Paulkweaver

·Primary Care Networks are recent initiatives many Canadian provincial governments have introduced to reform Canada's health system. As they exist currently, a Primary Care Network is a formal agreement between a group of family physicians and a health region to collaboratively plan and deliver primary care services for specific geographic population, but do it in such a way that works best locally. By working together more closely, it is thought that hey can better coordinate services and improve access to primary care services. In this arrangement, family physicians are the main provider of care, yet each PCN has the flexibility to hire other healthcare providers, such as nurses or pharmacists to augment service delivery.

Primary Care Networks (PCNs) were were initiated in Alberta as the result of a Trilateral Agreement among Alberta Health and Wellness, the Alberta Medical Association (AMA) and the Regional Health Authorities in 2003. As of June 2010, Alberta has 33 PCNs with several more in development . Overall, PCNs seek to:

• Increase the number of Albertans with access to primary care
• Provide coordinated 24 hour, 7-day-per-week management of access to appropriate primary care services
• Increase emphasis on health promotion, disease and injury prevention, and the care of patients with chronic illnesses
• Improve coordination and integration with other health care services; and
• Foster a team approach to providing comprehensive primary care

As one of five PCNs in the Calgary area, the Calgary Foothills Primary Care Network (CFPCN), was deveoped in 2006. With approximately 255 member physicians and a catchment area that includes Northwest Calgary as well as the community of Cochrane, the CFPCN delivers seven different primary healthcare programs to almost 300,000 people. To date, the CFPCN is the largest PCN in Alberta.

Primary care is the first point of contact that a person has with the health system – the point where people receive care for most of their everyday health needs.