The IMAGINE Student-Run Clinic

Most individuals living in Ontario as Permanent Residents or Canadian Citizens don’t have to pay for any form of primary clinical healthcare, thanks to Canada’s universal healthcare policy and the use of provincial health insurance (OHIP). OHIP enables free visits to medical professionals in a range of settings from walk-in clinics to hospitals. For those who are beneficiaries of this free healthcare system, it may be easy to forget that there are individuals in Ontario, and across Canada, who do not qualify under current laws to use OHIP.

This unmet niche in the healthcare system is what prompted University of Toronto students to develop their own idea for a free healthcare clinic. Founded in 2010 through a collaboration between pharmacy and medical students, the Interprofessional Medical and Allied Groups for Improving Neighbourhood Environment (IMAGINE) student-run health clinic has become a community leader in addressing health inequalities in Toronto.

At the IMAGINE clinic, healthcare students from a variety of specialties get hands-on experience along with supervision from expert mentors. These professionals donate their time and efforts to fulfilling the centre’s goal of helping patients gain access to free, quality care outside of the provincial health insurance system. The clinic offers services in physiotherapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT), nursing, medicine, social work, and pharmacy. Current Co-Director and pharmacy student Mishaal Arshad asserts that the clinic staff are also able to “make referrals to dentists who subsidize care”.

These professionals donate their time and efforts to fulfilling the centre’s goal of helping patients gain access to free, quality care outside of the provincial health insurance system.

The client base for the clinic is primarily made up of individuals who do not have access to OHIP care, which includes refugees, illegal immigrants, as well as individuals and students who came to Canada with visas that are now expired. Continuing their pursuit of health equity, the clinic also provides easy healthcare access for individuals who are street-involved, engaged with local shelters, or facing other barriers to formal healthcare. The clinic is also stocked with its own basic pharmacy and is equipped with harm reduction kits.

Moreover, by offering physiotherapy and occupational therapy services that are not covered under provincial health insurance, the clinic also serves OHIP users who cannot afford therapy through regular channels. Due to the rotating schedules of the clinic’s professional volunteers, ongoing PT or OT services with them are not recommended, but for those without financial access to other forms of therapy, the clinic can be a necessity. The clinic team has gained widespread popularity in their PT and OT care, likely pointing to a critically unmet need for individuals who may have never been able to previously access therapy services.

Arshad says that she chose to join the clinic after noticing gaps in Canadian universal healthcare accessibility and asking herself how she could best give back to her community outside of regular professional practice. Many volunteers become involved with the clinic for similar reasons. Aside from the executive team, the clinical student volunteers change every month, and the clinic operates on Saturdays from ten in the morning  to two in the afternoon.

Though most clients come from the downtown core, especially  around the Queen and Bathurst clinic location,  the clinic also serves patients from around the Greater Toronto Area. Clients often come to the clinic by referrals from local hospitals, social workers, and even lawyers who know of the clinic’s services. This creates a valuable option for professionals who come across patients without OHIP or ID, and thus Arshad says, “Instead of having patients pay out of pocket, they are being referred here. We have an open door policy for all referrals, and we are excited to continue growing our institutional relationships.”

The group also has a commitment to providing care that is community-appropriate. Initially, the team offered periods of dietetic programs, however this was later cut after realizing that the food recommendations were not always financially viable for their low-income clients. This issue has been noted in other practices focused on reducing health inequalities, including that of Dr. Jeff Brenner with the Camden Coalition in America.

“We have an open door policy for all referrals, and we are excited to continue growing our institutional relationships.”

Alongside the plethora of clinical health services offered, the IMAGINE team has also branched into health promotion by teaching workshops at shelters around the city. These themed workshops cover a wide range of topics, from dealing with bed bugs to enhancing sexual health. Just this year, the group hosted a citywide conference on harm reduction strategies.

The IMAGINE clinic also offers students who are aspiring towards graduate level health professional programs the opportunity to connect with and shadow experienced healthcare professionals. In addition, the team is exploring new ways that younger students can get involved in health promotion and clinic user research in the future.

Currently, the clinic operates on a tight budget funded by a few University of Toronto grants, however the annual grant application process hinders the team’s ability to plan for future growth and operate sustainably. For this reason, financial support from the community is essential to the clinic’s mission.

In the next few years, the team hopes to continue expanding the IMAGINE mission, whether by enhancing services offered, opening more locations, or both. For now, the clinic is busy with their six main health services and is focused on providing the best possible level of care, but Arshad says she would like to see the team “continue to foster partnerships in the community, while leading new student initiatives to increase accessibility to healthcare.”

You can donate online through the Central Toronto Community Health Centre website where you can include a note that you are specifically supporting the IMAGINE Clinic. More information can also be found on the clinic website.

By Joanna Dowdell  


Joanna is a health and justice advocate from Toronto. She works on disability research and HIV prevention with the University of Toronto, and has conducted projects in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, and First Nations communities in Alberta. Joanna also recently received a health equity award from Harvard University for her work in women’s health.
This article is an “Equity in the City” feature, a Health & Science event that sheds light on health centres that cater to marginalized populations in the City of Toronto, Canada.

Please note that opinions expressed are the author’s own. They do not necessarily reflect the views and values of The Blank Page.