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By Regan Tate

Temporary plans allows Medicine Hat’s Maternity clinic to keep accepting patients

Feb 4, 2021 | 4:46 PM

Medicine Hat, AB–Newly expecting moms in Medicine Hat will be able to access services at the Family Medicine Maternity Clinic at least for the next couple of months.

AHS has approved a proposal which will allow the clinic to still take in patients and provide a care plan.

How to keep the FMMC in operation has been a concern since the Palliser Primary Care Network announced funding would stop in March. The Doctors were expected to cover the costs of running the clinic including rent, utilities and staffing. Clinic Director Gerry Prince said previously this is not a viable option because it costs more to run the clinic than doctors can bill for services.

The FMMC was given a three month funding extension which has since run out. Last month, the clinic announced it would not be able to accept new patients with delivery dates past July 15, 2021.

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Now with the proposal, the clinic can keep taking patients for now, something that comes as relief to Prince. ” Our only other option was to really start splitting services immediately. Basically taking moms out of the maternity clinic and directly into the community. So, this gives us some room to continue with a single-point service which is much easier to organize, much easier for patients to find, much easier for the community physicians to refer to.”

Prince says he does have some concerns around Government Interference with the Independent College’s Decision but believes this is good news for expecting mothers unsure of where to turn.

The clinic was established in 2006 and currently delivers between five and six hundred babies a year.