-date with vaccines and immunizations. The Blue Door team has also referred Blue Door Clinic clients to Casey House’s Inpatient unit for those requiring 24/7 health monitoring to stabilize their conditions.
Barriers to care:
Some clients have emigrated from environments with a high prevalence of HIV stigma. These communities may have deeply engrained erroneous beliefs that being HIV+ is a moral failing, and carrying the social burden of stigma can make taking the step to access care a difficult decision. Following a referral, the team at Blue Door Clinic combats these stigmas with a warm welcome on-site. Sometimes, all it takes is some meaningful time to build trust and a relationship before someone can truly thrive. The clinical lead recalls one client, who was initially too scared to be seen entering Casey House. After bringing them in through an alternate entrance and working with them over a year, that client is now a member of the Blue Door Clinic client advisory committee and feels comfortable providing feedback and bringing forward suggestions.
In addition to seeing a physician or nurse practitioner, accessing health care procedures can be costly and inaccessible for folks who do not have insurance. In Ontario, provincial standards of health care include recommended preventative testing in addition to standards for treatment. Blue Door Clinic does its best to combat these challenges by covering the cost of select procedures based on severity, or by connecting clients with compassionate care programs that provide free medications and medical reimbursement for specific procedures that require external referrals.
As Blue Door is expressly for people without access to health insurance, all clients eventually transition to permanent care provider, which as of fall 2026 can be at Casey House. Typically, by this time clients are on track to complete the Canadian immigration process and register for OHIP. Near this later stage, the case manager builds a transition plan that includes a six-month stabilization period as they connect clients to new health providers for HIV care, primary care, and more. These providers have more than the same services, they also have the same standards of compassionate care. Many clients stay within the Casey House ecosystem and continue accessing outpatient services.
The staff at Blue Door Clinic feel privileged to serve this diverse population.
“I really enjoy being a nurse practitioner with the Blue Door Clinic. The clients are a lovely group of humans from diverse backgrounds, who make my work very fulfilling.”
– Nurse practitioner, Blue Door Clinic
“Clients have so much wisdom that they bring from their lived experiences. As a provider, it’s a privileged to learn and care for them.”
– Case manager, Blue Door Clinic
With their health stabilized, clients are better positioned to thrive in their lives, careers, and education. Being able to make deep human connections through health care is a special skill and magic that happens every day at the Blue Door Clinic.
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