What's New at ACFP and In Health Care
President's Message— Leadership is About the "Little Things"
“It takes team, grit, determination, and perseverance. If you trust in your people, and equally importantly, they trust you, amazing things can happen.” Darby Allen, Former Fire Chief, Fort McMurray, Alberta ( Keynote , 63rd Annual Scientific Assembly)

As in emergency response, leadership in family medicine is not for the faint of heart. Primary care is being asked to lead and contribute through changing clinical delivery and practice, taking on more coordination and collaboration roles, reaching out to problem solve, and seek resources to achieve better results. 

If you want to gain skills as a leader for your practice, your Primary Care Network, your Zone, or for the province, you will have to seek them out. You will find a great line up of speakers and leaders at ACFP’s second annual LeadFM Conference in Calgary on April 20 and 21, 2018. We hope that you can join us to start your leadership journey or to continue to network and collect leadership tools and resources that will support you and your team in your day to day delivery of family medicine.

Practical Leadership Skills for Family Physicians—Register Now!

Whether you're an Accidental Leader or are beginning to embrace Your Inner Guerilla , you'll find a session just for you at LeadFM: Alberta Family Medicine Leadership Conference this spring.

Don't miss your chance to attend this one-of-a-kind conference ! Join your conference faculty, colleagues, and peers for the Friday morning address from the Honourable Sarah Hoffman, Deputy Premier of Alberta and Minister of Health.
Financial Freedom for the (Young) Family Physician
One of the focuses of the ACFP's First Five Years in Practice (FFYP) Committee this year is to empower our membership with skills to achieve financial independence.

As a member of the FFYP Committee, I have been asked to review the Federal Tax changes for the benefit of the ACFP membership. Please note that I am not an accountant or tax expert, and all decisions made using this information should be done in consultation with a professional. 

For years, physicians have been encouraged to incorporate as a means to offset reduced compensation at the provincial level by saving on taxes. The two primary ways in which tax bills were reduced by incorporating was by income splitting and tax deferral of retained earnings. Read more.

The Committee is in the process of organizing several education events for our membership in this regard. If you are a physician in your first five years of practice, residency, or even a medical student, feel free to join our FFYP Facebook group or visit our website .
Awards Nominations Deadline!
Do you know a colleague who deserves celebration? Then make time to recognize them.

The ACFP Awards Program is an opportunity to say thank you to your colleagues for their leadership and mentorship. Each award includes a $500.00 prize and an engraved sculpture.

Nominate them for one of the ACFP's Awards:



Deadline for Nominations is April 15, 2018 .
Making "Cents" of Travel Vaccines
While we might be through the worst of winter, many Albertans still have vacations planned for the upcoming months.

What do you do when patients ask what vaccines they should get prior to traveling, and should you recommend the oral cholera vaccine to prevent traveler's diarrhea ?

Though diarrhea affects up to 50% of travelers to developing countries, most cases of traveler’s diarrhea (TD) happen because of consumption of contaminated food and water and are caused by organisms not prevented by the vaccine. TD usually resolves spontaneously in 3-4 days, but cure rates can be improved by taking antibiotics at onset. Read on for more information and a sample prescription.
Opioid Response Grant Announced
Alberta has dedicated $56 million towards urgent actions to address the opioid crisis, including $30 million dedicated to recommendations made by the Minister’s Opioid Emergency Response Commission. Of the $30 million, $9.5 million provincial grant (over three years) has been established for primary health care. The grant will support increased access to services and provide training for primary care providers to offer treatment, medication, and care to patients and families affected by the opioid crisis.

The Alberta College of Family Physicians, Alberta Medical Association (AMA), and Alberta Health Services (AHS), have committed to work together with Alberta Health (AH) to lead this essential work for primary care.

The ACFP will be the secretariat for the grant and will work alongside with key stakeholders to ensure the response includes engagement and guidance from primary care physicians, their teams, and Primary Care Networks (PCNs), and their patients. Read on for more information about the response initiative.

Additional information is available in the Alberta Health press release .
Alberta College of Family Physicians | www.acfp.ca | 780-488-2395