Background illustration of city street

Media Centre

 

Top tips for healthy eating

Try these tips to start or maintain a healthy approach to eating. 1. Plan ahead. Think about your meals and snacks in advance to avoid multiple trips to the grocery store. Try using a Weekly Menu Planner. These plans can be kept for future use. For helpful meal planning tips, see "Meal Planning." Create balanced meals: 1/2 plate vegetables and fruit, 1/4 plate protein, 1/4 plate whole grains. Balanced snacks include fibre and protein, such as apple and peanut butter or whole grain cr…

Looking for a new way of eating?

New year’s resolutions often include weight loss and diet goals. While lots of diets and supplements claim rapid and prolonged weight loss, “quick” and “easy” don’t really work. Instead, goals for making healthy lifestyle changes are often more sustainable. Instead of restrictions, they add items in. We encourage you to make healthy eating choices to help achieve your goals – and sustain them. Take this quick quiz to learn more:   Want to learn …
 

Have COVID-19? These resources can help

Testing positive for COVID-19 can be scary.   Alberta College of Family Physicians, Alberta Medical Association and Primary Care Networks have created a guide to help navigate next steps. Some COVID-19 symptoms can be managed at home and others need medical assistance. This simple red-amber-green chart helps you understand when you can care for yourself or family member at home and when you need to seek further medical attention from your doctor or emergency.   There…

More options for patients to communicate to family doctors as secure-email project expands

Patients looking for more flexibility in how they connect with their family doctor have another tool at their disposal as the Calgary Foothills Primary Care Network is rolling out a network-wide secure email program for its member physicians. Privacy legislation protects confidential health information. As conventional email doesn’t meet regulations, patients, doctors and clinic staff are left to rely on phone calls and snail mail. With support from Alberta Innovates and its ImplementAB.di…
 

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Workshop

April is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Awareness Month which recognizes the 13 - 20% of Canadians (approximately 5 - 7.5 million individuals) who are living with IBS. To meet a need identified within the PCN's patient population, we have expanded the virtual workshops to now include a session focused on managing irritable bowel syndrome. This free two-hour long session, which starts in May, will focus on: Understanding personal and common triggers The brain-gut connection How IBS is diagn…
 

Answering your COVID-19 vaccine questions

With the COVID-19 vaccination programs underway in Alberta, it’s important to stay informed and ask questions. There is a lot of communication out there about the COVID-19 vaccines – some good and some bad. It’s critical to have the correct information about the vaccines so you can make an informed choice when it comes to getting vaccinated. Here are fact-based answers to some of the questions being circulated about the COVID-19 vaccines: Question: Does the COVID vaccine causes infe…

Cochrane Primary Care Centre to close

Calgary Foothills Primary Care Network has made the difficult decision to close its Cochrane Primary Care Centre. The changing environment, including the pandemic, resulted in the PCN having to make the decision to close this medical clinic within the next nine months. “This is not a decision we wanted to have to make,” says Calgary Foothills PCN Executive Director Darren Caines. “The financial impact of the pandemic combined with the departure of physicians meant the business model…
 

March is nutrition month

Nutrition Month is a good time to remember eating a well-balanced diet is an important part of maintaining good health. The COVID-19 pandemic had made good nutrition more challenging to many because of reduced income or changes in routines due to physical distancing. Here are some resources to help: Top tips for eating healthy during the COVID pandemic Buying groceries on a budget Making food last longer by using leftovers Top five tips for planning your meals Calgary Foothills PC…
 

Simple changes for a healthier 2021

After a difficult year, making positive changes in 2021 may feel overwhelming. But if improving your health and wellness is on your mind, consider some smaller steps to start down the path to a healthier lifestyle this year. Increase your activity Many of us have often thought about adding ‘being more active’ to our New Year’s resolutions list. It may sound easy enough, but we can struggle to achieve it. Here are some tips that can make your resolution more sustainable. Start Sma…

Safely delivering during COVID-19

The safety of our patients is of utmost importance to Riley Park Maternity Clinic and all of Calgary Foothills PCN. Our maternity patients deliver at Foothills Medical Centre (hospital). Some patients have asked questions about delivering their babies at the hospital as they have heard there are units with COVID-19 outbreaks. Physicians and staff at Riley Park Maternity Clinic are taking every precaution to ensure your safety both at the clinic and the hospital. We have been very proactiv…
 

Help for anxiety

For many people, 2020 hasn’t been an easy year and for some, the result has been a rise in anxiety. The PCN is here to help. We have a variety of free resources including two new virtual workshops: Anxiety 101 Anxiety 101 is a free, two-hour workshop facilitated by a mental health professional that will help adults understand their experience of anxiety and teach participants some basic skills to help manage it. Topics include: What is anxiety? What does it feel like? What mak…

Virtual workshops here to support your health

Calgary Foothills PCN is offering virtual versions of its free workshops to support your health needs. Anxiety 101 is a two-hour virtual workshop that covers the basics of what anxiety is, tools to help and things to avoid. Anxiety to Calm is an eight-week workshop that takes an in-depth look at anxiety including what makes it better and what makes it worse. Ask a Dietitian -- Diabetes or pre-diabetes focuses on patients with impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance…

World Breastfeeding Week

While mothers around the world celebrate World Breastfeeding Week (August 1-7) some mothers who want to breastfeed struggle. There is help, including Calgary Foothills PCN’s Riley Park Maternity Clinic, which offers in-person advice as well as a virtual breastfeeding class. For those who can’t breastfeed milk banks provide an alternative option. New mother Emily Cherubini — who went to Riley Park Maternity Clinic to have her blood screened so she can donate breastmilk to NorthernStar…

Questions about COVID-19?

In need of reliable information about COVID-19? Alberta Health Services is the most reliable, up-to-date source for facts. What Should I Do If I Think I Have COVID-19? According to Alberta Health Services, if you have symptoms including fever, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, sore throat, runny nose, you MUST self-isolate for 10 days after the onset of symptoms and until your symptoms have resolved (whichever is longer). Under no circumstance should you leave your property …
 

Your family doctor is here for you

Whether it is in person, over the phone or via video your family doctor’s clinic is open and here to support you. Your family doctor knows you best and can help get you the care you need. Contact your family doctor to find out if an in-person or virtual appointment is right for you. If you have symptoms related to COVID-19 do the self-assessment at ahs.ca/covid. If you are experiencing an emergency, call 911.