July 26, 2024
A message about the Jasper wildfire
To our staff who live and work in the Jasper area, AHS will support you in every way possible in the days, weeks and months ahead. (more...)
Summer program helps AHS create future workforce
High school students in Alberta are getting an opportunity to gain paid healthcare work experience this summer. (more...)
Access supports to manage stress
The Employee and Family Assistance Program offers services designed to help identify, manage and control stress levels. (more...)
Mental Wellness Moment - The emotional phases of managing a disaster
Dr. Nicholas Mitchell Mitchell talks about the common phases that many people go through when dealing with a disaster. (more...)
Changes to respiratory virus infections management
AHS is standardizing the management of patients with respiratory virus infections. (more...)
Duplicative lab order merging
Connect Care integration across the provincial lab system has provided an opportunity to merge duplicative test requests. (more...)
Complete the Microsoft 365 Readiness Playbook 1
Staff who share computers will soon move to the web-only versions of Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Word. Learn how to prepare. (more...)
LIT/PIN update
The Learn Improve Together (LIT) approach is being implemented to bring quality closer to the bedside. (more...)
Plans to expand nurse locum program
AHS is planning an expanded nurse locum program that will support staffing in hard-to-recruit areas and rural and remote communities. (more...)
Join i4 Conference’s Illumination Academy, Inspiration Showcase
Apply to join the Illumination Academy and submit applications to the new Inspiration Showcase as part of the 2024 i4 conference. (more...)
July 26, 2024
Like many of you, I’ve watched the devastating images out of Jasper the past few days with a mix of heartbreak and horror. My heart goes out to the many of our people who live and work in and around Jasper, and those who have friends and family in the area. We know residents were safely evacuated; sadly, some of them may not have a home when they’re allowed to return to the townsite. This is already a tragedy of unfathomable scale and, as of this morning, the scope of the damage is still unknown.
To our staff who live and work in the area, AHS will support you in every way possible in the days, weeks and months ahead. You can get information about the wildfire and a list of supports on the 2024 Wildfire Updates and Resources page on Insite. (All Albertans can visit the Help in Tough Times webpage for a list of resources and supports.) There is also a suite of supports available 24 hours a day, every day of the year, through the Employee and Family Assistance Program. Call the EFAP intake line at 1-877-273-3134. Physicians can contact the AMA Physician and Family Support Program, also a confidential 24/7 support line, at 1-877-SOS-4MDS for options and support.
As we saw during other recent large-scale natural disasters, including the southern Alberta floods of 2013 and the Fort McMurray wildfire of 2016, AHS teams across the province come together and work together to provide comprehensive emergency/disaster response. We’ve seen this happen this week, as well. The efficient and safe evacuation of patients and residents from our Jasper facility on Monday night was a demonstration of the incredible skill of our people. Our teams across the province continue to ensure displaced individuals, especially those with ongoing health conditions, get the compassionate care they need.
Allow me to share my profound gratitude to everyone working to address this situation. To our people directly affected by the wildfire, please know that we are here to support you in every way possible and that your colleagues across the organization are thinking of you and hoping for the best.
High school students in Alberta are getting an opportunity to gain paid healthcare work experience this summer.
The initiative — a partnership between AHS and industry-led nonprofit foundation CAREERS — is providing hands-on experience to 33 youths across the province to give them an opportunity to interact with healthcare professionals and gain invaluable insight into healthcare settings.
The students will be AHS employees and receive site- and position-based training and orientation.
Investing in young people is one way AHS creates our future workforce. Students are taking on roles in departments, including pharmacy services, laboratory services and recreation therapy, where they will perform general support duties. In the case of recreation therapy, they are assisting with activities such as bus trips, games, arts and crafts, pet visits and gardening.
While stress is part of everyday life, cumulative stress can negatively impact your overall well-being. Moderate levels of stress can be motivating but excessive amounts can lead to physical, mental and emotional exhaustion.
Find a balance that helps you manage stress at a healthy level with the help of Stress Solutions, offered by the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP).
To get support, contact the EFAP intake line at 1-877-273-3134. You will be asked a few questions and then connected to a specialist who will guide you through a customized service tailored to your current needs and situation.
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.
Questions? Contact wellness@ahs.ca.
In this Mental Wellness Moment, Dr. Nicholas Mitchell talks about the common phases that many people go through when dealing with a disaster.
AHS is standardizing the IPC management of patients with respiratory virus infections. Standardization of infection control measures, including personal protective equipment (PPE) recommendations, will simplify patient management. COVID-19 will now be managed using the same approach (Contact and Droplet Precautions) as other endemic respiratory virus infections. Contact and Droplet Precautions/Isolation will apply for any patient with a suspected or confirmed respiratory virus infection.
The Joint Statement between AHS, Covenant Health and the unions remains in effect. Healthcare workers will continue to have discretion to choose, and have access to, any PPE they feel is necessary based on their infection prevention and control risk assessment (IPC-RA), including a fit-tested N95 respirator.
There are no changes in PPE guidance related to aerosol-generating medical procedures. Healthcare workers will continue to use a fit-tested N95 respirator in addition to eye protection, gown and gloves.
For more information, visit ahs.ca.
Duplicative orders for lab tests can occur unintentionally when multiple physicians or other providers care for the same patient for different conditions. Consolidating duplicative orders for the same set of tests offers the opportunity to reduce unnecessary blood draws and costs. Reviewing results is simpler and less confusing when duplicative results are eliminated.
Connect Care integration across the provincial lab system has provided the opportunity to merge duplicative test requests, eliminating many duplicative tests. Physicians, ordering providers and patient care will not be impacted by these changes.
By eliminating duplicative orders, it is estimated that more than 20,000 duplicates can potentially be avoided per month. This initiative is part of a broader Alberta Precision Laboratories appropriateness strategy designed to free up capacity and address increases in demand.
Staff who share computers will soon move to web-only versions of Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Word. The web versions work differently from desktop applications; some features will either change or be unavailable in the web app. As a result, some Microsoft files will either need to be adapted or rebuilt to ensure compatibility with web apps and minimize disruption.
IT has created the Microsoft 365 Readiness Playbook 1 to help teams determine if they’re affected and navigate next steps. If you are responsible for building or maintaining files for your team, please complete the playbook and submit the intake form by July 31, if you are affected and require time to rebuild your files.
For more information, please visit the Microsoft Web Apps Insite page.
The Learn Improve Together (LIT) approach is being implemented to bring quality closer to the bedside, delivering better care for patients and improving their health outcomes in a fiscally responsible way. Replacing the former Strategic Clinical Networks (SCNs) are Program Improvement and Integration Networks (PINs). PINs will be focused on a more manageable set of priorities that will create the space to deliver on what matters to clinicians and patients while empowering clinical teams to own the change.
Leadership roles for the acute care PINs have been announced (see chart) and 39 priority initiatives identified. Over the next two to three months, the LIT and PIN teams will establish provincial program and new sector organization PINs; align resources and people to the 39 priorities to support the PINs; and determine what initiatives will transition to operations and what will be paused or stopped.
Get updated information at Learn Improve Together.
As we continue our work to find efficiencies and prioritize our activities across the organization, it’s increasingly clear overtime and the use of agency nurses are ongoing challenge that will result in unbudgeted expenses unless we reduce our reliance in these areas.
The North Zone nurse locum program provides a good foundation for us to build on as a tool for ensuring nursing coverage in remote and rural communities, while reducing overtime and agency nurse utilization. We are planning an expanded program that will support our work to reduce the number of service disruptions we are experiencing in hard-to-recruit areas and rural and remote communities.
We would like to hear from anyone who is interested in participating in the program. Please share your feedback and interest on our Together4Health page and watch for further updates as we continue negotiations with UNA for an expanded program.
Taking place Nov. 6 and 7, the i4 conference is Canada's premier health and care conference, featuring workshops designed to ignite creativity and drive positive change.
This year’s Illumination Academy is an eight-session program created to equip teams with design-led methodologies for addressing complex challenges in the healthcare sector. Through immersive workshops and personalized coaching, participants will learn about design thinking tools and develop innovative strategies to drive positive change. Learn more and apply here.
The new Inspiration Showcase celebrates groundbreaking ideas and transformative projects in healthcare, providing an opportunity for innovators like you to showcase your work and inspire change. Applications are now open, but space is limited. Learn more and apply here.
