Cochrane residents worry doctor shortage will worsen with closure of primary care centre

Some Cochrane, Alta., residents who are searching for a new family doctor are worried what will happen when the local primary care centre closes by January 2022.

Jocelyn Kimmett has been looking for a new doctor for herself, her husband and her two young children since her long-time family physician retired. After originally being told a replacement was coming, she found out last summer that wasn't the case.

"It certainly makes me feel nervous," Kimmet said. "I want my kids to grow up with someone that is familiar with their health needs and their history, and can be looking out for concerns that maybe you wouldn't catch if you weren't familiar with the patient. So it's definitely a concern."

She is worried the search will get even harder when the primary care centre closes, leaving even more patients in need of a doctor.

Clinic closure a business decision

The Calgary Foothills Primary Care Network announced the closure of the clinic in April.

No one from the PCN was available for an interview, but in an emailed statement executive director Darren Caines told CBC News "the financial impact of the pandemic combined with the departure of physicians meant the business model was no longer sustainable in Cochrane."

By the end of August, the clinic will have three practicing physicians, which is less than half its capacity. When it closes, those doctors' patients will also be seeking care.

Alberta Health Services said it has approved six sponsorship positions for the Cochrane area, two of which have not yet been filled. Cochrane has 22 family physicians practicing at nine clinics.

However, according to Alberta's Find a Doctor website, none of them are accepting new patients.

Searching for a solution

Airdrie-Cochrane MLA Peter Guthrie said he is working on possible solutions with the Town of Cochrane and Alberta Health, including finding a new owner for the clinic. However, he said it isn't the provincial government's responsibility to keep it afloat.

"We allow the commercial side to handle itself. We are trying to recruit physicians for the area versus the running of the clinic," Guthrie said. "I think attracting physicians to rural areas is going to be something that the government's going to have to continue working on into the future."

Guthrie said he expects some of the pressure to ease in the fall.

"I'm under the understanding that we have four or five new doctors coming in September, October. So I think that these individuals will be able to find themselves a new doctor come fall," he said.

With a backlog of patients already searching for doctors and more expected to flood the system when the primary care centre closes, it's unclear how much relief that will actually provide.

Cochrane's mayor wasn't available for an interview but the Town of Cochrane issued a statement, saying it is "engaged in increasing our understanding of the issue and our role as a municipal government as we look to explore how we can support a Cochrane-focused solution."

In the meantime, some Cochrane residents are moving their medical care to Calgary. According to Find a Doctor, 20 clinics in the Calgary Foothills PCN are accepting patients in the city.

But Kimmett would like to find someone in Cochrane.

"I kind of feel like I'm at a loss as to what I should be doing. We'll continue to call around to doctor's offices and find out if they're taking on new patients."