Prenatal care to get a boost with Medicine Hat clinic

Team to offer assessments, screening and counselling related to pregnancy, labour and postpartum care

Story & photo by Kelly Morris

Expecting families in Medicine Hat are feeling hopeful with the announcement that a family medicine maternity clinic is returning to Medicine Hat Regional Hospital.

“Having personally relied on this clinic for the safe delivery of my own children, and hearing directly from families, I know how much it matters to have these services close to home during some of the most vulnerable and exciting moments of their lives,” says Justin Wright, Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA and Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Health South.

Wright joined family physician and clinic lead, Dr. Gerry Prince, on Jan. 29 at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital to share with the community that prenatal care will continue to be available close to home.

This solution was developed in response to concerns from physicians and patients about how expecting parents would continue to receive prenatal care following the announcement that a local family physician plans to move their practice.

“Although we have a good complement of family doctors in the community, not many provide full prenatal care,” says Dr. Prince. “We immediately started looking for solutions and are grateful for the support of our local MLAs, MLA Wright and Premier Danielle Smith, and the many healthcare partners that came together quickly to ensure expecting families in Medicine Hat will continue to receive the care they need.”

Alberta Health Services (AHS) is providing clinic space and administrative support, and funding has been committed by Primary Care Alberta (PCA) to support nursing and administration until March 2027. Family obstetricians in Medicine Hat are looking forward to seeing patients in the clinic soon.

“We are assembling a great team of people who will be focused on providing excellent prenatal care,” says Prince. “This maternity clinic model allows family obstetricians to provide care as an interdisciplinary team, sharing the increased load of referred patients rather than attempting to manage the increased capacity in our home clinics – which would be unattainable.”

The clinic's physicians and nurses will provide routine prenatal assessments and screening, education and counselling related to pregnancy, labour and postpartum care, and the coordination of lab testing and diagnostic imaging.

“This clinic addresses an immediate need, providing an urgent solution to support prenatal and obstetrical care in our community,” says Wright.

“We know that safe prenatal care isn’t just appointments and referrals; it’s reassurance when soon-to-be mothers, and fathers need it, most. By reopening this clinic, we’re telling them that they will not be left without options; their care team is here, and their community is behind them.”

AHS and PCA will be monitoring referral volumes, staffing needs and patient feedback throughout the year. That information will then be used to shape the design of a sustainable, long-term prenatal program with local physicians and partners.