The program is called Cancer and Palliative Care and it was started in 2010 as part of the MRPCN’s of its palliative care initiative. The Alberta government formed the Primary Care Network (PCN) in 2003 as a way to help co-ordinate all the different health professionals in a community. Persa Kovich, MRPCN nurse lead for the Cancer and Palliative Care program, said the initiative was started shortly after MRPCN was formed in 2010.
“The doctors in Whitecourt were finding that no one was looking after the cancer patients. The care was too fragmented, there was nothing tying the services together and people were falling through the cracks and (we) decided something had to be done.” Although the program is run and organized by the MRPCN, a number of different agencies are involved in bringing health care to the people enrolled in the program. “It really is a team approach and we have a number of different specialties and organizations all helping the patient have the best quality of life they can.”
Among the groups and specialists are an occupational and mental health therapists, an acute care nurse, a respiratory technician, a dietician and an emergency room physician. The group also has a social worker and representatives from home care and the Whitecourt Cancer and Wellness Group.Every week the different agencies meet together at the healthcare centre to go over cases and come up with a care plan that will best help the patient. The physician lead for the program is Dr. Lizanne Venter.
Read more on the Mayerthorpe Freelancer.
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