Waiting list already 7 months long at Toronto's new Environmental Health Clinic

Following the head set by Nova Scotia, Ontario now has a clinic devoted to the treatment of patients with "environmental illness." It opened in Toronto last year, and patients must be referred by their family physician and complete a 16-page previsit questionnaire. They receive a 3-hour assessment in which their medical history is explored, plus a full physical examination and blood and urine tests. Dr. Frank Foley, who heads the Toronto clinic, says his patients have seen from 8 to 10 health care professionals in the 2 years before their visit and most have been told the problem is "in your head." He says they need to "have their symptoms validated and their distress acknowledged."