Community Health Centres

Provide people with information to make healthy choices, and opportunities to learn from and support each other to improve their quality of life. Community - based health programs can be accessed through any Community Health Centre (public health site).

Community based health programs work in the community to protect, promote, prevent, rehabilitate, support, and treat. The following services are available directly or through referral by contacting any Community Health Centre in the Central Zone:

• clinics and Immunization
• environmental public health
• immunization clinics including influenza and international travel
• ostomy clinics
• mobility clinics such as walkers
• education, consultation & counselling
• genetics counselling
• seniors' support and counselling
• mental health counselling
• nutrition consultation
• breastfeeding counselling
• oral health consultation
• school programs for health promotion
• sexual health consultation
• food safe, water analysis
• asthma education
• tobacco reduction
• injury prevention
• addiction services - information, prevention and treatment
• oral health services
• early intervention program services

Support and Allied Health services include:

• public health inspections
• public health nursing and home care services
• pediatric rehabilitation and outreach services (e.g. occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech language pathology, audiology services)
• palliative care
• follow up and support for moms and early discharged newborns
• continuing care placement coordination
• home IV therapy
• communicable disease control
• Alberta Aids to Daily Living
• respiratory services
• hospital discharge planning
• healthy communities facilitation

Early Intervention Program

The program:

• works with families in their natural home environments
• may do a developmental screening process with the family and make referrals as needed
• works with families to find answers to their questions about their child's delay or disability
• connects families to community resources and services
• gives information about development, behaviour challenges, and parenting issues
• develops an individualized Family Service Plan
• Supports the family to plan their child's preschool years

Fluoride Protection for Toddlers

Children only need to have a few teeth to start getting fluoride. Applications are given 4 times, once every 6 months. For eligibility information visit our website.

At the appointment:

• The child sits on their parent's lap while staff apply fluoride on the child's teeth using a brush, which takes less than a minute.
• The child can eat and drink right after the treatment.
• The fluoride sticks to the teeth and protects them. It slowly wears off when the teeth are brushed.

If the child has asthma, bring his or her asthma reliever medicine to the appointment.
This provincial prevention service is available in all AHS (Alberta Health Services) zones.

Health Promotion

The Health Promotion team can connect with schools and communities in a variety of ways. Some examples are:

• Assist with bringing people together to develop strategies, plan local events and deliver workshops;
• Increase physical activity;
• Facilitate conversations to support communities as they create a vision, terms of reference or action plan;
• Work in partnership with schools on initiatives such as breakfast programs and student leadership conferences;
• Develop surveys to determine local needs;
• Develop healthy policy.

Immunization - Adult and Seniors Services

This service provides routine immunization for adults and seniors. Suggested immunizations;

• a booster dose of tetanus / diphtheria vaccine every 10 years
• an adult booster dose of pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine, often combined with one of the tetanus / diphtheria boosters (dTap)
• annual influenza vaccine - for all Albertans 6 months of age and older
• pneumococcal vaccine - for all adults 65 years of age and older and adults with certain health problems

To find out which vaccines are recommended for you and to book an appointment for immunization, call your nearest community/public health centre. If you are not sure where your nearest community/public health centre is, you can call Health Link at 811.  Bring any immunization records you have to the appointment, especially if you were immunized in another province or country.

For more general information about immunization, go to Immunizations at myhealth.alberta.ca or call Health Link.

Immunization - Infant and Preschool Services

Alberta Health Services provides routine immunization for infants and children across Alberta. Immunizations are free of charge for infants and children who live in Alberta.

Immunizations are recommended for infants starting at 2 months of age. Routinely recommended vaccines include: diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, polio, Haemophilus influenza type b, rotavirus, meningococcal, pneumococcal, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (chickenpox), and influenza.

For the routine immunization schedule, go to immunizealberta.ca.

Additional vaccines may be needed depending on your child’s health conditions or other risk factors.

Immunization is effective. Other than providing safe drinking water, no other health intervention works as well as immunization to reduce disease and death rates. Immunization protects whole communities. The more people who are fully immunized in a community, the safer everyone is.

Immunization is safe.  It is much safer to get immunized than to get the diseases that vaccines protect against. 

For more information, and to book an appointment, call your nearest community/public health centre. If you are not sure where your nearest community/public health centre is, call Health Link at 811. Bring your child’s immunization record to the appointment, especially if your child was immunized in another province or country. 

For more general information about immunization, go to Immunizations at myhealth.alberta.ca, or call Health Link at 811.

Immunization - School Services

This program provides routine immunizations to children in Grades 1, 5, and 9 in school. Before immunizations are given, records are reviewed to see what immunizations each child needs. A consent is then sent home. No immunizations will be given without consent from a parent or legal guardian. Immunizations in this program include:

• Grade 1: for children who have not received routine preschool immunizations, which includes diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella
• Grade 5: Offers Hepatitis B, human papilloma virus (HPV) and varicella (chickenpox) immunization to children who aren't immunized or have NOT had Hepatitis B or varicella disease. In August, 2014 HPV vaccine started being offered to grade 5 boys and girls. There is also a catch-up program for the grade 9 boys and girls who did not receive their vaccine in grade 5
• Grade 9: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and meningococcal vaccine is offered

Infant Nutrition Classes

Dietitians answer questions and show parents how to make their own baby food using a variety of kitchen tools; like hand mixers, food mills and food processors. Parents learn how to prepare vegetables, fruits, meats, meat alternatives, infant cereals. This class works to answer questions about:

• infant feeding

• introducing solids and textures

•  establishing a healthy feeding relationship

The two hour workshop ends with a taste test to compare store-bought baby foods and homemade baby foods for taste and texture, highlighting why babies need to start on high-iron foods at six months, and why introducing different food textures is important. Parents are encouraged to bring babies to the class, which focuses on creating a positive feeding relationship.

Occupational Therapy - Children's Rehabilitation Services

Support could include helping your child in the following areas:

• fine motor development (e.g., pencil grasp, printing, using scissors, managing buttons/zippers/shoelaces, playing with toys with small parts)
• self-regulation
  • sensory processing (e.g., sensitivity to the feel of clothing, loud noises, or busy environments, difficulty with sitting still or poor attention)
  • emotional regulation (e.g., difficulties with outbursts, meltdowns, becoming overwhelmed)
  • executive functioning (e.g., organization and time management)
• life skills (e.g., social skills, toileting, dressing, bathing, hygiene)
• feeding (e.g., breast and bottle feeding, transition to solids, picky eating, swallowing)
• equipment needs (e.g., wheelchairs, bath seats, toilet seats, fabrication of splints)
• assistive technology (e.g., keyboarding, apps, switches, adapted computer access)
• environmental modifications (e.g., lifts, ramps, seating options, grab bars)
• challenges associated with complex diagnoses, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Developmental Coordination Disorder, Neuromuscular conditions, Brachial Plexus Injury, or Head Injury

Services:

• may be provided together with other services, such as Speech Language Pathology or Physical Therapy
• may include assessment, consultation, treatment, follow-up, and co-ordination of services
  can be provided on an individual or group basis
• may be offered in many settings, including health centre/clinic, home, school, and community
• are based on the family priorities and goals
• health promotion and public education
   
   

Oral Health Program

The standard services offered are:

• Fluoride Varnish Program for School Children
• Fluoride Varnish Program for Preschool Children
• Dental Sealant Program for School Children
• Information, education and health promotion to increase Albertans’ ability to maintain and improve their family’s oral health

The DOoR program at Red Deer Johnstone Crossing Community Health Centre provides:

• urgent dental treatment for children with visible tooth decay, pain, broken teeth and signs of infection.

NEW Interactive Fluoride Protection for Toddlers Tool

Physiotherapy - Children's Rehabilitation Services

Support could include helping your child in the following areas:

• reaching their developmental milestones, like rolling, crawling and walking
• moving independently
• balance, strength, flexibility or coordination
• obtaining supportive equipment (e.g. standing frame, walker, wheelchair)
• participating with their friends at school (on the playground and in gym class), home (family activities or bike riding) and in the community
• staying physical active and healthy with a long term condition
• prevention of complications of long term conditions
• challenges associated with complex diagnoses, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Developmental Coordination Disorder, Neuromuscular conditions, Brachial Plexus injury, or head injury
• recovery from surgery (e.g. Botox, orthopedic)
• head shape (Plagiocephaly), Torticollis
• palliative care

Services:

• may be provided together with other services, such as speech language pathology or occupational therapy
• may include assessment, consultation, treatment, follow-up, and co-ordination of services
• can be provided on an individual or group basis
• may be offered in many settings, including health centre/clinic, home, school, and community
• are bases on the family priorities and goals
• health promotion and public education

Prenatal Education Programs

Nutrition Class: Starting Off Healthy – Attend before you become pregnant or anytime during your pregnancy:

• Foods and nutrients needed for pregnancy
• Healthy weight gain
• Food demonstration/tasting

Later pregnancy classes - Attend in your second or early third trimester:

1. Delivering Your Baby

• Normal changes in 3rd trimester
• Stages of labour and birth
• When to go to the hospital
• Role of the support person

2. Meeting Your Baby

• Decision making in labour & delivery
• When things don’t go as planned
• What to expect after delivery
• Getting to know your newborn

3. You and Your New Baby

• Feeding your baby
• Learning to breastfeed
• Understanding and responding to your baby

Birth and Babies: Free online course available through AHS Calgary Zone website.

Public Health Breast Pumps

Breast pumps are available for short term loan at Community Health Centres. Contact your local Community Health Centre for details.

Public Health Breastfeeding Support Services

Public Health offers breastfeeding support and education through prenatal education, telephone counseling and home visits. Public Health Nurses respond to breastfeeding questions and concerns.

After the birth of a baby, a Public Health Nurse contacts the mother and asks about how her baby is feeding and offers information and support.

Breastfeeding support services may include support from an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant.

Public Health Mother Baby Drop In Services

Contact your local Community Health Centre for service options or to speak with a public health nurse. Information provided may include:

• breastfeeding and infant feeding
• healthy eating
• parenting
• growth and development
• injury prevention
• diseases and immunizations

Information and support may be offered in one-to-one, and/or group sessions so parents can connect with other parents and caregivers.

Public Health Nursing

The four areas that are covered by public health nurses include:

• maternal, child and family health
• communicable disease control
• school health
• health promotion

Public Health Postnatal Services

Services are offered to mothers who:

• have been discharged with their baby
• have been discharged while their baby is still in the hospital
• are adopting
• have chosen adoption for their baby 
• had a stillborn baby
• are dealing with loss due to a neonatal (newborn) death

Public health nurses contact families within 48 hours after discharge from the hospital.  They offer support and health assessments of the newborn, mother and family. Discussions with the family guide the information and support provided. Referrals to community resources are available.

School Oral Health Services

Services are offered to eligible schools and may include:

• fluoride varnish, provided to kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2
• dental sealants, provided to Grade 1 and Grade 2

A child diagnosed with asthma must have their short acting asthma reliever medication with them to receive service.

Speech Language Pathology - Children's Rehabilitation Services

Support could include helping your child in the following areas:

• listening and understanding spoken language
• using words to communicate thoughts and ideas
• using language in social situations
• pronunciation of speech sounds
• reading and writing
• stuttering and voice quality
• limited support for feeding and swallowing is also offered
• challenges associated with complex diagnoses, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Developmental Coordination Disorder, Neuromuscular conditions, or Head Injury

Services:

• may be provided together with other services, such as Occupational Therapy or Physical Therapy
• may include assessment, consultation, treatment, follow-up, and co-ordination of services
• can be provided on an individual or group basis
• may be offered in many settings, including health centre/clinic, home, school, and community
• are based on the family priorities and goals
• health promotion and public education

Tuberculosis Testing

Offers free tuberculosis (TB) skin testing to eligible Albertans. The Mantoux skin test is not recommended to diagnose TB.

Testing is done at public health centres throughout the province:

• North Zone
• Edmonton Zone
• Central Zone
• Calgary Zone
• South Zone

If you are not eligible for free testing but still need to be tested there will be a charge for the test.

For travel or work related TB testing contact the Travel Health Services in your area. With the exception of Edmonton, you would contact the Immunization Business Unit to have school or work-related TB skin testing done.