October 20, 2023
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 waitlist update
Learn tips and tricks for better sleep
Daylight saving time ends Nov. 5 and you may be impacted by the reduced daylight hours. (more...)
Mental Wellness Moment - Supporting the mental health of healthcare workers
Dr. Nicholas Mitchell talks about how healthcare workers can protect their mental health and how to de-stress at work. (more...)
Help prevent the spread of COVID-19
See the updated enhanced masking directive for the most current information and resources. (more...)
Respiratory virus update
The Government of Alberta’s respiratory virus dashboard includes reporting for influenza, COVID-19 and RSV cases. (more...)
AHS immunization clinics now open
Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) immunization clinics are now open across all zones. (more...)
AHS accredited until the end of 2027
After completing the 2019-23 accreditation cycle, Accreditation Canada has awarded AHS accredited status until the end of 2027. (more...)
AHS Vlog - Spotlight on Health Information Management
My guests discuss health information management, which helps facilitate healthcare delivery, patient safety and decision-making. (more...)
National recognition for AHS innovation leader
An AHS senior leader is being recognized for her work in helping spread innovation in healthcare. (more...)
Ethics Framework refreshed
AHS has updated its Ethics Framework to provide further clarity, simplify language and align with related policies. (more...)
OneDrive migration coming soon
This fall, AHS will begin moving staff from using personal network drives to Microsoft OneDrive, a cloud-based storage application. (more...)
Apply for the HQCA Patient Experience Awards
All AHS people, teams and initiatives are encouraged to apply for the HQCA Patient Experience Awards. Deadline is Nov. 17. (more...)
Virtual showcase focuses on patient experience initiatives
Join Engagement and Patient Experience for its second virtual showcase to learn more about AHS patient experience initiatives. (more...)
Reminder to register for the i4 2023 conference
Registration for the i4 2023 conference closes Oct. 27. (more...)
Become an IPC hand hygiene reviewer
Volunteer to become a hand hygiene reviewer. It’s a small commitment that can make a big difference. (more...)
Green 'n Healthy Newsletter focuses on waste management
The latest Green 'n Healthy newsletter is now available and puts a spotlight on our great work in the area of waste reduction. (more...)
As you may have read earlier in this message, Accreditation Canada has awarded AHS accredited status until the end of 2027. We should be extremely proud of this accomplishment. The results from each survey clearly shows the dedication and compassion of each and every one of you.
Accreditation is an important part of quality management, providing AHS with an opportunity to have peers from across Canada assess the organization to standards and required practices. The accreditation process helps us identify where we are excelling and where we can improve.
Thank you to those who participated in the accreditation surveys. I appreciate everyone working hard to be accreditation ready. Thank you all for continuing to provide exceptional healthcare to all Albertans.
With enduring gratitude and appreciation,
Mauro Chies
AHS President & CEO
October 20, 2023
Please print and share with your teams as needed
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 Oct. 16, approximately 54.7 per cent of cases on the surgical waitlist at adult facilities were within clinically appropriate wait times.
Daylight saving time ends Nov. 5 and you may be impacted by the reduced daylight hours.
You have several options through the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP):
You can call the EFAP intake line anytime at 1-877-273-3134. Physicians can contact the AMA Physician and Family Support Program at 1-877-767-4637 for options and support.
Questions? Contact wellness@ahs.ca.
In this Mental Wellness Moment, Dr. Nicholas Mitchell — Provincial Medical Director for Addiction and Mental Health with AHS — talks about how healthcare workers can protect their mental health and how to de-stress at work.
AHS approved The Use of Masks to Prevent Transmission of COVID-19 Directive on Oct. 11. This allows zone and site leadership to work together to determine if additional masking is necessary in their facilities to prevent the transmission of COVID-19.
This directive lets zone and site leadership decide if enhanced masking measures are necessary based on a number of COVID-19 factors, including number of outbreaks, new hospitalizations in people with COVID -19, occupancy, test positivity and situational context.
See our updated directive for the most current information on enhanced masking. Check out the latest notices, latest FAQ, toolkit, signage and more. Thank you for your patience as we continue to update appropriate resources.
The Government of Alberta’s respiratory virus dashboard includes reporting for influenza, COVID-19 and RSV cases, positivity and severe cases. The dashboard is updated every Thursday throughout the respiratory virus season.
Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) immunization clinics are now open across all zones. You can walk in, book online or call 811 to make an appointment. To get the influenza vaccine, you can also check your facility for a roving cart or get immunized by a site champion on your unit. This year, you will have the option to receive an mRNA XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccine and an influenza vaccine at the same booking at participating WHS clinics. Questions? See Employee Influenza Immunization.
If you choose any of these options, please submit a Got My Flu Shot form on Insite.
After completing the 2019- 2023 accreditation cycle, Accreditation Canada has awarded AHS accredited status until the end of 2027. Each AHS site will receive a new certificate.
AHS participates in a sequential model of accreditation, which includes eight on-site surveys within the new 2023-2027 AHS Accreditation Cycle. Survey visits are unannounced, and AHS staff, physicians and leaders strive to always be accreditation-ready throughout the cycle.
Accreditation compares our health services with national standards of excellence to help us identify all we are doing well and how we can further improve.
The latest AHS Vlog shines a spotlight on the importance of health information management.
Our Health Information Management (HIM) team manages, maintains and provides support in all aspects of health information, from collection and use to access and disclosure. Their work touches or is touched by all AHS clinical and business services.
HIM is woven throughout AHS in places such as switchboard, registration in a clinical setting, as well as record retention throughout the organization. This helps to facilitate healthcare delivery, patient safety and health- and business-related decision-making.
Joining the AHS Vlog to tell us more are:
From left: Mauro Chies, Kathleen Addison, Karen Carlson
An AHS senior leader is being recognized for her work in helping spread innovation in healthcare.
Patty Wickson, Executive Director of Innovation, Evidence, Evaluation and Impact, has received the CAN Health Network 2023 West Local Leader Award. The CAN Health Network is a federally funded organization working to introduce more Canadian innovation into Canada’s healthcare system.
This year’s awards were presented Oct. 18 at the CAN Health Network’s annual fall conference. The network works with leading healthcare operators across the country to identify their biggest challenges and match them with Canadian-made technology solutions.
The efforts of many AHS departments — including the Innovation and Business Intelligence team, the Strategic Clinical Networks, zone operations and the Contracting, Procurement and Supply Management team — are key to helping AHS advance the adoption of innovation to improve care for Albertans.
Congratulations, Patty!
Patty Wickson, Executive Director for Innovation, Evidence, Evaluation and Impact. Photo supplied.
AHS has updated its Ethics Framework to provide further clarity, simplify language and align with related AHS policies. The principles remain the same.
AHS supports a culture where we can live our values through ethical decision-making. Ethics and ethical decision-making are about doing the right thing, even—and especially—when that is hard to do.
The framework provides information on resources available to the AHS workforce for support in addressing ethics questions and ensures Albertans continue to receive appropriate care of the highest ethical standard. It describes ethical scenarios you may find yourself in and connects you to the best resource available to help guide you in your decision-making.
Resources are available on ahs.ca for clinical ethics, research, and ethics and compliance questions that come up in practice or in the workplace.
The framework is supported by AHS’ Clinical Ethics Service, Ethics & Compliance and Research Ethics.
Questions? Email ethics@ahs.ca.
This fall, AHS will begin moving all staff from using personal network drives to Microsoft OneDrive, a cloud-based storage application that enables your personal work documents to be accessed from any computer.
IT will copy all documents and folders from your personal network drive to your new OneDrive on your behalf. You will receive an email with more details before this process begins, including instructions on how to access OneDrive.
In preparation for this migration, please review your personal drive and delete any data that’s no longer required or not work-related in nature. Visit InfoCare to review document storage policies and best practices.
More information, including an FAQ and Cheat Sheet, are available on the InfoCare site.
The Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA) Patient Experience Awards recognize and spread knowledge about initiatives that improve patient experience in accessing and receiving healthcare services.
I encourage all people, teams and initiatives to apply for this award through the HQCA website by Nov. 17. See the user guide for more information about criteria and the application process. Read about the recipients from 2023 (many were AHS teams).
All applicants will be contacted in December by the HQCA.
Questions? Email info@hqca.ca.
Join Engagement and Patient Experience for its second Patient Experience Virtual Showcase on Nov. 8 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Each one-hour round will include four, five-minute presentations about patient experience, followed by two, 15-minute breakouts for deeper-dive conversations and information. You can attend one, two or three hours of the showcase. Register to attend.
Interested in learning about other initiatives underway? Watch the first virtual showcase, held in May. This virtual showcase is being hosted during Patient- and Family-Centred Care Week, Nov. 6-10.
The future of health and care takes place at the intersection of people, relationships, community and science and technology. Success in health and care services is tied to societal progress and the exploding speed of technology. On Nov. 1 and 2, the i4 conference will bring together collaborators to help you invent the future of health and care services. Be part of that future. There is still time to register. Learn more here.
This week, AHS recognized Global Handwashing Day on Oct. 15 and IPC Week (Oct. 17-20) by saying thank you for incorporating infection control in your everyday practice.
Let’s keep up the good work and aim for 100 per cent clean hands, every patient, every time. You can help us achieve that goal by volunteering to become a hand hygiene reviewer. It’s a small commitment that can make a big difference by helping prevent the spread of infections, and protecting both patients and staff. Visit our site to find out reasons why you should consider becoming a hand hygiene reviewer.
I also want to remind staff to continue to use Routine Practices and Additional Precautions as required by the IPC Risk Assessment to make personal protective equipment decisions when working with patients.
Find out what AHS teams across the province are doing to help reduce waste, save money and reduce our carbon footprint. The latest copy of AHS’ Green 'n Healthy newsletter is now available and puts a spotlight on our great work in the area of waste reduction.
As you may have read earlier in this message, Accreditation Canada has awarded AHS accredited status until the end of 2027. We should be extremely proud of this accomplishment. The results from each survey clearly shows the dedication and compassion of each and every one of you.
Accreditation is an important part of quality management, providing AHS with an opportunity to have peers from across Canada assess the organization to standards and required practices. The accreditation process helps us identify where we are excelling and where we can improve.
Thank you to those who participated in the accreditation surveys. I appreciate everyone working hard to be accreditation ready. Thank you all for continuing to provide exceptional healthcare to all Albertans.
With enduring gratitude and appreciation,
Mauro Chies
AHS President & CEO
