Health Matters - Apple Magazine Health Matters Summer 2016 | Page 3

Patient Ron McLane (left) and Krista VanEgmond, a health management nurse with the Calgary Foothills PCN.
It’s a healthy lifestyle––exercise and a proper diet and it’s accountability.
I’ve got more energy than I used to and my sugar levels have come down
One of main goals for every PCN team is to help
patients better understand and manage their health.
PCN teams also help patients make changes, such as
learning how to eat healthier foods, quit tobacco or be
more active.
“They looked at my diet and my lifestyle and it’s been a
great success,” says Ron McLane, 76. He’s been working
with a nutritionist and pharmacist at the Foothills
PCN to manage his diabetes more effectively. “It’s a
healthy lifestyle—exercise and a proper diet and it’s
accountability. I’ve got more energy than I used to and
my blood sugar levels have come down.”
build their motivation and ability to manage their health
concerns.”
Health teams also connect patients to community
resources such as health classes and workshops
including:
• Craving Change, for emotional eating
• Ask the Dietitian, for managing weight, diabetes,
heart health and other problems
• Happiness Basics, for becoming happier
In PCNs, the family doctor is like a head coach—the
person who calls the team’s plays.
“We’re an interdisciplinary team working together
to help a patient,” says Krista VanEgmond, a health
management nurse with the Calgary Foothills PCN.
“We are very accessible to patients. We help people
• Tobacco Cessation, for quitting tobacco.
Classes vary by PCN and by clinic.
Whatever your health, your PCN team is here to help
you reach your “A” game and enjoy better health.
applemag.org
SUMMER 2016
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