COLD LAKE – The City of Cold Lake is addressing a shortage of medical professionals by expanding its physician count. Under the oversight of the City of Cold Lake’s municipally controlled corporation, the CL Medical Clinic has increased the number of practicing physicians in the community.
With a board of directors comprised of elected officials and appointed members, those involved say the clinic is making strides in primary care and preventive medicine in the region.
The transition that saw the City take control of the medical clinic was initiated in March.
“Right now we are in the process of recruiting. We’ve had two doctors working out of that clinic, now we are up to four,” said City of Cold Lake Coun. Chris Vining, who is also the resident of the board for the medical clinic.
Presently, the CL Medical Clinic accommodates four doctors, with one exclusively dedicated to family practice within the clinic premises. Doctors Zail Al-Ani, Jo-Lyndi Van Zyl, and Lufuluabo (Roger) Katambua manage family practices at the clinic while also serving at the Cold Lake Healthcare Centre. Dr. Teean Van Zijl recently joined, focusing solely on family practice at the clinic, according to the City of Cold Lake.
This initiative is being led by a board of directors, including Vining and Coun. Bob Mattice, along with appointed members Paul McWilliams (vice-president), Lisa Ford, and Melissa Shea.
Vining expressed concern about the longstanding shortage of family doctors in Cold Lake. “We’ve been trying to deal with that lack of family doctors in Cold Lake. We have been chronically shorted for as long as I can remember,” he acknowledged.
The reality of residents lacking access to a doctor was revealed through a municipal census. “Our latest municipal [2022] census data uncovered that over 40 per cent of respondents within our population lacked attachment to a doctor," said Vining. Moreover, many residents face waiting periods of up to three weeks to see a doctor.
Notably, CL Medical has revamped its approach to physician recruitment. While Alberta Health Services (AHS) primarily focuses on needs at the local hospital, including surgical assists and Emergency Room Rotations, CL Medical is actively attracting physicians who prioritize family practice to meet the community's primary care needs, according to the City of Cold Lake.
Vining highlighted the substantial interest from numerous doctors.
“We've certainly have been getting lots of interest, so we’re starting to look at planning out in terms of, OK if we start picking up more, what can we do to expand the operation here?”
The City is even looking at possibilities around renovating the clinic and expanding the facility.
Reinforcing the significance of recruiting additional medical professionals, Vining reiterated the critical approach being taken to achieve this initiative. "That’s our goal. Our goal is to try to increase that primary care contact that we can have. We are looking at all means available to how we are going to do that.”
The city spent $1.85 million to buy the Glacier Gate Medical Clinic from two physicians who left Cold Lake.
