Family doctors now proactively help groups of patients to improve the health of all Improving the life of just one patient is a true success story for any treating physician and team. Radically transforming the care of almost 20 is a major achievement. Over the past year, the lives of many of Dr. Ted Jablonski’s patients got a whole lot better, thanks to an innovative practice enrichment project. The drug-switching initiative took 4 months initially and involved at least 6 staff. But patie…

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…

Patient Michael Malone, who presented at Foothills Medical Centre with a cyst on his back in 2013, was one of the first patients referred from Foothills Medical Centre to Calgary Foothills PCN’s Access 365 Clinic under a new referral pilot. “(The care) was amazing,” he says. “They got rid of the cyst on my back quickly and I had to come back a number of times for them to pack and bandage it. “They showed me such kindness and all knew me by name by the time I was done.” New referr…