Alberta increase primary care through nurses

Residents in rural Alberta have seen expanded primary care thanks to an Alberta program.

The Nurse Practitioner Primary Care Program was launched in April which allows nurse practitioners to practise comprehensive patient care independently.

Since the program was launched, 67 applications were submitted and 56 have been approved. Of those, 33 nurse practitioners are practising in rural locations such as, Vermilion, Vegreville and Cold Lake.

“I am thrilled about the interest in this program, as nurse practitioners are a key part of the solution to provide Albertans with greater access to the primary health care services they need,” said Adriana LaGrange, minister of health.

Each nurse is required to commit to providing a set number of hours and maintain a panel size of 900 patients. 

With these 33 new nurse practitioners practising independently, roughly 30,000 more Albertans will have access to primary health care. 

“Enabling nurse practitioners to practise independently is great news for rural Alberta. This is one more way our government is ensuring communities will have access to the care they need, closer to home,” said Martin Long, secretary for rural health. 

Once the remaining 23 approved applicants begin practising, primary health care access will be available to roughly 21,000 more residents.

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