Achi news desk-
Alberta could see a significant change in primary health care delivery with the opening of its first independently owned nurse practitioner (NP) clinic this year.
Karen Parker, a nurse practitioner with over 20 years of clinical experience, is at the forefront of the initiative.
“The Cochrane clinic, which is our flagship clinic, will be organized around efficiency in care and access, to improve access for Albertans,” Parker said.
Parker’s research shows that in Cochrane, with a population of just over 35,000, almost half of them do not have regular access to a primary care specialist. Her clinic could cut that number by nearly 60 percent.
“It will offer extended hours of service seven days a week every day, and would be able to support at least 10,000 Albertans with access to care,” he said.
Parker’s proposed clinic has been warmly welcomed by local officials, including Cochrane councilor Susan Flowers, who underlined the urgent need for more primary care providers in the region.
“We need more health practitioners,” Flowers said.
“We’re growing fast, our seniors often don’t have access to doctors, and they don’t want to drive into the city. So having it locally, that it’s accessible is so important.”
The new clinic will offer a list of nurse practitioners who can refer patients to specialists, similar to GPs.
“The only difference I would suggest is around the practice model. Therefore, nurse practitioners are embracing more of a holistic, comprehensive primary care practice,” Parker said.
“That’s a great fit for primary care to be a dedicated primary care provider for Albertans.”
Parker currently works out of a wellness center in Calgary where Jimmy Kritikos is one of her patients. He says that when he booked his first appointment with PC he wasn’t sure what to expect.
“I wasn’t very familiar with what a nurse practitioner is, and when I looked online, it seemed very similar to a family doctor, (she) can take blood work, X-rays, ultrasound, WCB reports,” said Kritikos.
“The only difference I’ve noticed is that she spends a lot more time, with my experience, than I have with a GP, and never feels rushed. The level of care is unprecedented.”
Parker’s clinic is expected to be a model for the province and perhaps the nation, as it will operate independently, providing government-funded care. That contrasts with NP clinics in Ontario that are owned by the province.
The clinic, which will be in the Cochrane Quarry area, is waiting for Alberta Health to finalize a new funding model before starting renovations. That funding was promised by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in November but has yet to materialize.
An Alberta Health spokesperson says a funding announcement is expected later in the week.
Parker says she’s hopeful the announcement will allow her to move forward with her plans, but says the funding model needs to support more than just individual NPs.
“So we need to make sure that this is a viable clinic-based funding model, not just an individual practitioner funding model.”
If provincial funding is as she hopes, Parker says her Cochrane clinic could be open later this year.
