Duane Hicks
Dr. Robert Algie has been named the Family Physician of the Year for Ontario by The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), ranking among 10 dedicated family doctors being recognized for 2015.
“I feel very honoured to receive the Reg L. Perkin award,” said Dr. Algie, adding he was “quite humbled” to have been nominated by the Ontario College of Family Physician (OCFP) as the provincial winner and, hence, the Reg L. Perkin winner from Ontario.
Dr. Algie will receive his honour next Tuesday (Nov. 10) as part of the CFPC’s annual Family Medicine Forum in Toronto.
Having practised comprehensive rural family medicine here for the past 35 years, the 62-year-old admitted he is “slowing down” but does not intend to retire yet.
“On Dec. 30, I will no longer provide continuous primary care to my patients at Fort Frances Community Clinic,” Dr. Algie noted.
“[But] I am not leaving the community or the practice of medicine,” he stressed.
“My plans are to continue in the E.R., hospital, [and] Rainycrest, and support the programs and NPs at the Gizhewaadiziwin Access Centre and hopefully the FHT,” Dr. Algie noted.
Originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Dr. Algie graduated from the Queen’s School of Medicine in Kingston, Ont., then briefly worked for the Group Health Centre in the Soo before moving to Fort Frances in the fall of 1981.
Reflecting on his career here, Dr. Algie was an integral partner in establishing a family health team (FHT) in Fort Frances.
“The implementation of family health teams was a wave that we had to catch,” he recalled.
“My involvement on the executive of the OCFP made me realize this was necessary for our community,” he added.
“The presence of the two NPs [nurse practitioners] and other allied health professionals of the Fort Frances Family Health team has been necessary during this great physician shortage we have been experiencing.”
Dr. Algie admitted his current involvement in planning and operating the FHT is limited due to lack of time and more pressing needs in other areas of his practice life.
He also had been an advocate for the adoption of electronic medical records (EMR).
“I pushed for an EMR early on,” Dr. Algie noted. “Firstly it was for billings and scheduling, but soon grew to a full EMR.
“The ‘Smart Card’ project paid for our first intranet,” he added.
“Luckily, we have been able to stay on top of improvements and I am happy with our current provider and support.”
Dr. Algie also is being recognized for his dedication to rural health care.
“I had great role models for advocacy and leadership early on,” he remarked. “Drs. Spencer—both Elaine and Jas—and Dr. Richard Moulton encouraged involvement beyond the office and community.”
Dr. Algie sat on the District Health Council and on the executive of the provincial association for long-term care early in his career.
“I subsequently joined the board of the OCFP and was nominated to the executive,” he noted. “This gave me an opportunity to advocate for rural health care, but it is tough work.
“We, as rural communities, need our municipal politicians to really step up,” Dr. Algie stressed.
“Politicians listen to other politicians and the people.
“Physicians are sometimes seen as self-serving, but in rural communities we are expected to advocate for our communities and their needs,” he remarked.
“We are such a small part of the system, but so necessary for the security of rural residents.”
As well, Dr. Algie is being recognized for his work with the aboriginal community in providing primary care and consulting with nurse practitioners at the Gizhewaadiziwin Health Access Centre.
In fact, he learned Ojibway so he could better serve First Nations’ people in his community.
“My interest in learning some Ojibway came from my fly-in care in Lac La Croix,” Dr. Algie explained.
“Their dialect and fluency of the community in their own language is wonderful,” he added.
“I found there were a number of elders that spoke no English, although they could understand English reasonably well.
“My interest in languages has been lifelong and to pick up some Ojibway was an effort to show some respect for their culture, and encourage a more open dialogue,” he reasoned.
Dr. Algie said there’s quite a few medical highlights from his 30-plus years of practising here.
These range from the ongoing success of the group practice (Nelson Medicine Professional Corp.), the presence of the Family Health Team, and the ongoing community support for diagnostic services at local health-care facilities to the transition of the clinic from a privately-owned facility to an asset of the Fort Frances Community Clinic.
Others include the negotiation of the regional surgical network led by Dr. Jas Spencer and the affiliated regional GP Anaesthesia Network.
Dr. Algie said there are challenges to working in rural family medicine, including long hours on-call, lack of anonymity, and acute medical care in the E.R. and hospital.
He added it’s frustrating when he has to call Thunder Bay or Winnipeg and finds local health care doesn’t “get the understanding that rural hospitals should get when we are beyond our comfort level and know the patient deserves the services of a larger institution.”
But working in rural family medicine does have its rewards.
“Rural physicians are generally well-respected by the community and we appreciate that,” said Dr. Algie.
“Because of the lack of specialists, except for general surgery, we practice in a wide scope and are able to have very interesting work,” he noted.
“Working through your patient’s illness, getting to know their wider family, and helping people in a real involved way is very rewarding,” Dr. Algie added.
“It can be emotional and stressful, but that makes life a richer experience.”
Canada’s Family Physicians of the Year are 10 family doctors—one from each province—recognized for providing exceptional care to patients, contributing to the well-being of their communities, and committing themselves as researchers and educators to future generations of family doctors.
“The CFPC is proud to recognize this year’s Family Physicians of the Year,” said CFPC president Dr. Garey Mazowita.
“They are leaders in their respective communities and are dedicated to delivering quality health care, spearheading positive changes, and fostering the development of future family physicians,” he noted.
“They are instrumental to the strength of our health-care system in Canada.”
“The Reg L. Perkin Award is special because it recognizes excellence among family physicians in Canada, as well as the diversity of each recipient,” added Dr. Francine Lemire, the CFPC’s executive director and CEO.
“This year’s award recipients work in a wide variety of health-care facilities in urban centres, rural communities, and some very remote locations where access to family doctors is otherwise rare,” she noted.
“Despite the diversity of their locations and practices, they all share a passion for quality health care and providing the best for their patients,” Dr. Lemire stressed.
“We commend them on their outstanding achievements.”
According to the CFPC, the award recipients embody the four principles of family medicine: they are skilled clinicians, they are community-based, they serve as resources for those in their community, and they value the patient-doctor relationship.
The CFPC has paid tribute to family physicians exemplifying these guiding principles of family medicine since 1972.
The recipients are nominated by their respective provincial chapters of the CFPC, along with colleagues and peers.
In 1996, the College named the awards in honour of Dr. Reg L. Perkin, who served as executive director of the CFPC from 1985-96.
The award presentations are part of Family Doctor Week in Canada, which this year runs from Nov. 9-14 and includes the CFPC’s annual Family Medicine Forum on Nov. 11-14.
