Primary health care in the Sun Country Health Region is taking on additional importance said the health region’s CEO Marga Cugnet during a presentation she made to the board of directors on Jan. 27 at their open business meeting.
Sheena Grimes is the interim regional director for the program that includes a half-dozen nurse practitioners and three dietitians and another three facilitators along with two chronic disease nurses and a chronic disease management co-ordinator.
The primary health system involves a business manager and regional manager for chronic disease management, as well as a regional manager for primary health, with that position currently vacant. There are 5.65 full time equivalent positions dedicated to medical office assistance as well.
The primary-care program has contract agreements for alternate payments for physicians with three of them being involved in the program in the Estevan/Lampman area.
The budget for primary health is just under $7.1 million this year, she said.
Cugnet explained the team development cycle that is put into action to treat primary health-care clients and patients is meant to improve access and patient experiences on an ongoing basis.
Patients gain access to care through individual appointments, team-based clinics and shared medical appointments, Cugnet explained.
One of the main products of the primary health-care program is to better manage patients with chronic disease and their programs. Those patients could include those with diabetes or kidney failure or others requiring pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation or obesity management.
An electronic medical records system allows for more efficient flow of information among the treatment team members which reduces repeat testing of clients/patients.
The success of the program will be measured by the ability of Sun Country to reach its target of increasing the participants in the Live Well programs which are offered regionally, by 25 per cent, thus reducing the number of visits to acute-care and emergency room facilities.
Cugnet said the future plan includes sustaining services at eight primary health-care sites in the region and then expanding programs right across the Sun Country region.
