As more foothills residents creep towards retirement age and beyond the strain on Alberta’s health infrastructure will increase said one of the province’s top health officials.

As a result, the Province has been looking at ways of expanding care options to ease the strain on local hospitals such as Oilfields General Hospital in Black Diamond and High River Hospital. Dr. James Silvius, Alberta Health Services’ medical director in charge of senior’s health, spoke at the Foothills Centennial Centre in Okotoks on Feb. 3 about impending changes to the health care system.

Dr. James Silvius gives a speech at the Foothills Centennial Centre on seniors health care. photo by Rick Northrop

“We need to provide the choices and the options out there for people that allow them to live in the least restrictive setting that meets their needs that they can have some choice over,” said Silvius.

Some of the changes include grant funding to increase home care with the stipulation it be spent by March 2011 and funds may be allocated in areas such as home care or self-managed care to lighten the load on hospitals but no final decisions have been made.

“We are looking very seriously at where the dollars go, what they are allocated for and what the priorities should be,” said Silvius.

Seniors aged 65 and over visit hospitals more often than any other age category in Alberta and are expected to account for 45 per cent of new patients over the next 10 years according to Silvius.

The Alberta government has studied the foothills area and projections have been made concerning the aging population up to 2030. Any changes to health care in the area will be made depending on what the government feels needs of the population will be.

“It’s based on what the projections are for individual’s needs in this area,” said Silvius. “You really want to put in place programs that meet needs.”

Under new Minister of Health, Gene Zwozdesky, it has been made clear privatization is not on the menu according to Silvius. Whatever changes occur, Alberta Health Services will provide care options to people and put staff in place to manage the population’s needs.

Alberta Health Services has already made changes to the provincial drug plan, which will result in a paradigm shift for Alberta pharmacists according to a local business owner.

Bob Brown, pharmacist and owner of Shoppers Drug Mart in Okotoks, said exciting changes are on the horizon for those who embrace them. Starting April 1, the province is reducing the cost of generic drugs from 75 per cent of brand name prices to 45 per cent. Albertans will not see any changes in the number of drugs covered, but this reduction in price constitutes a vast change in pharmacist’s income.

“Right now, 100 per cent of pharmacy income is preparing medicines. That’s going to be affected with this change,” said Brown.

Currently, community pharmacies in Alberta are paid a fee for each prescription they hand out. The new payment model will shift the focus from dispensing towards professional services such as advising customers on medications and administering injections.

The Alberta Pharmacists Association said this will make better use of pharmacist’s professional knowledge and skills.

“For those of us who operate our own businesses there’s a lot of challenges,” said Brown.

The Province expects the move to save Albertans approximately $100 million. In 2008-09, the provincial government spent $1.2 billion on drugs, 35 per cent of which is spent on generic drugs. The price for generic drugs in Alberta is among the highest in Canada.

“We need to ensure a reasonable return on investment but not at the expense of taxpayers,” said Silvius, who is also chair of Alberta’s Expert Committee on Drug Evaluations and Therapeutics established by the Minister of Health and Wellness to provide recommendations regarding drugs sponsored for coverage.

“Who really knows better than pharmacists,” said Silvius. “We should be using their skills, that’s the part about working to the full scope of your training and practice.”

Rural pharmacies such as the Shoppers Drug Mart in Okotoks will be able to tap into a $5 million fund and receive an allowance for each prescription under $75 for the next three years. According to the pharmacist’s association, the $5 million fund is to ensure the continued economic viability of community pharmacies.

“Pharmacy income is to be affected but the government is thoughtful enough that they are trying to find a way to replace it,” said Brown.

In order to administer injections to customers, Brown and his staff had to undergo extensive training. Brown said the transition is an exciting opportunity but also intimidating.

“To practice the clinical work for which the government will be willing to compensate us does require extra work,” said Brown.

Alberta’s 900 pharmacies employ about 3,800 pharmacists and each year they fill approximately 37 million prescriptions.

rnorthrop@okotoks.greatwest.ca

http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/default.asp

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