Medicine Hat’s Family Medicine Maternity Clinic reopening in February

A partnership between Alberta Health Services, Primary Care Alberta and local doctors will see a Medicine Hat prenatal clinic reopen.

A prenatal clinic within the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital is set to reopen next month after being closed for more than five years.

The Family Medicine Maternity Clinic, which handled about half of the city’s births, closed in July 2021 after its funding was removed.

“You could imagine if you were expecting and you can’t find anybody to take care of you what that mean s to you,” said Dr. Gerry Prince, a family obstetrician and clinic lead.

• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

“That might mean you have to travel to Calgary or Lethbridge or Brooks or somewhere else, which is a huge cost, a huge inconvenience and not convenient for good family support and all the other needed things, so this is critical.”

While babies were still being delivered in Medicine Hat, the patient load was put on doctors already operating at capacity within the hospital.

Prince says one of their physicians, who was dedicated to prenatal care, is leaving in April, which prompted the hospital needed to create a new model.

“The model that we developed here has been used in several other centres around the province because it is successful in small centres,” he said.

“What works in big centres doesn’t work in Medicine Hat, so we excited for it, as it provides a great level of care for our patients.”

The maternity clinic will reopen to expecting families in February, with referrals already being accepted.

The clinic’s interdisciplinary care team of physicians and nurses will provide routine prenatal assessments and screening, education and counselling related to pregnancy, labour and postpartum care, and the coordination of lab testing and diagnostic imaging.

“This really provides ongoing stability, sustainability and a really good model for care as well,” Prince said.

The reopening of the clinic was collaborative effort between Alberta Health Services, Primary Care Alberta, local physicians and the Palliser Primary Care Network.

“Healthy pregnancies start with access to care, and that care is always best when it’s available where families live,” said Kim Simmonds, CEO of Primary Care Alberta.

“This clinic is a result of healthcare partners working together quickly to ensure expecting families receive the care they need during a critical time in their lives.”

Each year, about 1,000 babies are born at the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital.

“Reopening the maternity clinic ensures that families can access reliable, compassionate care close to home in early pregnancy and beyond,” said Justin Wright, MLA for Cypress-Medicine Hat and parliamentary secretary for Rural Health South.

“Bringing back straightforward, easy-to-use services helps first-time expectant mothers feel supported, especially during a time when they need it most.”

The new space will allow the city’s remaining family obstetricians to work together to coordinate care and ensure the needs of expecting families are met.

It’s also hoped the clinic will attract new health-care professionals to the city.

“As of December, of this year, we have reached 13,500 physicians across Alberta - the highest we’ve ever had as a province in our history,” said Wright.

“We’re going to continue to build upon that momentum and attracting physicians to our province because it’s really going to allow everybody to get the service that they need.”

Expecting families may be referred by a healthcare provider or self refer by calling the patient appointment line at 403-529-8060.