Project Rainbow: update
Creating sustainable
primary care capacity
How it Started
Challenges in accessing primary care have escalated over the past three years. It’s estimated that upwards of 650,000 Albertans are without a family doctor or primary care provider (source: Alberta Medical Association, 2023). Reflecting this critical state of family medicine, in 2023 the Crowfoot Village Family Practice (CVFP) clinic waitlist reached 4,000+ patients.
Our CVFP team recognized that transformational and sustainable change would be necessary to improve access to comprehensive family medicine in Alberta. We also understood that patients would help guide the path towards change. So in early Q4 2023, we partnered with 13 of our waitlist patients (chosen after participating in a survey sent to all waitlist patients) to explore an innovative care concept -- Project Rainbow -- an initiative to bring unattached patients into CVFP through a ‘nurse focused’ team supported by Family Doctors, a Physician Assistant and a broader interdisciplinary team.
In a focus group on October 30, 2023, our patient partners shared experiences and insights that helped to validate and shape Project Rainbow.
What our Patient Partners Told Us
“This is turning things upside down because now there is a lot of standing in line causing a choke point.”
“How many people come to see a doctor that don’t really need to see a doctor.”
“It’s more than just the right mix of health practitioners. For this to succeed the key will be shared communication, culture and decision making.”
“This will be a big change and challenge for patients. You will need to bring them along collectively.”
How it’s Going
"I think the big paradigm shift is ‘My primary-care provider is not an individual, it's a team.' It is a different paradigm than 'Dr. Rick knows everything.'"
Dr. Rick Ward, CVFP Family Physician, top-left (source: CBC News, Jennifer Lee, June 07, 2024)
In Q1 2024, CVFP’s Rainbow Team was launched. Our strategy -- make it possible for our clinic to take on more patients with the introduction of a new care team where diverse interdisciplinary health providers are the centre of care delivery. With the support and guidance of our patient partners, we developed onboarding and educational strategies and began welcoming new patients, some whom had been without primary care for 2+ years.
To date, CVFP has welcomed approximately 400 new patients as part of the Rainbow Team. We hope to increase that number to 1,000 by Q1 2025. The impact to new patients and their families has been significant including:
managing a variety of previously undiagnosed chronic diseases
addressing longstanding health concerns
updating disease specific screening that requires follow up
discussing routine vaccinations with parents of unvaccinated children resulting in vaccination
connecting individuals with appropriate mental health supports and resources
As news about Project Rainbow spreads, and interest among other clinics and health providers across the province grows, CVFP continues to network with government and Alberta Health to promote scaling and spreading this novel care strategy. The goal is to provide quality, accessible and sustainable primary care to all Albertans, now and in the future.
“I am very happy to be a recipient of the care model of the Rainbow Team. I hope that more practices begin to adopt this model.”