June 2, 2023
AHS teams continue to step up
As wildfires continue to impact Albertans, I am heartened to hear stories of kindness and compassion. (more...)
We are working to urgently address four key priorities. They are:
Much of this work is underway. We will continue to use this update to highlight actions being taken to address our priorities.
Reducing surgery wait times
Surgical wait-list update
Counselling for Indigenous staff
Culturally appropriate counselling is available through the Employee and Family Assistance Program for Indigenous staff. (more...)
Mental Wellness Moment — helping family or friends during a disaster
Dr. Nicholas Mitchell says listening is key when helping family members or friends as they deal with a disaster or emergency. (more...)
COVID-19 status and cases in Alberta
Information on variants of concern and wastewater surveillance. Other data unavailable at source this week. (more...)
National Indigenous Peoples Month celebrations underway
Throughout June, AHS staff and sites will be celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Month. (more...)
Service Hub coming June 12 for HR, IT services
Service Hub, a new user-friendly system for Human Resources and Information Technology support, launches June 12. (more...)
New tip sheet for documentation of disclosure in Connect Care
A ‘smart phrase’ can now be used to document immediate and ongoing disclosure of harm conversations. Review the new tip sheet. (more...)
CEO video message – providing the ‘Right Care’ in Alberta
A discussion on how Right Care Alberta helps ensure Albertans receive the most appropriate care. (more...)
Register for the Evolution of Zoom, a Virtual Health webinar
Join the Virtual Health team on June 21 to discuss new and improved Zoom features. Register today. (more...)
Join us on June 13 for AHS Improvement Way (AIW) Day Event
Register now for a day of engaging presentations designed to inspire you in your quality improvement journey. (more...)
Register for our Building a Feedback Culture webinar
Join us on June 7 at noon for a webinar that explores strategies to manage patient feedback. Register today. (more...)
To end this AHS Update, I wish to thank you for your ongoing efforts in our wildfire response, recognizing that many of you are also directly affected by this disaster. Please reach out for any support you may need. Contact the Employee and Family Assistance Program at 1-877-273-3134 any time or download the e-AP. If you are impacted by the wildfires, see these additional supports on Insite. Physicians can contact the AMA Physician and Family Support Program, a confidential 24/7 support line, at 1-877-SOS-4MDS for options and support.
With enduring gratitude and appreciation,
Mauro Chies
AHS President & CEO
June 2, 2023
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AHS teams continue to step up
Wildfires continue to impact our facilities, our staff and physicians, and all Albertans. Currently, 12 communities within the North Zone remain on evacuation order or alert. These areas include several First Nations and Métis communities. Our AHS and Indigenous Health teams continue to liaise with First Nations and Inuit Health Board of the federal government, as well as local municipalities, to ensure health and support needs are being met.
Within AHS, the wildfire situation has stretched our resources. I encourage all staff to reach out to the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) for support during these difficult and stressful times.
As evacuation orders and alerts lift, AHS and EMS continue to repatriate evacuated inpatients and residents to their home communities. While we know that the moves have not been easy for them, being away from all that is familiar, we have heard heartwarming stories upon their return. There's the story of a resident who, when asked how his trip to Grande Prairie was, quietly confessed he had never been on an airplane before. He went on to say that he enjoyed being able to look out the plane window while in the air. Edson residents who were evacuated to Barrhead came home with more bags than they left with, because the community of Barrhead rallied to donate clothes to the evacuees. An AHS team member went out of her way to make sure a continuing care resident got the chance to vote in the provincial election despite being far from home.
I am heartened to hear such stories of kindness and compassion during this challenging time.
We are working to urgently address four key priorities. They are:
Much of this work is underway. We will continue to use this update to highlight actions being taken to address our priorities.
As of May 22, 54.5 per cent of cases on the surgical waitlist at adult facilities were within clinically appropriate wait times compared to 53.7 per cent on May 8.
Culturally appropriate counselling is available through the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) for First Nations, Métis and Inuit staff.
Employees and their family members who identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit can receive support from an Elder or Knowledge Keeper through EFAP. When calling the intake line, let them know you would like to receive Indigenous counselling.
You will receive a form to complete and the Elder or Knowledge Keeper will work with you to determine the length of support. Call EFAP anytime at 1-877-273-3134 to get started.
Questions? Contact wellness@ahs.ca.
In this Mental Wellness Moment, Dr. Nicholas Mitchell — Provincial Medical Director for Addiction and Mental Health with Alberta Health Services — says listening is key when helping family members or friends as they deal with a disaster or emergency.
Variants of concern
Alberta Precision Laboratories continues to closely monitor SARS-CoV-2 variants. From May 8-14, an average of 51 per cent of positive samples were strain-typed by genome sequencing. Of those, 45 per cent were XBB.1.5, 24 per cent were XBB.1.16, 14 per cent were XBB.1.9 and six per cent were XBB.2.3. Other XBB, BQ.1.1, BA.5, and BA.2 lineages now make up the minority of cases. To date in Alberta, we have seen 191 cases of XBB.1.16. Cases of XBB.1.9 have been rising in some other parts of Canada, the U.S., the U.K. and other areas of the world, and has been noted for its increased growth rate. XBB.2.3 cases are growing in India and is also under surveillance.
Wastewater surveillance
Wastewater can provide an early indication of COVID-19 infection trends in a community. For wastewater surveillance comparing weekly averages:
The above interpretations were made from available data as of May 29 at 11 a.m.
Other COVID-19 data
Unavailable at source this week.
For the month of June, AHS staff and sites will be celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Month through various virtual and in-person awareness and education events.
Albertans are encouraged to join in the celebrations by taking part in events or engaging with the AHS Together4Health webpage to learn more about programming within AHS aimed at improving culturally safe healthcare and health outcomes for Indigenous patients and families.
Visit Celebrating Health on Insite to learn more about how we are celebrating Indigenous culture all month.
Launching on June 12, ServiceHub will combine the HR Contact Centre and IT ServiceHub for streamlined access and an improved user experience. Through the new portal, you will be able to receive HR and IT support, access resources, review knowledge articles and submit requests. There will be additional digital services for other departments to come.
ServiceHub will be available to all staff. It uses a responsive design and can be accessed from your work and personal devices.
You will be able to access the portal through the HR Contact Centre and IT Service Desk landing pages. You will still be able to chat with a live agent for HR support through the new ServiceHub, and support desk phone numbers for HR and IT will not change:
When a patient is harmed, disclosure to the patient and a designated support person in an empathetic, timely and transparent manner is the right thing to do. Immediate disclosure conversations should be done with patients and/or families within 24 hours after a clinical adverse event, following AHS’ Disclosure of Harm Procedure, and documented in the patient care record.
AHS has standardized documenting disclosure of harm through an electronic process within Connect Care. A ‘smart phrase’ can now be used to document immediate and ongoing disclosure of harm conversations. To learn more, review the newly created tip sheet.
In addition, it is highly recommended to record the clinical adverse event, including that the disclosure conversation happened, in Reporting & Learning System (RLS).
Right Care Alberta is an approach AHS is taking to ensure Albertans receive the most appropriate care. It is about supporting patients, families and care providers in choosing care that is evidence-based, effective and sustainable.
When we can focus on the care that is truly needed and reduce unnecessary investigations and procedures, we get better patient outcomes and reduce unnecessary burdens on care providers and the health system itself. Just as important, we also reduce unnecessary risks and burdens to patients and their families.
Joining guest host Dr. Francois Belanger to talk about Right Care Alberta are:
Guest host Dr. Francois Belanger with Dr. Donald Dick and Michael Sidra.
Join the AHS Virtual Health program on June 21 from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for a webinar that highlights the evolution of Zoom. Since AHS adopted Zoom in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a shift in how AHS teams approach virtual care. Virtual Health team members will discuss new and improved Zoom features, and how it’s changed since AHS adopted it as a tool.
You will also hear from presenters from the Grande Prairie Hub Virtual Occupational Therapy program as they discuss their program evolution using virtual care platforms.
Do you have some issues you would like to solve? Is there room for improvement in your processes?
AIW Day is an event to connect and inspire everyone in their quality improvement journey. Whether you are an advanced practitioner or new to AHS Improvement Way (AIW), please join us either in person in Calgary (at the Peter Lougheed Centre auditorium) and in Edmonton (at the Royal Alexandra Hospital’s Robbins Theatre), or virtually via Zoom. Get inspired with takeaway tips and strategies from a series of engaging presentations. This year, being our first year, we will start by looking at the fundamental equation: Results = Quality of Solutions x Adoption (R=QS x A).
Registration closes June 9
Join us on June 7 from noon to 1 p.m. for a webinar that explores strategies to manage patient feedback and build a feedback culture. Hosted by Engagement & Patient Experience in partnership with Patient Relations, Building a Feedback Culture will:
To end this AHS Update, I wish to thank you for your ongoing efforts in our wildfire response, recognizing that many of you are also directly affected by this disaster. Please reach out for any support you may need. Contact the Employee and Family Assistance Program at 1-877-273-3134 any time or download the e-AP. If you are impacted by the wildfires, see these additional supports on Insite. Physicians can contact the AMA Physician and Family Support Program, a confidential 24/7 support line, at 1-877-SOS-4MDS for options and support.
With enduring gratitude and appreciation,
Mauro Chies
AHS President & CEO
