Mountain Maternity and Family Medicine
201A-1205 Bow Valley Trail T1W 1P5 Canmore, AB, Canada

A long-awaited announcement! - We are pleased to welcome partners and support people who are fully vaccinated to clinic appointments again. Please note partners and support people will be required to pass the AHS screening tool, as well as provide either: 1 Government-issued proof of COVID-19 double vaccination with a minimum of two weeks following the second dose. QR code is preferred. ... 2 Documentation of a medical exemption. We encourage unvaccinated partners to use FaceTime and other means of virtual participation. This is to limit exposure between our patients, their support people and our staff. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we work hard to keep our patients, their families and our staff healthy and safe.

Check out this opportunity for expectant moms with due dates before April 13, 2022 or after Aug 4, 2022 - The Society of Rural Physicians of Canada is looking for models to help with their upcoming ultrasound course in Banff on January 20 2022 from 9 AM-4 PM. You will receive an honorarium of $100, lunch and breaks throughout the day.... And you'll get to see lots of images of your baby! Please email [email protected] with interest and/or questions.

Flu Shots are IN! Appointments for the whole family are available beginning Tuesday October 26. Call the clinic to book - 403-675-3088 (not currently available online). Tuesdays & Thursdays, 3:30-5:00 until the end of November.

Check out these excellent cold-weather activity ideas offered by our friends at the Bow Valley Family Resource Network - Highlighted programs include drop in Family Connections Play Space in Banff, Nobody’s Perfect which targets families that may be struggling with various issues, and the Running Rascals program which is also a drop in located in Banff. They are offering a variety of other programs throughout the month of November and they can all be found on their websites https://canmore.ca//family-community-serv/parental-support

Our Canmore clinic will be closed on September 30, 2021 to honour our National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

COVID-19 UPDATE - Unfortunately, due to the rising number of COVID positive cases in the province and the increased contagiousness of the Delta variant, we are no longer able to welcome partners & support people to our patients' in-clinic appointments. We encourage partners to use Facetime and other means of virtual participation until further notice. We are sorry for having to reinstate this measure and thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Our friends at The Bow Valley Family Resource Network (BVFRN) and Community Social Development (CSD) are offering a variety of programs over the next couple of months and we wanted to share them with you! Some of the highlighted programs that the BVFRN is offering are Infant Sleep Support, Potty Talk, Circle of Security, Girls Connect, and Mindfulness for Parents and Youth. CSD is offering a variety of social connections and childcare respite programs. These include Babies ...and Blankets, Toys Together, Free Play Free Time, and Play Without Parents. For program details and dates please visit their website - https://canmore.ca//fa/parental-support/courses-workshops

Good news! We are pleased to welcome our patients' partners and support people to attend in-clinic appointments again! We suggest that partners and support people who are not fully vaccinated continue to attend appointments virtually.

Post-Natal Fitness with the PCN - another great opportunity to build community with other new moms! Check it out - https://m.facebook.com/events/450056626443765

At Mountain Maternity, we are proud to practice evidence-based care; meaning all of our doctors, nurses and practitioners use personal clinical expertise in combination with the most current, relevant scientific research available on the topic. Evidence-based care allows us to provide the most comprehensive and compassionate care to our patients.

Mental health all affects us differently and each condition has its own signs and symptoms. If you’re concerned about your mental health, please do not hesitate to seek advice and get in touch.

Questions about what to do with a runny nose, cough or other possible COVID-19-realted symptoms? Here's a link to the Alberta Government website outlining how and when to isolate and determine if a test is required - https://www.alberta.ca/isolation.aspx

Our Apologies - Our Phone Lines Are Currently Down. Kindly Be Patient Until The Issue Is Resolved.

Dr. Gillian Sawyer will be back in our clinic for Chiropractic Care for Saturday appointments. Contact her directly to book an appointment!!!!!

Mountain Maternity is thrilled to Welcome Janine to our clinic space on a weekly basis!!!!!!

For all of our in clinic appointments we require patients to wear a mask. Masks can be hard to get used to. Here are some tips for helping to ease Mask Anxiety. Help us, help you.

An important reminder that although restrictions are easing, COVID-19 is still a risk in our community. While we are able to start bringing some patients back into the clinic for certain services, we must remain vigilant in ensuring we are protecting each other, our vulnerable population, and our health care professionals. If you are experiencing ANY symptoms that could be associated with COVID-19, please DO NOT attend the clinic in-person. Our phone lines continue to be busy... with increased use, but if you are having trouble getting through, please continue to try and call rather than attend in person. Alternatively, you can call 811 to speak with a health professional directly. For those patients who have been screened over the phone and offered an in-person appointment, please be advised that masks are mandatory in clinic. If you do not have a mask of your own, our team will be happy to provide one at the time of your appointment. https://www.alberta.ca/prevent-the-spread.aspx

WE ARE NOW USING HEALTH MYSELF!!!! Health Myself is a secure online portal for patients to register and book appointments online at any time of day!!! This portal can also be used to send and receive messages securely, receive forms or requisitions - all without leaving the comfort of your home!!!! Please email the clinic at [email protected] to update your email address so we can send you an invitation to register!!!!

A wonderful program being held in a safe and comfortable environment...your own home!!! Register today!!!

Alberta Health Services has advised that all non-urgent lab and imaging tests have been put on hold due to the current pandemic crisis. If you are unsure about whether or not to do a test, please contact the clinic to confirm with your physician, prior to attending the hospital.

Prenatal Tea Time Grab a cup of tea and join Registered Nurse and Birth Educator Heather Koppang for a weekly virtual chat of all things prenatal and postpartum. Each week a guest speaker of varying backgrounds will join the discussion and share their expertise on everything from comfort measure in labour, to an infant sleep coach. Lets stay connected apart! A: Prenatal Tea Time Date: Apr 09 (first date)... Time: 2:00PM - 4:00PM Location: Zoom Meeting Description: Grab a cup of tea and join Registered Nurse and Birth Educator Heather Koppang for a weekly virtual chat of all things prenatal and postpartum.

Please note that we at Mountain Maternity are not endorsing any particular services but would like to help support local businesses and programs by sharing their information.

A message from Hayley Molina from a local yoga studio in Banff: To all the beautiful pregnant ladies out there. We have carefully created this package of online videos for you to work with throughout your pregnancy, to harness and nourish you and your baby in a very special way. Bringing complete harmony and confidence into this incredible journey that you are on. Hayley incorporates powerful techniques that will help you on your beautiful birthing day ... ~ The package is $40. Head to banffyogapractice.com/rates for more information and to purchase See more

Not all cases of #COVID19 require hospitalization. Many cases are mild and can be dealt with at home. If you’re caring for a COVID patient at home, there are steps you can take to protect yourself. (information taken from the AHS website)

We are in unchartered territory. We are here to help in any way we can. Foothills Medical Centre has devised a workbook to help work through your uncertainty and fears. Please print it, use it and share it. If you don't have access to a printer at home, please let me know.

WE LOVE OUR PATIENTS!!!! Please keep in mind that our doctors and staff may contact you by phone regarding appointments. Some of us may be calling from our personal phones so please answer if a call comes up "PRIVATE CALLER" and your are expecting our call. We definitely don't want to miss speaking to you!!!

Free online post-natal exercises classes tuesday March 31!!! Janine Mak, of Inspire Physiotherapy & Osteopathy, (new name for Anne-Marie Fafard Wellness) is offering her Floor & Core Class from home to moms and babies at home. It is a safe way to socialize and exercise. Pre-registration is necessary to set you up to join the group. Please Email [email protected] to join.

Text4Hope Supporting Mental Health & Wellness in a Time of Stress & Isolation Text COVID19HOPE to 393939 to subscribe.... Feeling stress, anxiety and depression due to the COVID-19 crisis? We can help. The Mental Health Foundation, in partnership with Calgary Health Trust, the University Hospital Foundation, the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation, and the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, is supporting a new Alberta Health Services program Text4Hope a free service providing three months of daily Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)based text messages written by mental health therapists. Through a set of daily messages, people receive advice and encouragement helpful in developing healthy personal coping skills and resiliency. Community members simply subscribe to receive ongoing supportive content. There is no cost. How to Connect Text COVID19HOPE to 393939 to subscribe. The program provides one-way communication and does not replace other mental health therapies and supports. It is a helpful option for people in self-isolation who can’t access face-to-face services, as well as those in remote locations. All mental health support lines remain open. For details on what is available in your health region, visit this AHS resource.

Thank you everyone for all your support. People ask what they can do to help! Follow these basics principles. Keep your physical distance - but maintain socially connected. Keep holding the line - even as the numbers grow. Read and share the excellent article below.

#supportlocal #greatfood

Props to Wild Life Distillery for outfitting our Mountain Maternity and Family Medicine clinic - docs and staff - with #localhandsanitizer. We are so grateful!

Great advice from Dr. Shahbaz Syed from the Ottawa Hospital.

WE ARE PLEASED TO BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE OUR PATIENTS WITH APPOINTMENTS OVER THE PHONE DURING THIS UNPRECEDENTED TIME!!! Kindly call to book an appointment with your family doctor. As updates continued to come in on a daily, or sometimes even hourly, basis we appreciate you checking us out on Facebook and on our website to keep informed on all clinic information....Continue reading

The Clinic is no longer allowing spouses or children to attend any in clinic appointments. Sorry for this inconvenience. We will invite spouses to join the appointment via Facetime if requested. Thank you for understanding.