Those seeking health care in Bashaw will soon have a new option.
Six new physicians are scheduled to join the Bashaw Collaborative Health Model based out of the old Bashaw Hospital on a rotating basis by the end of March.
The clinic will be open five days a week with different doctors taking turns.
Anyone within the Bashaw region, including those in certain parts of Stettler County, Camrose County, Ponoka County, and Lacombe County, will be eligible to register at the clinic.
Startup costs for the collaborative clinic and nursing staff are being funded through a pair of grants received by the group from Alberta Health Services and the physicians are being funded through the traditional funding model.
According to Jackie Northey, one of the leads on the project, when fully operational, the clinic will be funded through a mix of traditional funding sources, grants and investment partners.
"We're hoping to get some fairly major corporations and investors interested in being a part of that," said Northey. "The intention is to combine or to have collocate both the health clinic and the social programs in the same facility so that when an individual walks in the door, they literally have access to all of the programs and services that Bashaw has to offer in both the social and health field."
Northey notes that there are currently "lots of moving parts" with everything due to the province's ongoing efforts to overhaul the health system, and the final outcome could still change.
As well, Northey adds that as the clinic is moving to a team-based approach, not all services will be in place on day one as the management team wants to ensure that the right people are hired and appropriately trained.
"It's a little different than how normal clinics have operated in the past," said Northey.
"We'll just do that systematically and slowly as we go."
According to Northey, one major difference between this clinic and traditional models is that the community is going to own and operate it, with staff coming in to make use of the facilities.
"Our community is the region that we're looking as to who we serve," said Northey.
"So the community will own it absolutely and we will secure the funds to pay for everybody but the doctors because the doctors already have a funding model that they use and they will continue to use that."
Northey notes that the way the clinic is being set up is not unique; one of the physicians coming in to work at the clinic already works at another clinic set up in a similar fashion.
However, what will be unique with the clinic is once things get more firmly established and other support groups such as Bashaw District Support Services and other social supports move under one roof; that type of setup hasn't been seen before as far as Northey knows.
"That will be unique to Alberta and Canada as far as I know," said Northey.
"All I can say is that the wellness team is really innovative ... as a rule, we're always looking at innovative ways of supporting our communities and helping individuals that need this support and help that we need."
The public is encouraged to watch social media for more announcements as the official opening of the new clinic approaches an opening date.
