A total of zero St. Albert family doctors who belong to the St. Albert and Sturgeon Primary Care Network are accepting new patients.
Only two doctors in the network, which includes 62 family physicians, are taking patients: one in Morinville and another in Legal, according to Caleigh Clubine, the network’s communications coordinator.
St. Albert is seeing the same trend as the rest of the province, according to Dr. Barbara Fischer, a family physician at the St. Albert Medical Clinic and president of the board of directors of the St. Albert and Sturgeon PCN.
Fischer said she is “hearing a lot of worry” from people who can’t find a family doctor.
“People are worried that they are not getting the care they need,” Fischer said in an email. “They are also frustrated — they don't want to go to an emergency department for non-emergency things or wait the majority of the day in a walk-in clinic, or to see a different provider every time they need help.”
Alberta's 39 PCNs cover most doctors in the province. According to data from Alberta’s Find a Doctor website, the number of family physicians accepting new patients decreased by 79 per cent from 2020 to 2023.
Fischer believes the shortages are driven by an aging population, but also by fewer doctors choosing the family medicine route.
She said St. Albert has seen a few physicians retire, some reduce their hours and others leave the city for personal reasons.
“We have also had significant challenges recruiting new family doctors who want to do traditional family practice,” she said.
“We desperately need Alberta Health to update funding to incentivize new physicians to choose family practice.”
Family doctor shortages create cascading health problems in communities, Fischer said.
Patients lose access to preventative care or screening that could detect a serious illness before it becomes difficult to treat. People with chronic conditions have a harder time getting the regular care needed to stop their health from deteriorating. And shortages make it harder for those who do have a family physician to see their doctors in a timely manner.
“The burden on specialists also increases if there is no family doctor to follow up on a patient’s care, so that creates longer delays to see specialists,” Fischer said. “Overall, there are increased costs to our health system, and overuse and crowding in our emergency departments.”
Family doctors are also feeling the pressure.
“We are always being asked to take on another patient, and it is hard to say 'no,' but our capacity has limits,” Fischer said.
Suburbs and rural communities have been hit especially hard.
However, St. Albert has some advantages that may make it an attractive place for family doctors looking to set up shop.
“It is a beautiful place to live, with great amenities and schools,” Fischer said. “There are also many social programs and community agencies that support patients beyond the doctor’s office.”
