In the Nov. 8 issue of the Leader we stated that it is time for health professionals to form a Patient Care Network (PCN).
It is something we still believe the medical professionals in this community should be working towards. And when the day comes that Barrhead does have its own PCN we have a suggestion about what its first project should be — a walk-in clinic.
To refresh our readers’ memory, PCNs are an initiative that was started by the provincial government in 2003 along with the Alberta Medical Association and Alberta’s Regional Health Authorities (now Alberta Health Services) to improve access to family physicians and other frontline health care providers.
And what would improve access to those health care providers more than a walk-in clinic? After all family physicians are the gatekeepers of the medical profession. They are the ones that first diagnose the issue and then, if necessary refer you to a specialist. It all starts with our local doctors.
Unfortunately, in Barrhead, as in many small communities, it can often be difficult, if not impossible, to see a general practitioner for a wide variety of reasons, hours and patient backlog being at the top of the list.
In Barrhead, we are fortunate to have two medical clinics, both having a handful of doctors, which isn’t bad. Many communities have to make due with far less. That being said it still means often it can be a long wait before a person is able to schedule an appointment with their family doctor, especially factoring the hours the clinics are open and a person’s own schedule.
As a result, people having no other option are forced to go to the emergency room at a considerably greater cost to the health care system.
So what is the solution? Rita Lyster, a local pharmacist and member of the town’s basically defunct Physician Recruitment and Retention Committee believes a revised committee and a PCN could help.
Although we believe the committee should be revived, even if it was, it would still be difficult for Barrhead to compete with other municipalities, which offer incentives such as a $50,000 interest-free loan for doctors to come and set up a practice in their communities.
Until more family doctors do decide to come to Barrhead, it is unlikely we will see a traditional walk-in clinic and the status quo will remain.
However, as a temporary solution, we hope our two medical clinics will consider extending their hours for one or two days a week for the express purpose of seeing walk-in patients on a rotating basis between the two on a weekly basis.
It may not be a perfect solution, but it might work in the short-term.
