Officials of the Primary Health Care (PHC) systems in Saskatchewan and Alberta presented Prairie North Regional Health Board members, senior administrative staff, invited guests, members of the media and the general public with an overview of the respective systems at a regular meeting of the board Jan. 26 in Lloydminster.
The goal was to educate PNHR board members and staff, as well as representatives of the Lloydminster Region Health Foundation, the Lloydminster and District Health Advisory Council, and the City of Lloydminster about the two differing primary health care systems.
According to Donna Magnusson, executive director of Saskatchewan's Primary Health Services Branch, Prairie North is a leader in PHC system development and services under the Saskatchewan PHC model, with PHC sites and teams functioning in all parts of the Region except Lloydminster. Andrea Thain Liptak, director of Primary Care and Chronic Disease Management with Alberta Health Services, explained a group of physicians on the Alberta side of Lloydminster has recently established the Lloydminster Primary Care Network, under the Alberta Primary Care Initiative.
PNHR CEO David Fan said the challenge now is determining how to take the best of both models to improve access to and delivery of Primary Care services for all residents of Lloydminster. With support from the Lloydminster Region Health Foundation, Prairie North is securing the services of a consultant to review the PHC models and develop a plan for a specific model that will work for Lloydminster.
Fan stressed that a significant component of the review involves community consultation. The timeline for completion of the review, consultation, and presentation of the plan is April 1, 2011.
Key differences in the two systems are in how physicians are compensated for their services; how patients access the services of health professionals who are part of the multi-disciplinary teams; and the inclusion/ exclusion of nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and other health care providers in the Primary Care model.
