Happy New Year!

Once again, I am pleased to highlight a few Camrose Primary Care Network (PCN) success stories from the past year. This year marked the second year of our 2014-17 Business Plan.

Since 2008 we have seen our physician membership continue to grow. We are now a team of 42 family doctors and 29 health care providers. In January, three new physicians were also recruited to practice at the Camrose Smith Clinic including Dr. Leslie, Dr. Pasha and Dr. Anizoba. In 2015 the PCN said goodbye to Dr. Cook who retired. We wish him and his family all the best.

This multidisciplinary team of family physicians, healthcare providers – each working to their full scope of practice - make up your “health home” serving an estimated 35,000 individuals within the PCN catchment area including the City of Camrose, Camrose, Beaver and Flagstaff County.

The Camrose PCN family physicians and healthcare providers continue to offer collaborative and comprehensive team-based patient care of which I am very proud of. In addition to the multidisciplinary team based in Camrose, LPNs and RNs are now practicing alongside our family physicians in Bashaw, Hardisty, Killam, Daysland and Forestburg. Additional RN support is scheduled to commence in Tofield in 2016.

In the early months of 2015, the long standing PCN Virtual Trek campaign changed its look as we collaborated with 10 Edmonton and Area PCN's for the Get Out Get Active Campaign. In February, as part of the Walkable Camrose Committee, we were very pleased to host a very successful Full Moon Walk on Winter Walk Day.

The PCN also hosted a very popular Fall Prevention event in May, with over 100 local seniors attending to take in a presentation from Dr. Val Smith. Dr. Smith continues to successfully lead our Geriatric Assessment and Fall Prevention Programs, with referrals increasing on a regular basis.

In the Fall of 2015, the Camrose PCN also changed its weekly prenatal clinic day to Thursdays to enhance our delivery of patient care. Referrals continue to be steady as our multidisciplinary team of PCN family physicians and healthcare providers care for patients during their pregnancies. Inquiries for the Car Seat Program have increased, and the New Moms' Network program continues to be popular and well attended.

PCN supported Grief & Bereavement workshops also continued in 2015. This year in addition to Camrose, a workshop was also hosted in Tofield with the support of the Tofield and Area Health Services Foundation. The Palliative and End of Life Care Community of Practice was also initiated by the PCN in 2015, with a number of key healthcare and community stakeholders coming to the table on a regular basis to discuss Palliative and End of Life Care programs and services.

Community awareness and engagement continued to be a focus for the Camrose PCN in 2015, with participation in Camrose Interagency, Flagstaff Family and Community Support Services, the Camrose Physician Attraction and Retention Committee, Camrose & District Hospice Society, Tofield Health Foundation, Camrose Seniors Coalition, Walkable Camrose, Camrose Family Violence Response Council, Community Oncology Camrose Community of Practice and the Elder Safe Battle River Steering Committee.

The focus on collaboration and partnership was no more evident than with the grand opening of the Camrose Outdoor Gym, which was made possible due to the Camrose PCN receiving the 2014 Alberta Blue Cross Healthy Communities Grant. In collaboration with the City of Camrose and the Camrose Healthy Lifestyle Coalition, and with support from the Camrose Rotary Daybreak Club, the free, multi-use accessible facility celebrated the grand opening in September. Representatives from the Government of Alberta, Alberta Blue Cross, the City of Camrose and other key community stakeholders were all in attendance to celebrate the addition of the gym to the community.

Late fall of this year, we were excited to officially announce our partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim Ltd. (Canada) in support of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Atrial Fibrillation screening and management within our Primary Care Network catchment area. I very much appreciate the support and look forward to working with Boehringer and our community stakeholders on this important initiative.

During Family Doctor Week in November, the Camrose PCN rolled out a large campaign to educate people in our catchment area on the importance of having a Family Doctor, notifying them of their attachment to the Camrose PCN and providing information on accessing programs and services as part of their Health Home. It has been very well received and I would like to thank all of our associated clinics for supporting this important initiative.

In 2016 the PCN will continue to strive to ensure every individual has and is formally linked to a family physician and health home. The Camrose PCN will also continue to focus on patient centered care within each of its priority initiatives including: prevention, chronic disease management, women’s health, obstetrics and newborn care, geriatrics as well as palliative and end of life care.

At this time, I also wish to acknowledge one our PCN associated clinics – the Smith Clinic – for receiving the 2015 Panel Award at the Toward Optimized Practice (TOP) and the Alberta College of Family Physicians (ACFP) Change Agents’ Day in Calgary in November. This award recognized teams who have championed the work of patient panel (identified/verified and/or managed patient panel lists).

This year the Camrose PCN continued to make it a priority to attend village, town, city and county councils within its catchment area to share information about current PCN programming and discuss how the PCN and rural communities can work together to strengthen and enhance the primary care health outcomes of residents. I would like to thank each of the councils for scheduling time for me on their agendas. I certainly appreciated the opportunity and look forward to returning on an annual basis to provide updates and share success stories.

At this time I wish to thank the Camrose LPCI Ltd. Board of Directors for their direction and work in ensuring effective governance structures continue to be in place for accountability at all levels within the PCN. PCN accountability and effectiveness remain a priority and goal. 2015 Directors include: Dr. Nichol, Dr. Letley, Dr. Pasha, Dr. Bredesen and Dr. Niemann.

I also wish to thank our joint governance representatives Andrea Thain Liptak and Leanne Grant for their continued support. I appreciate your level of commitment to the Camrose PCN as well as continued advocating for funding and compensation models that are sufficient and appropriate to support PCN team based care.

I am excited for 2016 as we look to sustain and strengthen current partnerships as well as initiate and establish new relationships to offer quality primary care. It is certainly a privilege serving as the Camrose PCN Executive Director.

Wishing you a prosperous New Year!
Stacey L. Strilchuk, Executive Director, Camrose Primary Care Network