Clinic proposed for Candle Lake

Statistics show that rural residents benefit from access to care, said Lynnda Berg, the health region’s vice-president primary and community care.

“The idea with chronic disease management is … people do learn their self-care and they’re not accessing emergency clinics,” she said.

The Candle Lake site would include one full-time nurse practitioner and would require administrative supports including a full-time medical-office assistant.

Doctor support would be provided through the Prince Albert Co-operative Clinic, but most of the clients have their own physician already. So a collaborative relationship between the nurse practitioners and client’s current physician would be fostered.

The proposal comes as the number of people moving into the Lakeland area increase, and many of those residents are retirees.

There is nearly twice the population in Candle Lake as Hafford, and that community is one that already has a nurse practitioner clinic.

“Our old model of health care, it doesn’t shift as the population shifts. We tend to continue to leave things because they were always there,” Berg said.

“I guess this is kind of our first time where we’ve enhanced services where populations are really growing.”

The current service is well supported by the community, volunteers come in to staff the desk and answer phones when the nurse practitioner is in the clinic, Sackney said.

“Everyone that has come to the clinic has been pleased and definitely would come back.”

Distance is a big factor for people living in the area and now the nurse practitioner can manage much of the basic care, which is helpful because it can be hard to find a doctor in Prince Albert, Sackney said.

Outreach clinics from Candle Lake to Christopher Lake and the Meath Park/Paddockwood regions are also being considered by the proposal.

news@panow.com

by Angela Hill

Clinic proposed for Candle Lake

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