Primary health care
Your health. Our promise.
- Primary health care updates, reports, and draft Family Care Clinic application kit
- Read about the Minister's Advisory Committee on Primary Health Care
- Read Premier Redford’s letter to Albertans on access to primary health care
June 20, 2012 - Watch Premier Redford's video on access to primary health care – June 20, 2012
- Read news release and backgrounder – June 20, 2012
Primary health care is the “front door” to basic health care. It’s the first place people go for health care or wellness advice and programs, treatment of a health issue or injury, or to diagnose and manage a health condition.
Primary health care is about:
- Treating acute and episodic illness
- Preventing people from becoming ill or injured
- Managing chronic conditions
- Making the most effective use of health provider expertise
- Efficiency and co-ordination
- Access, and
- Individuals playing an active role in their own health care
Primary health care may include services like: health promotion, disease prevention, screening tests and examinations, rehabilitation therapy, nutritional and psychological counseling. That means a variety of professionals, including nurses, pharmacists, dieticians, counsellors, rehabilitation therapists and social workers — in addition to physicians — provide primary care.
Primary Care Networks and Family Care Clinics
Alberta has two team-based approaches to community health care. Primary Care Networks, in operation since 2003, are physician-led multi-disciplinary teams. Alberta has 40 networks with almost 2,500 doctors and about 600 full-time-equivalent professionals in other disciplines.
Family Care Clinics, a new approach introduced in early 2012, provide direct access to a variety of health professionals on a team, and to other community and support services.
