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By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)/rdnewsNOW

at least $600 million over four years

Alberta NDP launches significant plan to connect 1 million residents with family doctor

Feb 15, 2023 | 12:00 PM

The Alberta NDP has put forth a plan they say would connect one million Albertans to a family doctor.

Announced Wednesday by party leader Rachel Notley, the plan is said to be a critical step in ending the “chaos in hospitals and ambulances caused by the UCP.”

“Our vision for primary care is called Family Health Teams (FHT),” Notley said. “Our goal is for one million more Albertans to be able to see their family doctor and a Family Health Team within a day or two, close to home.”

A Family Health Team, the party describes, could include multiple family doctors, as well as nurse practitioners, registered and licensed practical nurses, mental health therapists, pharmacists, social workers, dietitians, community paramedics, community health navigators, physiotherapists, midwives, speech language therapists, and others.

The NDP says access would be immediate.

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At the reveal today, Dr. Alana Luft and Dr. Tomi Mitchell, both of Calgary, joined Notley.

“I am glad that Rachel Notley and the Alberta NDP have set out a vision to transform primary care where family doctors and other team members can provide better support to patients for early treatment and preventative care,” said Dr. Luft. “If patients have access to accurate information, timely screening, regular check-ins with a provider who knows them, then we have a better chance of keeping people healthy and addressing issues early.”

Added Dr. Mitchell: “As a team, we can provide comprehensive, community based, holistic care that promotes the prevention of disease and the optimization of health outcomes. The path forward is actually quite simple: Proactively support the science-based research that patients do best under a team-based healthcare system. And invest now, in the public health system, and the long term positive impacts will be felt for generations.”

The NDP plan calls for a transition fund to immediately begin hiring 1,500 non-physician team members into existing clinics, while work happens to open 10 Family Health Clinics across Alberta.

All FHTs will have integrated mental health professionals, supported by the Alberta NDP’s commitment to insure five sessions for every Albertan under the provincial insurance plan.

“Today we lay out the initial building blocks of what we intend to be the largest and most ambitious healthcare recruitment campaign Alberta has ever seen,” Notley added. “Part of our offer to professionals will be stable and rewarding workplaces where you can focus on providing healthcare and spend less time on paperwork and administration.”

The transitional funding would cost $600 million divided over four years, plus a one-time capital investment of $60 million, $75 million in annual operating, and $5 million annually for Indigenous consultations and early program proposals.

The NDP’s full report can be seen below: