New OB/GYN specialist now practising in Grande Prairie
September 23, 2011
Dr. Laura Cano’s arrival part of an ongoing recruitment campaign
GRANDE PRAIRIE — Local residents now have improved access to obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) care with the recruitment of a new physician now practising in the community.
OB/GYN specialist Dr. Laura Cano moved to Grande Prairie last month and is now accepting referrals at O & G Medical Associates, #208 9815 97 Street. Her arrival is the result of ongoing recruitment efforts across northern Alberta involving Alberta Health Services (AHS).
“I’m pleased that Dr. Cano has joined the Grande Prairie community,” says Wayne Drysdale, MLA Grande Prairie-Wapiti. “Physician recruitment and retention is important to residents of Grande Prairie. Having Dr. Cano in the community will help increase our residents’ access to obstetrics and gynecology care, and provide more support to our current physicians.”
Improving access to primary care is one of the goals outlined in the 5-Year Health Action Plan, jointly developed by AHS and the Government of Alberta and supported by the province’s stable, 5-year funding.
Dr. Cano joins five other OB/GYN specialists currently practising in Grande Prairie. More than 1,700 babies were born in Grande Prairie last year, which continued a steady upward trend in the city’s birth rate.
Dr. Kevin Worry, Medical Director of the AHS North Zone, says the city’s growth and rising birth rates indicated more OB/GYN support was needed in the community.
“It’s our priority to meet the health care needs of the communities in which we operate,” says Dr. Worry. “The arrival of Dr. Cano is the result of an ongoing effort to attract doctors to the area.”
Dr. Cano was born and raised in Argentina where she pursued her medical training, following in the footsteps of her mother, who is also an OB/GYN. Her and her husband, Horacio, lived in British Columbia before she moved to Columbus, Ohio, where she completed her OB/GYN postgraduate medical specialty. She moved to Grande Prairie in August.
“I am really enjoying Grande Prairie and am impressed with the physicians and the practice here,” says Dr. Cano. “Hopefully, I will be in Grande Prairie for a long time so we can start a family here.”
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than 3.7 million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.
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