Photo: County of Stettler council has seconded a Lacombe County resolution seeking stable provincial funding for community-owned, team-based rural primary care. The Bashaw Medical Clinic is presented as a successful model serving more than 1,500 rural residents. Source: Unsplash

Council voted to second the resolution during its Aug. 26 meeting. Coun. Nyberg supported the initiative and noted the County of Stettler has a good working relationship with Lacombe County.

The resolution calls on the Rural Municipalities of Alberta to advocate for sustainable provincial funding and support for community-owned, interdisciplinary primary care models in rural and remote communities.

It also asks the provincial government to work with rural municipalities and community partners to provide more equitable access to team-based primary care across rural Alberta.

The proposal identifies shortages of family physicians and the difficulty of recruiting and retaining health-care professionals as continuing challenges for rural communities. Those shortages can leave residents without consistent primary care and place additional pressure on emergency departments and health facilities in neighbouring communities.

The Bashaw Medical Clinic is presented as an example of how a community-owned model can help address those challenges.

The clinic was developed by the Bashaw and District Regional Health and Wellness Foundation in partnership with local organizations. According to the resolution, it is Alberta’s only community-owned and operated Patient Medical Home within an Integrated Health Neighbourhood.

Its interdisciplinary team includes nursing professionals, an advanced-practice pharmacist and administrative support staff. The model provides full-time primary care despite limited on-site physician availability.

The clinic has more than doubled its patient panel and now serves more than 1,500 rural residents. The resolution says the approach has improved access to ongoing care and reduced pressure on emergency departments and neighbouring health facilities.

However, the clinic currently depends on short-term grants that the resolution says are not sufficient to provide long-term stability or support continued growth.

The County of Stettler previously heard from a delegation representing the Bashaw and District Regional Health and Wellness Foundation on April 8. Council later sent a letter supporting continued funding to Alberta’s health ministers and the premier.

Council’s decision to second the resolution does not create any additional municipal expense.

The County of Stettler’s support will be brought forward at an upcoming Central Regional Meeting in Innisfail.

The proposal is expected to proceed through the Central Zone process before reaching the RMA fall convention in November, where it will require support from three-fifths of voting delegates.