June 14, 2024
Thank you for your hospitality and candour
This spring, I’ve been travelling the province to meet with many of you in person, hearing about your successes and challenges. (more...)
Improve your well-being
Explore new wellness seminars offered by the Employee and Family Assistance Program. (more...)
Mental Wellness Moment
Dr. Nicholas Mitchell talks about how getting outdoors, especially in green spaces, can improve one’s mental well-being. (more...)
Help to spot phishing emails
The Reduce Cyber Risk program supports employees who have difficulty identifying phishing emails. (more...)
Revitalized pediatric rehabilitation website now available
Pediatric development information is one click away for healthcare providers with the revitalized AHS.ca/pedrehab webpage. (more...)
Midwifery services available at the Pincher Creek Health Centre
Families in Pincher Creek and area who are receiving care from a registered midwife have more options for where they deliver. (more...)
New IV therapy clinic space for Leduc Community Hospital
Patients at the Leduc Community Hospital now have more privacy and comfort for their IV therapy treatments in a new clinic space. (more...)
Communication Access course elevates care
Empower yourself with practical strategies to support people with speech, language and hearing needs. (more...)
Register for the i4 2024 conference
Early-bird registration for the i4 2024 conference is now open. (more...)
June 14, 2024
This spring, I’ve been travelling the province to meet with many of you in person. Hearing about your successes, challenges, and ideas is important and enables me to better understand what we need to do as an organization to support you and your colleagues as you continue delivering the best possible care to your patients.
I recently visited Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge. There, I spoke with staff and physicians about the ongoing renovations to the emergency department and while there are serious challenges with space constraints, I was impressed to see what staff are doing to maximize space and efficiency including initiatives to create space for EMS off-load within the department. I could see the positive impact this has had and I thank everyone at this site for continuing to put patients first.
I also had an opportunity to participate in an open-house event at Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, where I talked with staff about a wide range of issues and ideas. Some folks shared concerns about current restrictions on discretionary spending and hiring. Everyone I met had insights and ideas that both motivate and challenge me, and I commit to looking closely at these policies as we work to complete a broader core review.
To those of you who have continued to be generous with your experience and advice – thank you. Even if you don’t always see immediate results, please know your input is helping to inform the decisions we are making as an executive leadership team. We are working to improve how we communicate with the broader organization, especially as we navigate this period of profound change. While the challenges we face in this fast-paced, dynamic environment are not simply a matter of better communication, I know that your time is precious, and we must get to the point! I will endeavour to be as transparent as possible about the decisions we are making and to keep you informed as we work towards a refocused healthcare system.
Finally, with summer less than a week away, I encourage all of you in the coming months to find some time to get away, unplug, rest, recharge and enjoy the warm weather while it’s here. It’s important to use your vacation time and to take care of yourselves as you take care of patients, families, and each other.
Thank you for everything you do, each and every day.
Athana Mentzelopoulos
AHS President and CEO
The updated wellness seminar schedule is now available online with additional dates added through December. These seminars, offered through our Employee and Family Assistance Program, are open to all leaders and their teams, and provide strategies to improve well-being.
Explore one-hour virtual learning sessions on MyLearningLink, covering topics on employee wellness, workplace communication, hidden strengths of introverts, and how to create and maintain healthy habits.
For group learning, managers can select from a variety of topics and have the flexibility to schedule virtual or in-person sessions. To book a session, complete a wellness seminar request and email it to wellness@ahs.ca.
For managers requesting a session, please note:
To find more information, see Wellness Seminars and e-Learning. For questions, email wellness@ahs.ca.
In this Mental Wellness Moment, Dr. Nicholas Mitchell — Provincial Medical Director, Addiction and Mental Health & Correctional Health Services — talks about how getting outdoors, especially in green spaces, can improve one’s mental well-being.
Our Reduce Cyber Risk Program monitors how many times staff interact with phishing campaign emails (e.g., clicking a link in a phishing email) and determines who needs more support to identify them.
If an individual interacts with three or more phishing emails within 12 months (retroactive to June 2023), they are notified via email, enrolled into the program, and given 30 days to complete Don’t Take The Bait, a MyLearningLink course.
If they pass the course and don’t interact with another phishing email over 12 months, they are removed from the program. If they do interact with another phishing email over that time, they will have to complete a more immersive education program.
The Reduce Cyber Risk Program aims to ensure everyone understands how to identify and avoid clicking on phishing emails, both at work and at home. This will help keep AHS information—and your information—secure.
Questions? Visit Reduce Cyber Risk or see our FAQ.
Pediatric rehabilitation information is one click away for healthcare providers, parents and caregivers across Alberta with the revitalized AHS.ca/pedrehab webpage.
A robust engagement process informed key changes to make pediatric rehabilitation information more accessible for Albertans. The new platform offers a streamlined design and features that will help Albertans access pediatric information, webinars and services faster and more easily.
AHS.ca/pedrehab offers:
The program’s MyHealth Alberta page and other active pediatric rehabilitation webpages will now automatically redirect to the new platform.
Please share AHS.ca/pedrehab with your colleagues and patients.
Expectant families in Pincher Creek and area who are receiving care from a registered midwife now have more options for where they can deliver – at home or in hospital.
Clinical privileges have been granted to four registered midwives who operate the Cardston Midwives practice. This opens the door to providing care to their patients at the Pincher Creek Health Centre, beginning this month.
Registered midwives provide primary care to Albertans and their babies during pregnancy, antepartum, labour, birth and postpartum period up to six weeks. Currently, more than 165 registered midwives provide services through staff appointments with AHS across the province. About 6,300 Albertan families accessed care from registered midwives over the past year, including approximately 440 people in the AHS South Zone.
Patients at the Leduc Community Hospital now have more privacy and comfort for their IV therapy treatments in a new clinic space.
In a staff-led initiative, the healthcare team reorganized hospital equipment and repurposed an existing area in the hospital to create the new dedicated space. It is equipped with new IV therapy chairs funded by the Leduc Community Hospital Foundation.
In addition, the team streamlined patient flow so patients now come to one location and are seen by one team. Previously, patients with more complex IV therapy needs were seen by a different team in a separate unit.
Between 10 and 20 people come to the hospital daily, Monday to Friday, for IV therapy, with more than 3,400 treatments performed last year. Leduc’s clinic is on track to exceed that number this year.
Introduction to Communication Access provides you with practical strategies and supports to facilitate two-way communication with patients who have speech, language and hearing needs.
In 15 minutes, you will learn:
Search “Communication Access” on MyLearningLink.
Questions? Email practice.consultation@ahs.cato learn more.
At the intersection of people, community, relationships and technology, the future of healthcare is being created. Societal advancement and technological innovation are driving this transformation.
The i4 conference empowers you to design the future of healthcare. Join us in shaping that future. Early-bird registration is now open.
