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Primary Care Alberta

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Primary Care Alberta is the place where health begins.

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The thought of cancer can be scary for all of us. Regular screening can detect cancer early, often before symptoms appear and when treatment works best.

Screening for Life has launched a new online guide to help Albertans understand when they should start screening for breast, cervical or colorectal cancer. Take action and make informed decisions about your health.

Click the link in our bio to learn more. by @primarycarealberta

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Three-time breast cancer survivor and former Screen Test employee Colleen Waters knows better than most why breast cancer screening matters.

Waters was first diagnosed at 44. While undergoing treatment she came across a Screen Test job posting and joined the team. During her career Waters worked as part of the Screen Test administrative team and assisted with mobile mammography across the province.

Waters’ experiences with breast cancer gave her a unique perspective when supporting women who came for screening, understanding what it was like to be on both sides of the experience and offering reassurance to women facing uncertainty.

“There were cases where people would come in with their moms or themselves… a lot of the time I could say something that was comforting to them,” she says.

This #BreastCancerAwareness Month Waters encourages Albertans to prioritize their health and get screened.

“We need to take care of ourselves,” Waters says. “We just need to go, and the programs are coming into your towns.”

She was diagnosed again in 2016, following her own routine screening at one of the mobile mammography units. A third diagnosis came in 2026, which she has now completed treatment for. Waters understands that screening can be an uncomfortable or vulnerable experience but stresses its importance.

“At the end of it all, it’s worth it.”

To learn more about breast cancer screening programs near you, visit our link in bio. by @primarycarealberta

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2 days ago

Practice food safety this weekend, your loved ones will thank you!

• If you’re cooking a turkey this fall, make sure to cook it immediately after it’s thawed. It’s always best to thaw your turkey in the fridge. Use a meat thermometer to ensure the turkey is cooked to a safe internal temperature of 85° C (185°F). Insert the thermometer into the fleshiest part of the bird’s thigh and ensure it isn’t touching any bones.

• Wash your hands carefully with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw meat.

• Clean and disinfect all kitchen surfaces, dishes and utensils that come into contact with raw or partially cooked meat.

• Keep hot foods hot [60 °C (140 °F) or above] and cold foods cold [4 °C (40 °F) or below]. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours of serving. by @primarycarealberta

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7 days ago

Safe crossing starts with good habits! Crossing the road can be especially dangerous for children. Have your child cross only at crosswalks or corners or at marked railway crossings and teach your child to do the following before crossing the road:

👉 Point across the road with your arm to tell drivers that you are ready to cross.
✋ Pause until all vehicles stop and you have made eye contact with drivers.
🟢 Proceed with your arm out and keep looking both ways as you cross.

For more tips on teaching children pedestrian safety visit our link in bio. by @primarycarealberta

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8 days ago

There’s no perfect breastfeeding journey; there’s only your journey. For Merissa, breastfeeding looked different with each of her two children. With her second, connecting with Public Health early on gave her the support, guidance, and reassurance she needed.

“When my daughter wasn’t gaining weight, a public health nurse [Emily] came over a few times and helped me figure out better ways to position myself, to position the baby, and taught me better practices to help me produce more.”

From help with breastfeeding techniques to having a safe place to ask questions, the support she received from Public Health Nurses helped her feel more confident when challenges came up.

“There was also a registered nurse with the Baby Talk program, so I could go in and ask any questions I had on a weekly basis. They were so helpful and supportive. It felt like I could ask them anything, and I always left feeling reassured,” said Merissa. “There’s so much pressure in your head that your body is supposed to be able to feed your baby, and when you can’t, you feel like your body didn’t do what it was supposed to do. I think a lot of moms are way too hard on themselves and need the reminder that it’s okay not to be able to breastfeed. You have to listen to your body. It’s okay to ask for help.”

Along the way, she found community and a reminder that every feeding journey is different. Whatever your feeding journey looks like, you don’t have to navigate it alone. For breastfeeding health advice, call Health Link at 811 or your local Public Health office.

October 1-7 is Breastfeeding Week in Canada. #BreastfeedingWeek #BreastFeedingSupport by @primarycarealberta

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9 days ago

Don’t wait for a change to get screened. You don’t need to have a lump or notice something unusual to need a mammogram. Regular screening can help find breast cancer before symptoms appear when treatment may be more effective.

In Alberta, it’s recommended women ages 45–74 have a screening mammogram every two years. Appointments are available at radiology clinics across the province.

Visit our link in bio to learn more about screening, what to expect and where to go. Take care of future you. 💗

#BreastCancerAwarenessMonth #BreastCancerScreening #GetScreened #ScreeningForLife by @primarycarealberta

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Fall immunization appointments are available! Booking is now open, with immunizations starting Oct. 19. To book an appointment or learn more about which immunizations are right for you visit our link in bio or call Health Link at 811. by @primarycarealberta

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11 days ago

Breastfeeding comes with plenty of advice, opinions and myths. Let’s clear up a few common ones!

For more evidence-based breastfeeding information, visit our link in bio. Parents of babies under two months of age can also reach the Newborn Line at 1-833-805-2229 for expert postpartum information and support 24/7.

October 1-7 is Breastfeeding Week in Canada. 🤱

#BreastfeedingSupport #BreastfeedingWeek by @primarycarealberta

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Screen Test Mobile Mammography turns 35 this fall! 🎂

The mobile mammography program launched in 1991 with the very first community visit in Hinton on September 18, 1991. In its first year, the program visited 26 different communities across the province. Screen Test now has two mobile mammography trailers traveling to 120 Alberta communities, seeing up to 15,000 clients each year.

Over the years, Screen Test has detected over 3100 breast cancers and more than 28,000 abnormalities where additional testing was recommended.

“A lot of the women will say, ‘if you didn’t come here, I would not go to the city to have this done. It is definitely helping save lives,” says mammography technologist Veronica Novakowski, who was with the mobile mammography program on day one.

#breastcancerawareness by @primarycarealberta

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14 days ago

Nutrition risk among older adults is more common than many people realize.

The free Nutrition Check-up for Older Adults takes just a few minutes and provides tailored tips and helpful resources to support healthy aging. Visit our link in bio to start your nutrition check-up.

October 1 is the Day of Older Persons in Alberta. by @primarycarealberta

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15 days ago

On September 30, we join Canadians to acknowledge the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It is a day to remember the children who never returned home and the survivors of residential schools, and to honour the strength, resilience and enduring cultures of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit.

Supporting culturally grounded and respectful care is an important part of reconciliation. The Indigenous Support Line is a free telephone service available to First Nations, Métis and Inuit to help navigate the healthcare system and connect with culturally grounded care. Through the Line, callers can get support accessing services, addressing concerns, connecting with Indigenous cultural supports, or finding assistance for mental health and addiction challenges.

The Line is available Monday to Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at 1-844-944-4744 or through 811. For more information, visit our link in bio. by @primarycarealberta

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16 days ago

Practicing medicine in rural and remote communities poses some formidable challenges, but family physician Dr. Jennifer Parker wouldn’t trade it for anything.

“I love my work. I love the opportunities that I’ve been given,” she says.

For more than 12 years Dr. Parker has looked after patients in High Level, as well as Meander River, part of the Dene Tha’ First Nation, and John D’or Prairie, part of Little Red River Cree Nation, two of the 10 First Nations communities in the area where she spends a significant portion of her time.

Dr. Parker estimates her practice is made up of 70-80 per cent First Nations patients. She has an Indigenous background herself and is from the Moberly Lake/Fort Nelson area of British Columbia.

“There are some amazing things happening on reservations across the country, but when it comes to First Nations healthcare, the fact is there are dramatic systemic issues,” she says.

Sept. 30 marks Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Dr. Parker cites food insecurity, poor housing and access to clean drinking water as three of the fundamental issues impacting First Nation communities.

For example, she says that in every First Nation community she’s worked with, nutritional deficiency of iron is a serious issue, particularly among the obstetrical patients she sees.

“If a mom doesn't have enough iron, the baby's not going to get enough iron, period. It increases risks for postpartum hemorrhage, and it increases risks for iron deficiency anemia in a newborn, which is going to cause brain deficits that never go away.”

Parker helps many of her pregnant patients by providing iron supplements intravenously, however the underlying issue of inadequate nutrition remains.

“It took us 200 years to get here and it’s going to take us more than 20 to get out,” she says.

“What’s hopeful to me is that at least we’re having conversations around it. Before you have reconciliation, you have to have truth. Truth-telling is the phase we’re in now. This is going to be a progression.”

#TruthAndReconciliation #NDTR by @primarycarealberta

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16 days ago