Ten different programs designed to expand primary health care services in Alberta through the Capacity Building Fund have received close to $16 million in funding from the Primary Health Care Transition Fund:

Interdisciplinary Primary Health Care Team Initiative
Program location: Okotoks Community Health Centre (Calgary Health Region)

A partnership involving the Universities of Alberta and Calgary, health regions and community leaders will create clinical team placements at primary health care sites for health professionals and health sciences students. This new program will increase the number of health professionals trained to effectively deliver primary health care services in teams.
Contact: Debb Hurlock, Project Manager, (403) 217-9181
E-mail: dhurlock@telusplanet.net

Health First Strathcona
Program location: Sherwood Park, Strathcona County (Capital Health Region)

A new primary health care service in Sherwood Park will improve after-hours access to primary health care for Strathcona County residents. A team of area family physicians, a nurse practitioner and other health professionals will provide nonemergency primary health care services (including diagnostic and lab services and health promotion) and co-ordinate access to specialists and Capital Health Region hospitals.
Contact: Marion Relf, Project Director, (780) 401-2691
E-mail: mrelf@cha.ab.ca

Chinook Chronic Disease Management
Program location: (Chinook Regional Health Authority)

A multi-disciplinary team of family physicians, other health professionals and community health organizations will work to improve health promotion and care for people with chronic illnesses in the Chinook Health Region.
Contact: Eileen Patterson at (403) 388-6580
E-mail: epatterson@chr.ab.ca

Primary Health Care Chronic Disease Management
Program location: (Calgary Health Region)

A multi-disciplinary team will collaborate with family physicians, specialists and community health programs to help people living with chronic disease better manage their health and live as independently as possible.
Contact: Monique Assi, Project Manager, (403) 850-2428
E-mail: monique.assi@calgaryhealthregion.ca

Primary Health Care Diabetes Project
Program location:
(Aspen Regional Health Authority and Peace Country Health)

This initiative will co-ordinate and expand diabetes treatment/management programs to help high needs residents (especially aboriginal populations) in remote areas better manage their diabetes.
Contact: Lisa Gerard, Project Coordinator, (780) 849-3947
E-mail: lgerard@aspenrha.ab.ca

Pincher Creek Rural Primary Health Care Initiative
Program location: Associate Medical Clinic, Pincher Creek
(Chinook Regional Health Authority)

A multi-disciplinary team of health professionals will collaborate with family physicians in Pincher Creek to improve primary health care services for area residents.
Contact: Cheryl Dolan, Nurse Coordinator, (403) 627-3321
E-mail: cldolan@telus.net

Building Capacity: Enhancing Child and Youth Health Outcomes
Program location: Southern Alberta
(Chinook, Palliser, David Thompson and Calgary Health Regions and Treaty 7)

The Southern Alberta Child & Youth Health Network is a partnership among parents, health authorities, numerous provincial ministries/agencies, universities, First Nations, and local organizations. Healthy Minds/Healthy Children provides support to family physicians and pediatricians. Healthy Infants will build the capacity of Southern Alberta primary care providers to address maternal risk factors resulting in adverse infant outcomes.
Contacts:
Healthy Infants: Jeanne Repp, Program Manager, (403) 944-3338
E-mail: jeanne.repp@calgaryhealthregion.ca

Healthy Minds, Healthy Children: Harold Lipton, Project Manager, (403) 943-7646
E-mail: harold.lipton@calgaryhealthregion.ca

Shared Care in the Calgary Health Region
Program location: (Calgary Health Region)

A partnership program between groups of family physicians and multi-disciplinary teams from the new Calgary Health Region will help these physicians improve community-based patient care. This initiative is based on the successful South of Anderson Road Program in Calgary and may be transferable to other regional health authorities.
Contact: Micheline Nimmock, (403) 943-1197
E-mail: micheline.nimmock@calgaryhealthregion.ca

Shared Mental Health Care Network for Southern Alberta
Program location: (Chinook and Calgary Health Region)

Expanding on a successful Calgary Health Region program, a team of mental health professionals (including psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses and social workers) will support family physicians to diagnose and treat patients with mental illness.
Contact: Dr. Dennis Pusch, Project Co-ordinator, (403) 943-2396
E-mail: dennis.pusch@calgaryhealthregion.ca

Police and Crisis Team Diversion Project
Program location: Edmonton, (Capital Health Region and Edmonton Police Service).

Based on a successful program in Calgary, the Adult Crisis Response Team will co-operate with the Edmonton Police Service to refer mentally ill adults involved in minor, low-risk offences to appropriate care and treatment as an alternative to being jailed.
Contact: Nancy Fraser, Program Manager, (780) 401-4191
E-mail: nancyfraser@cha.ab.ca

For more information on any of these Capacity Building Fund projects contact:

Blair MacKinnon, Project Co-ordinator
Primary Health Care Capacity Building Fund, Primary Care Unite
Alberta Health and Wellness
Telephone: (780) 415-2839
e-mail: blair.mackinnon@gov.ab.ca

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