We think it’s time for Barrhead to form, or join, a primary care network (PCN).
The majority of municipalities surrounding Barrhead are active participants of such networks, and our neighbours in Westlock have their own, Aspen PCN.
As you may recall from the Sept. 6 issue of the Barrhead Leader, both pharmacist Rita Lyster and Aspen PCN executive director Luke Brimmage weighed in on the lack of a network in our area.
The purpose of a PCN is to allow doctors and physicians to share knowledge, insight and to give advice to one another, or even step in and take over for a colleague at their request.
Sounds like a good idea right?
Were Barrhead to involve itself with an existing PCN such as Westlock, as has been suggested by both Lyster and Brimmage, they believe it would lighten the caseload of our existing doctors and physicians.
An extra pair of hands is an extra pair of hands after all.
According to Lyster, our community is about to face a similar crisis to the one experienced in 2007 — our two clinics are well staffed and so too is our area hospital, but the general practicioners that operate out of these facilities are doing double duty.
Lyster says our doctors are burning out.
As far as the staff of the Barrhead Leader is aware, primary care networks such as Aspen are not detrimental to any single physician’s practice and only serve to shore up the weak spots in times of crisis or other emergencies.
One of the aspects of the modernized version of the Hippocratic Oath, sworn by all health care professionals at the time of their graduation, is that one should not be ashamed to say “I know not” and seek the counsel of a colleague when the skills of another are required.
Despite several attempts by the Leader to connect with our local doctors — made in September as well as this week, none have made a comment, either on or off the record.
Doctors are not obligated to join a PCN.
Other options for our community include hiring more doctors or allocating space for, and setting up, a walk-in clinic in the area.
While both are good ideas, the former can lead to bidding wars with other municipalities over prospective hires and the latter is at best, a “band-aid” solution.
The reality, if Lyster is to be believed, is that we are facing a crisis.
If indeed that is the case, it is time we get proactive.
