January 15, 2016
Kevin Worry, Medical Director for the AHS North Zone, and Dr. Keith Martin, Area Zone Medical Director and physician lead for the Slave Lake Family Care Clinic, stand in the newly renovated Slave Lake Family Care Clinic space.
Story by: Lisa Laferriere
The Slave Lake Family Care Clinic (FCC) has been so successful in its three years of operation that an expansion was needed, and, therefore, a new home to help meet Slave Lake’s growing and changing primary care needs.
A wider range of services is now available at the Clinic after moving into a larger, newly renovated space at the Slave Lake Healthcare Centre last October. Alberta Health Services (AHS) officially celebrated the new location and expansion this January, in partnership with the Town of Slave Lake and Alberta Health.
“Our government is committed to providing strong and sustainable primary care across the province,” says the Honourable Danielle Larivee, Minister of Municipal Affairs and MLA for Lesser Slave Lake. “As a nurse who has worked in the region, I know expanding and relocating this facility will help families in the area access the high-quality health care they need and deserve.”
The new location has 20 primary care clinic rooms, twice the number offered at the former space. The facility’s parking lot was also expanded, adding 91 spaces for a total of 176.
“Having the FCC located in our Healthcare Centre will provide more seamless care for patients across the continuum of care,” says Dr. Keith Martin, Community Medical Director for Slave Lake. “This benefits the entire community, including staff, physicians and residents.”
The Family Care Clinic improves access to primary care services with expanded hours of service and a health care team that includes doctors, registered nurses and — for the first time in Slave Lake — nurse practitioners.
“We’re fortunate to have such a collaborative model of care in our community,” says Slave Lake Mayor Tyler Warman. “Slave Lake is a leader in healthcare services and this couldn’t have been done without the support of the community. We look forward to continuing to working closely with Alberta Health Services and the Government of Alberta as we work to enhance local healthcare services.”
The number of non-urgent visits to the local emergency department has been reduced by almost a third since the clinic’s opening in April 2012. AHS has also recruited five new physicians to the community since the clinic opened and the facility’s integrated model of care is a primary reason these physicians have chosen to practise in Slave Lake.
