Community Health Connect  is the Calgary West Central Primary Care Network's newsletter dedicated to providing members of our community with the latest healthcare information.

Hi , in this issue you can get information about:

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

• Indigenous Support Line now available provincewide 
• Help improve connection with a family doctor or a nurse practitioner 
• 24-hour blood pressure monitoring available at no cost 
• Community Partner Spotlight: The Man Van is on the move in Calgary! 

Indigenous Support Line now available provincewide 

The Indigenous Support Line is available provincewide to support Indigenous patients and families with culturally safe care. This toll-free phone service connects Indigenous callers with Indigenous listeners. 

 You can get help by calling  1.844.944.4744 (10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Monday - Friday). 

Indigenous listeners will answer your questions and help you get culturally appropriate care. They also help guide you on each step of your healthcare journey. 

You can call the support line about any health concern. You never have to make your healthcare journey alone, and help is available to find the right service. 

Help improve connection with a family doctor or a nurse practitioner 

 Primary Care Alberta  is working on a project to make it easier for people to get connected with a family doctor or nurse practitioner and want to hear from adult Albertans who either: 

• Don’t have a regular family doctor
• Have had trouble finding a doctor or nurse practitioner
• Have a family doctor or nurse practitioner who is unavailable or difficult to access  

Open their one-page flyer for more details. 

If this sounds like you (or someone you know that you could share this opportunity with), Primary Care Alberta wants to hear from you as a volunteer patient partner.   

What you’ll do as a volunteer patient partner: 

• Be part of online discussions to share your experiences and ideas
• Share your challenges finding and staying connected to a family doctor
• Represent patient voices in the development of resources and strategies 

Your experience with barriers to accessing primary care and ideas for improvement can directly inform service design and policy decisions. 

To get involved or learn more, please email Patient.Engagement.PCA@PrimaryCareAlberta.ca.  

You can also share the flyer link with people you know who might be interested. 

24-hour blood pressure monitoring available at no cost 

According to Heart & Stroke, nearly eight million Canadians have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, a major contributor to heart disease and stroke. 

At our PCN, we're proud to help connect people with 24-hour blood pressure monitoring at no cost to patients. 

 What is 24-hour blood pressure monitoring?  

• A portable device measures your blood pressure at regular intervals, even while you sleep
• This gives your healthcare provider a more complete picture of your blood pressure throughout your daily routine

 Why it matters:  

• Can help rule out “white coat effect” which is when blood pressure is high in a clinical setting but normal at home
• Tracks medication’s effect on blood pressure so your provider can adjust your dosage or timing
• Supports accurate diagnosis and timely treatment 

 Referrals: 

Our PCN has partnered with multiple providers to offer a single referral form. This means the doctors in our membership can easily refer you to a location in Calgary that suits your needs. Talk to your family doctor to learn more.  

The Man Van is on the move in Calgary! 

 Too often, men put off health checks  until symptoms appear, but by then, prostate cancer can be harder to treat.  

The Man Van takes a proactive approach by meeting men where they are: At workplaces, community events, and public spaces across Calgary and southern Alberta. 

The Man Van is Canada’s first mobile men’s health clinic offering free prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood testing used for early detection of prostate cancer: 

• Testing from ages 40 - 70
• No appointment necessary
• 15 minutes can save your life! 

The clinical team also offers a mental wellness check, which assesses depression and suicide risk/symptoms. 

 How it works:  

1. Find a Man Van location: Check the Prostate Cancer Centre for upcoming stops in Calgary and area
2. Get your PSA blood test: No appointment, no referral, and no cost
3. Receive your results: Results are mailed directly to you, and you can follow up with your healthcare provider if needed 

The program is especially valuable for men over the age of 50, or over 40 who have a family history of prostate cancer.

 Where to learn more:  

• Man Van schedule: Prostate Cancer Centre
• Prostate cancer information: MyHealth.Alberta.ca

 Take the first step:  

If you or someone you care about is due for a prostate health check, the Man Van is a simple, no-pressure way to start the conversation. 

If you have feedback on any health topics you would like to learn or read more about, please contact us directly at hello@cwcpcn.com.

For more updates, follow us on social media!