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Dr. Julian Kyne of One Health Associated Medical said Airdrie’s physician shortage spurred the idea
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Airdrie residents will get their first look this weekend at a proposed health-care project that would bring a second urgent care centre and other medical services to the city of more than 80,000 people.
Project proponents will present their concept at two public engagement sessions at Airdrie’s Ron Ebbesen Arena this weekend. The first will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, while the second will take place Sunday at 10 a.m.
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Dr. Julian Kyne, of One Health Associated Medical, is spearheading the proposal. A long-time physician in Airdrie, Kyne said One Health’s approach would transform primary health and urgent care services in his city by working with a local developer to build a new health “campus” on Airdrie’s western edge.
A press release from One Health claims the campus “would provide a one-stop shop” for most health-care needs, including primary health care, diagnostic imaging, a pharmacy, medical specialists and other services.
Described as a “campus-style environment with complementary health services,” the facility would include both a new urgent care and primary care clinic. It would be built in Qualico Communities’ Vantage Rise, which is a to-be-developed neighbourhood.
What spurred the idea, according to Kyne, is Airdrie’s physician shortage. He estimates 20,000 residents in the fast-growing city do not have a family doctor, leading to backlogs and long waiting periods at an “over-utilized urgent care that is chronically backed up.”
“Addressing those issues for the community is what we’re doing here,” he said.
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“We’re now in the stage we’re going to get community engagement to get people’s input so they can say how they feel about this new idea of tackling the problems.”
What is One Health proposing?
A PowerPoint presentation outlining One Health’s proposal, sent to Postmedia, outlines a “relationship-based” approach to health-care delivery that involves a primary care team and an integrated care team working in tandem to support the patient.
The primary care team would comprise a primary care physician, a nurse case manager, case management support and a health assistant, while the integrated care team would include a nurse practitioner, physician assistant, behavioral health consultant, pharmacist, dietician, kinesiologist and midwife.
The model would also include embedded specialists such as cardiologists or lactation consultants, as well as community resources like dental care, optometry, urgent care, rheumatology and plastic surgery.
One Health’s PowerPoint presentation suggests the plan is to create 10 primary care teams that would initially support up to 15,000 patients, and eventually double that capacity to 30,000 patients.
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The presentation slides also indicate the approach is based on the Southcentral Foundation’s Nuka System of Care in Anchorage, Alaska. It claims to have brought down emergency room visits by 44 per cent, outpatient visits by 42 per cent, and hospital admissions by 63 per cent.
No impact to urgent care upgrades
One Health’s proposal is coinciding with renovations to Airdrie’s existing urgent care clinic, located in the Airdrie Health Centre on Main Street. Kyne said One Health’s plans do not impact the current clinic’s operations on Main Street.
That facility is being upgraded to expand patient capacity by adding beds and increasing the size of treatment rooms, while also increasing the size of the waiting room and triage area.
The province committed $8.4 million to the upgrades, which were temporarily paused earlier this year while Alberta Health evaluated the proposal from One Health.
Michelle Bates, the executive director of the Airdrie Health Foundation — which spearheaded 24-7 urgent care in Airdrie nearly a decade ago after the passing of her son — said there are still question marks surrounding Kyne’s plans.
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Health foundation reps are planning to attend this weekend’s information sessions to learn more, she said, adding the foundation hasn’t seen any plans since first learning of the proposal in January.
“From what we understand, the changes it can bring to primary health-care sound like it would be really great in getting specialists to Airdrie,” Bates said. “But our concern is having another urgent care. You’re now dividing resources.”
The Airdrie Health Centre receives more than 40,000 patients annually, about one-quarter of whom come from Calgary, according to Bates. She said the facility cannot adequately serve the region’s rapidly growing population.
What Airdrie really needs, Bates argues, is a full-fledged hospital, considering Airdrie is Alberta’s largest city to not have its own.
The Alberta government earmarked $3 million in its 2023 budget to support planning for a regional health centre to serve Airdrie and north Calgary. But few details have emerged about where that facility will eventually be located and when it will be built.
In lieu of a hospital, Bates said the local health foundation would like to see the establishment of an emergency department, rather than another urgent care centre.
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Province kicks in funds for One Health business case
A statement from Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said the province is providing One Health with an $85,000 grant to develop a business case for its integrated primary care centre and urgent care facility.
“Alberta’s government is prioritizing the delivery of high-quality health-care services in the Airdrie area while continuing to explore ways to increase system capacity,” said Andrea Smith, a spokeswoman for LaGrange.
She added the business case is expected to be submitted later this summer. “As the development of the business case is ongoing, we are unable to provide details at this time.”
Angela Pitt, Airdrie-East MLA, confessed she doesn’t know much about One Health’s proposal yet, but has said that it’s “worth exploring” new approaches to improving health care.
“This has never really been done before in the province of Alberta,” she said. “It’s got some potential to be really great, save the taxpayer money and provide better services for the people in this community.
“Really, at the end of the day, if we can do those two things, we have to do those things.”
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