WINNIPEG – Manitoba is hiring 50 new health-care professionals to help lighten the workload of family doctors so they can see more patients.
Nurse practitioners and physician assistants will help the province reach its goal of a family doctor for every Manitoban by 2015, Health Minister Erin Selby said.
The first of 14 “My Health Teams,” which bring together various physical and mental health professionals to provide collaborative care and prevention, will be established in Steinbach in spring.
Team members could include doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, midwives, dietitians, mental-health professionals or pharmacists, based on the needs of specific populations.
About 80 per cent of Manitobans have a family doctor, Selby said.
Dr. Mark Duerkson, a family doctor in Steinbach, said the biggest positive is the team takes into account the community’s local health needs.
“Our clinic will be collaborating on a more intentional level with other health-care providers in the areas of chronic disease nursing, mental health, public health and dietitian services.
“This collaboration will occur through a shared electronic medical record, which will improve the scheduling process for patients, provide ready access to important patient health information, improve communication between providers and form a basis for inter-professional continuing medical education,” Duerkson said.
— CJOB
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