CAMSS ADVOCACY AWARD

Advocating for Physicians, Caring for Patients

Awardees of the CAMSS Advocacy Award are individuals whose advocacy on behalf of physicians benefits the profession and supports physicians’ efforts to best serve their patients and community.

The recipient of the 2024 award is Dr. Christine East!

Dr. East received the award in recognition for her tireless work developing and leading the Emergency Department Frequent Visitors Program, which began at the Rockyview Hospital and has now expanded across Calgary and beyond.

The award was presented at the CAMSS AGM on November 20, 2024.

Biography of Dr. East:

Dr. Christine East is an Emergency Physician at Rockyview General Hospital. She attended medical school at University of Calgary, followed by her family medicine residency at University of Alberta, and she completed the CCFP-EM program in Calgary in 2017.

When she was new to practice, she was recruited by her nurse clinician colleague Ken Mont to help a patient with frequent emergency visits – and the rest is history! She never would have expected it but optimizing care for the complex and vulnerable “frequent presenter” population has become her area of clinical expertise and passion.

Since 2017, Christine and Ken Mont have led the Calgary Zone Emergency Department Frequent Visitors Program. In this role, they lead a multidisciplinary team including EMS, social work, nursing, administration and others to assist individuals with frequent visits to emergency departments. They collaborate across acute care and the community to develop individualized care plans to improve patient safety, increase consistency, steward resources and optimize care pathways. These plans live on Connect Care and are available on Netcare.

Excerpt from the nomination for Dr. East:

This innovative program addresses the needs of some of our most vulnerable patients—those who frequent the emergency department because of unmet needs tied to mental health, substance use disorders, chronic pain, or social vulnerabilities.

Through her program, Dr. East has championed a multidisciplinary approach, bringing together emergency providers, allied health professionals, and—most importantly—the patients themselves to craft dynamic care plans. These plans, ensure that emergency providers are equipped with the guidance they need to offer compassionate and effective care tailored to each patient.  

The results have been extraordinary: dramatically improved outcomes, fewer emergency visits, and countless stories of lives changed. Dr. East’s vision and dedication have not only transformed patient care within the Calgary Zone but have inspired the replication of this program in other parts of Alberta.  

- Dr. Eddy Lang

history of the award & previous winners