Calgary doctor says 'new' family care clinics already exist

A Calgary doctor says that thefamily care clinics announced Thursdayby the Alberta government are very similar to primary care networks that already exist.

Still, Dr. Rick Ward is pleased the province supports the idea of one-stop health care.

At Wards Crowfoot Village Family Practice patients can see a nurse practitioner, dietician, psychologist or a doctor.

That structurewill be the basis for apilot project at three locations in the province.They will bein Calgary, Edmonton and Slave Lake.

Dr. Ward says hes glad the government is allocating money to create these clinics.

"From my perspective, what they're doing is they're providing funding to be able to do something that we have wanted to do in the primary care networks for a long time and that is increase the number of professionals that are working together with the family physician to provide a medical home for patients."

Ward says primary care networks have been struggling with limited budgets for several years and hopes this move indicates more money is on the way.

Existing labour force

Nurse practitioners in Alberta say the new focus on team-based medical care will help stop the hemorrhaging of their profession.

Donna Clare, the president of the Nurse Practitioner Association of Alberta, says at family clinics patients will be seen by nurse practitioners 80 per cent of the time.

Alberta has had trouble retaining NP's because of the lack of work here.

"I think there's a direction now from the top levels of government who are saying use these people. They're here and they have something to contribute to the health-care systemlet's use them," says Clare.

"This is a positive vote for nurse practitioners."

Ward agrees the move will result in more nurse practitioner jobs, but signals that training will need to be done.

"Most of the nurse practitioners working in this province are in fact working in the hospital or a specialised environment so there is a need for more nurse practitioners to be trained around a primary care model."