GRANDE PRAIRIE – Alberta Health Services is proud to announce the opening of the new Grande Prairie Bone and Joint Clinic at the QEII Hospital.
Located in 1-East in Mackenzie Place, the new clinic is an integral feature of an innovative model for improved hip and knee replacement services. It begins providing services to residents in the Peace Country this month.
“The Bone and Joint Clinic is an outstanding example of how we are striving to meet Alberta Health Services’ goal of improved access to care, using best practices, streamlining processes, and making better use of resources,” said Dr. Wynand Wessels, lead physician for the clinic.
“One of the goals of the local clinic is to streamline services so that we can increase the number of hip and knee replacements performed in the Peace Country.”
However, Dr. Wessels added, patients requiring other types of surgeries will still be treated with the same level of treatment and care as those requiring hip and knee surgeries.
The Grande Prairie facility is modeled on the clinics set up for the successful Alberta Hip and Knee Replacement Project in 2005-06, which tested an innovative new service model for patients. The project was conducted in three former health regions – Capital Health Region, David Thompson, and Calgary Health Region, and involved Alberta Health and Wellness, the province’s physicians, the Alberta Orthopaedic Society, and the Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute. The Grande Prairie clinic is the first of its kind to open outside of the three health regions involved in the original project.
The Grande Prairie Bone and Joint Clinic will initially treat only patients who require hip or knee replacement surgery. Over time, it will expand to other bone and joint services.
Hip and knee replacement patients will be treated at the clinic by a multidisciplinary team consisting of a lead physician, a patient navigator, a registered nurse, a physiotherapist and an occupational therapist. All services other than surgery will be provided or managed through the clinic, including assessment, education and instruction, and follow-up after surgery. The patient navigator will guide each patient along each step of the care path.
One of the goals of the local clinic is to increase the number of hip and knee surgeries performed annually at the QEII Hospital. By doing this more efficiently, patient access to other services will also increase.
Grande Prairie Bone and Joint Clinic
Christa Martin
(780) 830-2810