The provincial government has identified the Athabasca/Boyle area as one of the top 24 communities throughout the province that needs better primary healthcare, as part of its Building Alberta Plan.
This could qualify the area for one, if not two, family care clinics (FCCs), provided an expression of interest is submitted and approved.
ìFCCs are local, team-based primary health care delivery organizations that provide individual and family-focused primary health care services that are tailored to meet the health needs of a community,î according to the Alberta Health website.
ìClinic staff coordinate a comprehensive range of primary health care services that cover an individualís entire lifespan.î
The Ministry of Health is looking for an expression of interest from the identified communities by June 21.
ìOur goal is to make sure every Albertan has a home in the health care system, and Family Care Clinics are another way to make that happen by giving people timely access to a health care team close to home,î said Health Minister Fred Horne in a press release.
ìCommunity-led FCCs will complement the existing physician-led Primary Care Networks to meet Albertansí health and social needs.î
The ìAthabasca/Boyleî area is identified on the list of areas that should potentially receive the FCC, and because areas with ìmajor Alberta universitiesî would also qualify, the Athabasca/Boyle area could prospectively get a second FCC.
A conference call was arranged by Athabasca-Sturgeon-Redwater Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Jeff Johnson last Wednesday.
Taking part in the call was Athabasca County Reeve David Yurdiga, county councillors Doris Splane and Christine Bilsky, Athabasca Mayor Roger Morrill, associate superintendent of Aspen View School Division Derm Madden and Mabel Dick, chair of the Athabasca Physician Recruitment Committee.
It has not been decided whether an FCC would be a satellite facility or possibly integrated into one of the local medical facilities, said Johnson.
Yurdiga said it is prudent for ìall of the communities involved, like Boyle, the county and the town (not to have) a competing interest for this. Itís for the region as a whole. I think communication between the three entities is very important.î
FCC resources could potentially be spread out throughout the region.
ìThe models that weíre looking at can have a co-location, but can also have linkages,î said Line Porfon, executive director for acute and emergency services branch at the Ministry of Health.
ìMaybe you have the major piece of it in Athabasca, and put a smaller piece of it in Boyle. There are all kinds of options. Weíre certainly not boxing any community in around what weíre looking for.î
Porfon said that pilot studies showed that, in order to encourage medical professionals to come out into the smaller communities, ìmany professionals want to be part of an interdisciplinary team, so it is actually a better carrot to have people come into these communities.î
She said that young medical professionals emerging from school are looking for a ìwork-life balanceî instead of being stuck with the operational responsibility of owning their own clinic.î
Morrill noted it still would not be easy to attract new doctors, however.
ìThat all sounds attractive, butÖ guess what? We still have to compete with the lifestyle attractiveness of the cities, and there still is a reason why rural communities are having to, in essence, buy new doctors coming into the community,î said Morrill.
ìI know it sounds good, but I think weíre going to have to see some concrete detail on this for our community, and also to see what the expectations are for the financing of this, and whoís going to pick it up.î
Nevertheless, itís great news for the community, according to Johnson.
ìWe just need to get the implementation team out to start working with our community to help define how this thing could look and how it could be governed, but itís got the potential to be a significant investment in primary care in our region, and increase access and increase the scope of (medical) practice for some of the folks that we have to do that for,î said Johnson.
Athabasca County councillor Doris Splane said, ìComing from a healthcare background (as a nurse) Ö I can see this really decreasing the outpatient visits, which is a good thing. Thatís my biggest issue because of (the dangers of) Highway 63 and the amount of accidents we deal with at the emergency department in Boyle. How are those going to be dealt with?î
Porfon responded, ìWe want to maintain our urgent care, we want to maintain emergency care, so definitely that Ö should be the focus of the hospitals, so the intent of the FCC is to take the pressure off, so that you have better response times in your hospital,î adding that the implementation team will have a more specific response.
She said the capital expenditures going into the development of the FCCs will not necessarily translate to standalone buildings but could include renovations and other means of integration.
Athabasca County councillor Christine Bilsky asked specifically about the possibility of the area qualifying for a second FCC since the area is home to a major Alberta university.
Dick said she would be following up with the university, and Morrill responded that the prospect will ìdefinitely not be lost on usî and it would be followed through.
ìOur government made a commitment to Albertans that we would increase access to primary health care, and we are doing just that,î said Premier Alison Redford during a statement last Tuesday.
ìWe are working with physicians and other health care providers on how primary care evolves in the future, and part of that work is moving forward with Family Care Clinics. Today is the next step in fulfilling our commitment.î
