Orthopedic care close to home

May 18

The orthopedics clinic at the Covenant Community Health Centre provides follow-up care for patients who have had bone and joint surgery. Located at the Covenant Wellness Community, it brings specialized orthopedic services directly to southeast Edmonton.

What the clinic does

The orthopedics clinic works with orthopedic surgeons who have clinic privileges at the nearby Grey Nuns Community Hospital. The clinic sees patients for consults and post-operative follow-ups, handling everything from casting and splinting to wound care. Staff also field calls from patients with post-operative concerns and manage appointment bookings for the surgeons.

"We service the orthopedic surgeons who do surgery at the Grey Nuns hospital, one of the many sites where they operate, and so they have clinic privileges with us," says Deborah Numrich, an orthopedic technician who has been with Covenant Health for 11 years. "We book their patients for them — consults and post-operative patients — and we see their patients in clinic to do follow-ups after their surgery."

A wide range of orthopedic care

The clinic handles a broad mix of orthopedic issues. Shoulder and knee problems make up much of the caseload, along with foot surgeries such as bunion corrections, toe amputations and toe straightening procedures.

"It varies quite a bit, but pretty much the knees, the shoulders and the feet — that's kind of our bread and butter here," says Deborah.

Two of the clinic's newer surgeons, Dr. Graeme Harding and Dr. Mark Sommerfeldt, also do trauma calls and see patients who need urgent surgery to stabilize fractures, a procedure known as open reduction and internal fixation, or ORIF.

How patients are referred

Patients come to the clinic through referrals from family physicians and other doctors across the province. Some referrals come directly to the surgeons through their own medical offices, while others are routed through Alberta’s Facilitated Access to Specialized Treatment (FAST) program, a triage system that directs referrals to the appropriate group of surgeons based on the type of injury or condition.

Once a surgeon reviews and accepts a referral, their medical office assistant co-ordinates with the clinic to book the appointment.

The clinic takes in new consult patients alongside follow-up cases, so surgeons see a mix of both during their clinic days.

The team

The orthopedics clinic runs with a small, dedicated team. Six orthopedic surgeons hold clinic privileges, supported by two orthopedic technicians — Deborah and her colleague, Elayne Evans-Davies — and Theresa Griffin-Stead, who provides part-time clerical support.

The clinic typically runs five days a week, with a surgeon on-site most days, though the schedule shifts depending on surgeon availability.

A welcome change of scenery

The orthopedics clinic is one of several outpatient services that was previously located at the Grey Nuns hospital. Deborah, who spent her entire 26-year nursing career working in hospital settings before moving to the Covenant Community Health Centre, says the change has been refreshing.

"It's really nice to actually have a change of scenery and to be in this really beautiful new wellness centre," she says. "You don't have the overhead Code Blue pages all the time, which is anxiety generating."

She points to the natural light, the calm atmosphere and the overall design of the building as things that make a difference for both staff and patients.

"With the windows and the light, people seem a little bit more relaxed here," she says. "It's just a wonderful facility. It's really bright and airy and well-organized."

A growing health hub

Deborah sees the Covenant Community Health Centre as a valuable resource for the Mill Woods community, with new services continuing to open.

"I think it's a really great hub for people to come to because there are a lot of different services here," she says. "You can come here for your eye care, your hearing, for physio. There's a pharmacy here. It is a great wellness and health hub, which is fantastic for this community. There should be more of these centres in Edmonton."