Media release Find a Doctor website wins national recognition June 12, 2013: For immediate release Edmonton, AB – An Edmonton and area website project, which helps the public find Primary Care Network (PCN) family doctors accepting new patients, has won second place in a national public relations competition.
The nine Edmonton area PCNs, who developed the Find a PCN Family Doctor website and mobile site, won the recognition through the Health Care Public Relations Association’s Hygeia Award in the website category. The winners were announced today in Halifax at the 2013 National Conference. "We’re very happy to be recognized nationally. Within its first year, the website had over 36,000 visitors,” says Colleen Enns, Executive Director of Edmonton Oliver Primary Care Network. The Find a PCN Family Doctor website provides the public with an up-to-date and comprehensive list of all PCN member physicians in the Edmonton area who are accepting new patients. As of June 11, 2013, there are 152 Edmonton area PCN family physicians accepting new patients. The user friendly website, www.edmontonareadocs.ca, is updated quarterly. PCN doctors can be searched by the Edmonton and area map, gender, location and language. The nine Edmonton area Primary Care Networks, representing the following communities, behind this project are: Alberta Heartland Primary Care Network: Fort Saskatchewan, Lamont, Redwater and Gibbons Edmonton Oliver Primary Care Network: central Edmonton Edmonton Southside Primary Care Network: south Edmonton Edmonton West Primary Care Network: west and southwest Edmonton Edmonton North Primary Care Network: north Edmonton WestView Primary Care Network: Spruce Grove and Stony Plain Leduc Beaumont Devon Primary Care Network: Leduc, Beaumont, Devon, Calmar and Leduc County Sherwood Park - Strathcona County Primary Care Network: Sherwood Park and Strathcona County St. Albert & Sturgeon Primary Care Network: St. Albert, Morinville and Sturgeon County -30Contact: Colleen Enns Executive Director Edmonton Oliver Primary Care Network cenns@edmontonoliverpcn.com P: 780.701.5393 C: 780.918.1278
Backgrounder What are Primary Care Networks? Primary Care Networks (PCNs) are a made-in-Alberta approach to improving access to and better coordination of care for patients across the province. In a PCN, a group of family doctors working with a multidisciplinary team and Alberta Health Services coordinate health services for patients. A PCN is not necessarily a bricks and mortar building – it is a network of doctors and other health providers such as nurses, dietitians, mental health professionals, therapists, pharmacists and others working together to provide primary health care to patients. A PCN can be comprised of one clinic with many physicians and support staff, or several doctors in several clinics in a geographic area. Each network has the flexibility to develop programs and to provide services in a way that works locally to meet the specific needs of patients. This is done within the provincial Primary Care Initiative framework. This flexibility to develop local solutions to local health issues makes each PCN unique and encourages the PCN team to focus on the needs of the local patient population. There are 40 PCNs operating throughout Alberta with more in development. More than 2,500 family physicians in Alberta are working in PCNs. Why is it important to have a family doctor? Family doctors provide continuity of care. Building a relationship with a family physician means he or she understands your health background and issues. Many years of research has demonstrated that those patients who have a strong continuous relationship with one family physician have better overall health outcomes than those who see multiple physicians. Seeing one physician who you have a good relationship with, as often as possible is really in your best interest as a patient.