Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley vowed to set up the Lethbridge Teaching Clinic to serve southern Alberta families with their healthcare needs if elected premier. .“We know this is something Lethbridge families care about deeply,” said Notley at a Monday event at the Galt Museum in Lethbridge. .“We would also consult with the Blood Tribe and indigenous communities on establishing an Indigenous Centre of Excellence in Primary Care.”.The Lethbridge Teaching Clinic would bring seven new medical students and 20 family medicine residents to increase healthcare access for families. .About 40,000 Lethbridge residents are without a family physician. .Notley said the teaching clinic would include a family health team consisting of doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, and obstetrics care. .An Alberta NDP government would provide five free counselling sessions with a psychologist for every person and universal coverage for contraception. .She committed to ensure Lethbridge residents can have babies at the hospital instead of having to travel 300 kilometres, which drew thunderous applause. .Under the Alberta United Conservative Party, she said Alberta is facing crises in healthcare and affordability. She added it is “time for hope, common sense, and trusted leadership.”.The NDP would partner with the University of Lethbridge, the University of Calgary, Chinook Regional Hospital, and local physicians to build the teaching clinic and will ensure a focus on obstetrics needs. .It will examine the possibility of locating the clinic on the U of L campus. .The costs to building the teaching clinic are estimated to be $10 million. Annual operating costs have been pegged at $18 million. .Notley said the NDP would staff the Chinook Regional Hospital so healthcare is around when people need it. .The indigenous centre would be co-created to train doctors in culturally-appropriate care, building on the memorandum of understanding between U of L and the Blood Tribe Health Department. .Alberta NDP candidate Shannon Phillips (Lethbridge-West) started off the rally by saying doctors trained in the Lethbridge area are more likely to build connections and work in the community long term. .Phillips said the UCP “has created chaos in healthcare that has driven away doctors, leaving 40,000 residents without access to care.”.“Enough is enough,” she said. .“Instead of fighting with doctors, we’ll recruit them.” .The Alberta government started working to offer physician training in Lethbridge and Grande Prairie in January to bring more doctors to rural areas. .READ MORE: UCP government working to offer physician training in Lethbridge and Grande Prairie.It is spending $1 million to explore ways which regional post-secondary institutions, such as the University of Lethbridge and Northwestern Polytechnic, can help deliver medical education outside of Edmonton and Calgary..“Partnering with Alberta’s two medical schools and institutions in northern and southern Alberta to train doctors locally is the best path to ensuring we meet rural needs,” said Alberta Advanced Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides.
