WHEN Frank and Karla Mah became concerned about the long-term effects of over-eating, they turned to family doctor Andrew Eddy for help. “We’ve both struggled with weight since we turned 40,” Karla says. “We were concerned about how it might affect our blood pressure and cholesterol levels.” As it turned out, Calgary Foothills Primary Care Network had just started Craving Change™, a free program designed to help people build a healthier relationship with food. The couple decided t…

Team assesses patients' needs in their homes As a personal care nurse, Rosalyn Watson built a long and successful career out of helping others. But when the Calgary senior developed health problems of her own and was forced to take a leave of absence from her job, she felt overwhelmed and turned to her family doctor for help. Dealing with chronic dizziness, a lack of mobility and financial and personal stress as she waited for head and neck surgery, she was referred to the Calgary Foothil…

Expecting her first child, Jane Wickenheiser discovered she could access all the pre- and postnatal care she needed through her family doctor's clinic, her Health Home. After discovering her long-time family doctor had retired, the Calgary school teacher found a new physician via the city-wide Find a Doctor website. Network-wide services Because her new doctor was a member of Calgary Foothills PCN, Jane was able to access specialist care and treatment (that is available to all patients of P…

OVER the past year, Kevan Austen has lost 4 pant sizes, 4 shirt sizes and more than 110 pounds. The self-confessed 1-time couch potato has shed his sedentary life and unhealthy eating habits, tackling a workout on 362 of the past 365 days. “There’s no more sitting around eating bags of chips and watching movies or looking for excuses to sit around,” Austen says. “This is my new life and the goal is simple: to live and be healthy.” Tackling Unhealthy Habits Flash back to February 2013…

It is not just the residents who value Tammy Rogers, nurse practitioner at the Bethany Care Centre in Cochrane. Their families say she gives them peace of mind. “Tammy listens to our concerns,” says the daughter of one resident. “We have a rapport with her.” Since 2007, a Calgary Foothills Primary Care Network (PCN) nurse practitioner has worked within Bethany Cochrane to increase residents’ access to primary health care. A team effort Day-to-day, Rogers works closely with each res…