AHS, Covenant Health, and three major health care unions agree to joint statement on Personal Protective Equipment use during COVID-19 pandemic

EDMONTON - Alberta Health Services (AHS), the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE), Covenant Health (CH), the Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA), and United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) have reached a joint agreement on the safe and effective use of personal protection equipment (PPE) in our collective response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Employers and unions share the common goal of protecting the health and safety of health care workers. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical that the appropriate steps are taken to protect the health and safety of all health care workers while they provide high quality care to Albertans and prevent exposure to and transmission of COVID-19. It is critical to ensure that appropriate PPE is used by all staff and physicians, while also preserving supplies of specialized equipment for when they are required to provide care safely.

Under the joint agreement, we agree that a risk assessment must be conducted for every patient interaction to ensure front-line health care workers have the specific PPE they need. As partners in the response to COVID-19, we trust our front-line health care teams to make appropriate and clinically sound decisions.

While there is currently not a supply shortage of PPE in our province, AHS, Covenant Health, and the unions will work together to regularly assess the supply of PPE and the employers will continue to take action to ensure an adequate supply.

All parties are committed to continuing to work together to address issues and solve problems as they arise.

We remain grateful for the dedication and commitment of all health care teams during this challenging time.