May 9, 2011
Story and photos by Mark Evans
Grande Prairie residents now have greater access to a family doctor now that most local physicians are part of a Primary Care Network, working together to meet community health needs.
The Grande Prairie Primary Care Network (PCN) officially opened its doors on April 29. 
“We’re going to be providing better primary care to more people at the right time,” says Dr. Peter Lindsay, lead physician for the PCN.
The PCN will help patients to access existing health-care programs as well as support physicians to enhance their own clinics.
Primary Care Networks are a made-in-Alberta solution to improve access and better coordinate primary health care for Albertans, a part of Alberta’s 5-Year Health Action Plan. In a Primary Care Network, family physicians and other health professionals work together as a multi-disciplinary team to increase Albertans’ access to primary health care when they need it, where they need it and from the right provider.
At present, many Grande Prairie residents wind up at walk-in clinics or the emergency department to access basic primary care.
Physicians can now refer a complex patient to the PCN, rather than spend time tracking down the right community-based service, connecting them to the service and following up to ensure the patient made use of the service. PCN staff can now do this work.
This frees physicians from having to navigate the wide range of services in Grande Prairie and point patients to other health care providers. As a result, physicians will now be able to see more patients.
“There are a lot of agencies out there that can help, but a lot of the physicians aren’t aware of who they are, how to access them and how to get through to them,” says Lindsay. “You need a team approach for that. You need someone to take responsibility that these patients are looked after.”
The doctor remains a key member of the team, but focuses more on the medical aspects of the patient’s care. The coordinating team looks after all the other pieces of connecting patients to services offered by Alberta Health Services (AHS) or other community agencies. “By doing that, we’re providing better primary care for more people,” adds Lindsay.
The PCN is also available to work with physician clinics to provide staff training as well as additional office or technology support. “This offers the physicians the opportunity to do what’s right for their office, right for their staff and ultimately what’s right for their patients,” says Trina Noskey, manager, Primary Care North West with Alberta Health Services.
The idea is to free physicians from doing tasks that can be done by others and to foster a team approach in individual doctors’ offices.
“The underlying philosophy is we want to increase the efficiency of the doctors’ offices,” says Lindsay.
In the future, patients may notice a considerable cut in the wait time to access a primary care physician, says Eunice Friesen, executive director of the new PCN.
“We’ll have more patients with family physicians and better co-ordinated care with health care providers functioning in care teams,” says Noskey.
