January 12, 2024
January 12, 2024
Steps being taken to meet 2023/2024 budget
AHS is responsible for ensuring healthcare dollars are spent effectively and front-line teams have the resources they need to provide safe, high-quality patient care. To ensure we are managing and meeting our budget for this fiscal year, AHS is looking to find cost efficiencies over the coming months. Leaders have been asked to work with their teams to effectively manage overtime, vacancies and agency staff usage, as well as limit discretionary spending. No restrictions have been placed on recruitment into clinical positions, and we continue to actively recruit and fill vacancies as quickly as possible.
AHS shares a collective sense of urgency around addressing staff shortages and finding better ways to support you. We are grateful to our teams for all you do, including careful cost management that does not compromise patient care or the well-being of our workforce. (more...)
Health Workforce Strategy’s Q2 report now online
The Health Workforce Strategy Action Plan is a coordinated approach to addressing AHS’ workforce challenges. (more...)
Elevate the well-being of both you and your team
Boost your well-being with individual or team wellness seminars provided by our Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP). (more...)
Mental Wellness Moment
Dr. Nicholas Mitchell offers advice on how to plan for making sustainable, positive changes in your life. (more...)
Construction to start this spring on new Beaverlodge health facility
Construction of a new health facility in Beaverlodge is expected to begin this spring. The facility is slated to open in 2028. (more...)
Webinar to outline MyAHS Connect changes
Attend a webinar on Jan. 22 to understand upcoming changes for access by proxy to MyAHS Connect youth accounts. (more...)
Nominations open for RhPAP’s 2024 Rhapsody Awards
The Rural Health Professions Action Plan (RhPAP) is seeking nominations for healthcare heroes in rural Alberta. (more...)
Apply for rural health research, QI project funding
The Rural Health Professions Action Plan is accepting applications for its Rural Research and Quality Improvement Grant Program. (more...)
Professional development funding for rural health providers
Applications for funding are now open for professional development and education opportunities for rural health professionals. (more...)
Explore the ethics of treatment choices and access
Join the upcoming Ethics Lunch & Learn about treatment choices and access. Offered Jan. 25 at 11:30 a.m. and Jan. 26 at noon. (more...)
Increase your understanding of human factors
Register for a three-day course to explore the role of human factors in healthcare using hands-on activities and case studies. (more...)
Learn about the AHS Virtual Care Evaluation Framework
If you use virtual care in your healthcare delivery, consider registering for this webinar to learn more about the virtual care framework. (more...)
January 12, 2024
AHS is responsible for ensuring healthcare dollars are spent effectively and front-line teams have the resources they need to provide safe, high-quality patient care. To ensure we are managing and meeting our budget for this fiscal year, AHS is looking to find cost efficiencies over the coming months. Leaders have been asked to work with their teams to effectively manage overtime, vacancies and agency staff usage, as well as limit discretionary spending. No restrictions have been placed on recruitment into clinical positions, and we continue to actively recruit and fill vacancies as quickly as possible.
AHS shares a collective sense of urgency around addressing staff shortages and finding better ways to support you. We are grateful to our teams for all you do, including careful cost management that does not compromise patient care or the well-being of our workforce.
Our workforce is critical to our ability to successfully deliver on AHS’ mission and vision. The Health Workforce Strategy (HWS) and supporting three-year action plan coordinates planning under four strategic pillars to ensure we have the workers we need to deliver high-quality healthcare in an environment where they can grow and flourish.
Over the coming months, AHS commits to highlighting key metrics and initiatives from the HWS Action Plan to both show our progress and address our challenges.
The Q2 report is now available. Highlights include:
To learn more, visit the Health Workforce Strategy.
Boost your well-being in the new year with individual or team wellness seminars provided by our Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP).
EFAP offers virtual wellness seminars that focus on a wide range of well-being topics, including employee wellness, mindfulness and mitigating the effects of stress, social media’s impact on mental health, and thriving in a hybrid work environment.
Explore one-hour virtual learning sessions in the new year, including seven new additions by registering online on MyLearningLink. For group learning, managers can schedule virtual or in-person wellness seminars. To book a session, complete a wellness seminar request and email to wellness@ahs.ca.
For managers requesting a session, keep in mind:
Questions? Email wellness@ahs.ca.
In this Mental Wellness Moment, Dr. Nicholas Mitchell — Provincial Medical Director of Addiction and Mental Health with Alberta Health Services — offers advice on how to plan for making sustainable, positive changes in your life.
AHS has signed a lease agreement for Beaverlodge’s planned Mountview Health Complex project. The new state-of-the-art health complex will replace the current Beaverlodge Municipal Hospital, which opened in 1956 and is one of the oldest hospitals in the province. This new infrastructure will meet current health-facility standards and better support local delivery of more innovative and effective health services.
The services offered by AHS at the new facility will include outpatient care, ambulance services, inpatient care, community health services and various clinical support services, such as imaging, labs, pharmacy and rehabilitation.
With the lease in place, developer Landrex will proceed to the project’s next steps. Construction of the 9,000-sq.-m. facility is expected to begin this spring. The new health facility is slated to open in 2028 and the services offered will complement the healthcare available at the nearby Grande Prairie Regional Hospital.
Changes are coming for access by proxy to MyAHS Connect youth accounts. Join the Connect Care Portals team for a webinar on Jan. 22 to understand upcoming changes and how they will affect patients and parents/guardians. Register here.
Do you know a healthcare hero in rural Alberta who goes above and beyond in providing outstanding patient care and contributing significantly to medical practice in the community? The Rural Health Professions Action Plan (RhPAP) is committed to recognizing and honouring these unsung heroes. Join us in acknowledging their remarkable efforts and contributions towards improving healthcare in rural communities across Alberta.
Two categories will be awarded:
Nominations will be accepted until Feb. 29, and all details about eligibility and submission can be found here.
All nominees will be featured by RhPAP during Rural Health Week this May, while award recipients will be honoured with a community recognition event and a video profile shared across RhPAP’s network.
Questions about the awards can be sent to info@rhpap.ca.
The Rural Health Professions Action Plan (RhPAP) is accepting applications for its Rural Research and Quality Improvement Grant Program.
Eligible applicants can receive up to $25,000 toward research or quality improvement (QI) projects that aim to improve healthcare quality and accessibility in rural and remote areas of Alberta. Rural physicians looking to fulfil their QI continuing medical education requirements may be eligible to receive funding to support their projects.
Interested healthcare professionals, clinics and researchers can learn more about available funding at rhpap.ca/research or contact research@rhpap.ca for more information. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.
The Rural Health Professions Action Plan’s Rural Education and Advanced Learning (REAL) Program enables rural health professionals access continuing professional development and education opportunities that help them enhance the healthcare services they offer in their communities. Funding is available for nurses, midwives, nurse practitioners, and allied health professionals working in rural Alberta in a primary care network, out-of-scope/non-union position, or independent/private practice.
Applicants may apply for program funding for courses or training opportunities that they have completed within three months of, are in progress at the time of, or will be starting within six months of application submission. Funding may cover some or all course or training fees and course material costs. Applications are open until Feb. 21.
Ethical decision-making is a normal part of any AHS role. The Clinical Ethics Service offers education to help guide and support staff through ethical decision-making.
The Ethics Lunch ‘n’ Learn Series explores common healthcare issues, identifies the ethical concerns at play, and provides an ethical framework for thinking through challenging situations.
Join the next session, Treatment Choices and Access: Rights, Responsibilities and Consequences:
Human factors studies the interrelationship between humans, the tools and equipment they use in the workplace, and the environment in which they work. During this three-day course, the role of human factors in healthcare will be explored using hands-on activities and case studies in various clinical areas.
AHS is pleased to co-host this upcoming course with the Health Quality Council of Alberta, Ward of the 21st Century and the University of Calgary, with course offerings in both Edmonton and Calgary. Learn more here.
Please join the Virtual Health team and special guests from Evaluation & Analytics, Primary Health Care Integration Network, for a webinar where we’ll introduce the AHS Virtual Care Evaluation Framework. This presentation will be useful for anyone in AHS wishing to evaluate virtual care services.
The webinar — Jan. 17 from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — will provide an overview of why the framework was created, how it was developed and what’s included. The Virtual Health team will also be providing an update on the Virtual Care Shared Data Model, a shared virtual care data repository in the Enterprise Data Warehouse. Register to attend.
