Edmonton – Twenty-four new Family Care Clinics (FCCs) will soon open up in communities around the province.
The Redford government made the announcement Tuesday morning as part of its ‘Building Alberta Plan.’
“Our government made a commitment to Albertans that we would increase access to primary health care, and we are doing just that,” said Premier Alison Redford in a government media release.
The government says the 24 communities – including Edmonton, which will see three new clinics – have been chosen based on need and readiness to implement a FCC.
The province is releasing reference manuals about Family Care Clinics and health studies its conducted on each of the communities that will be home to a FCC.
“We’ve actually assembled all of the data we have about need in each of these communities. The reference manual sets out what the core services are that are to be provided by FCCs,” says Health Minister Fred Horne.
FCCs focus on non-emergency primary health care services, including diagnosis and treatment of illness, screening, and immunization.
Three pilot clinics are already open in Slave Lake, Edmonton, and Calgary.
Unlike the existing system of Primary Care Networks, which are more physician-focused, Family Care Clinics operate through a partnership of health care professionals.
“Physicians don’t necessarily have to be the gatekeeper to the health care system,” said the Slave Lake clinic manager, Johan van der Nest. “There are so many other health professionals that we are under-utilizing, and this model gives us the opportunity to use everybody to the maximum capacity.”
In Slave Lake’s Family Care Clinic, there are nurses, a social worker, dietitians, and physiotherapists amongst other health professionals – all working together with the goal of making health care more accessible to residents.
So far, the model appears to be working in Slave Lake. The number of people making non-emergency visits to the Slave Lake Hospital ER is down 20 per cent since the clinic opened.
Patients also had to wait weeks in some cases to see a doctor; now it’s same-day service thanks to hours extended into the evening and weekends.
NDP leader, Brian Mason is pleased with Tuesday’s announcement in general, but he is concerned with the government’s election promise to create 140 FCCs across Alberta. Mason believes creating that’s too many and it create an overlap between FCCs and Primary Care Networks.
“They offer many of the same services, and there is a very wide network of PCNs already in place. So I don’t see any way you can create 140 without creating duplication,” explains Mason.
Mason is also concerned Tuesday’s announcement means the government will close hospitals in some of the smaller rural communities that will soon be home to a FCC.
“A number of the communities listed on this list have small rural hospitals that the government has in the past attempted to close,” says Mason. “For Example, Beaverlodge. I think it’s very clear to me that the development of a Family Care Clinic in Beaverlodge probably means the government’s intention of closing their hospital.”
The government says it has budgeted $50 million this year to support development of the Family Care Clinics.
For more information on the FCC process, visit www.health.alberta.ca.