St. Paul has been named as one of the next 24 communities from across the province that will get a Family Care Clinic (FCC), as the province rolls out the next wave of the FCC program, according to an announcement made by the provincial government on June 4.
According to a press release from the Alberta Government, Albertans in the 24 communities “will soon have better access to primary health care” as the program continues to be rolled out.
Town of St. Paul Mayor Glenn Andersen was very pleased with the recent announcement.
“It’s what we were after for the longest time,” said Andersen, following the announcement last week. He adds that Alberta is made up of many diverse communities with diverse health issues, and the FCC approach to health care is something that should be able to deal with the various issues communities face.
“They’re listening to us,” said Andersen, regarding the government’s plan to move toward FCCs, adding, “The health care delivery will be different in St. Paul.”
One example of a change the mayor would like to have happen in St. Paul with the new Family Care Clinic is to see people stop using the Emergency Room at the hospital as a clinic. Andersen says that using the ER as a clinic is more costly than patients visiting an actual clinic.
“We need to get people out of that frame of mind,” he says.
He adds that when it comes to health care, there is no “cookie-cutter solution” that will work for the entire province and he believes the FCCs will target specific issues in specific regions.
“The community should be very excited about this,” says Andersen, adding, communities were chosen based on the facilities they have available, and the new Wellness Centre is part of the reason he feels St. Paul was chosen.
“The need to address primary care issues in our community has been a long standing issue and I’m glad that after much hard work with constituents, we are now closer to finding a solution for the people of St. Paul,” says Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills Wildrose MLA Shayne Saskiw, when asked about the recent announcement.
He says the announcement of the new FCCs has the potential to be very positive, “as long as the government works constructively with physicians in the communities, and doesn’t move to eliminate the current Primary Care Networks that are in place.”
Saskiw says the Wildrose is “cautiously optimistic” that the FCCs will help create a health care system that puts patients first.
“I will continue to press the government for a timeline for when a FCC will be in place for our community, for more details on how Family Care Clinics will be implemented and how they will be staffed,” says Saskiw, adding, the province has been vague on the some of the details of the program.
According to the release from the province, “the 24 communities chosen in this second wave for new FCCs were identified as having the greatest need for improved access to primary health care, and are considered to be ready and have the capacity to implement an FCC.”
Pilot project FCCs were previously established in Edmonton, Calgary and Slave Lake and the government will now work with leaders and health providers in the new communities “over the coming months to develop plans for each FCC.”
The release adds, “The stand-alone clinics will be staffed with a team of health providers brought together to meet the unique health and social needs of the community they serves.” The FCCs provide service for non-emergency services, and each clinic is expected to offer extended hours of service, same-day appointments and “access to the most appropriate member of the care team.”
Alberta Health Services President and CEO Dr. Chris Eagle says the FCCs will strengthen primary health care and “enhance the health of the population, and improve our entire health-care system.”
The province has budgeted $50 million this year to support the FCCs.
