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November 18, 2022
Dr. John Cowell appointed AHS Official Administrator
Dr. John Cowell, AHS Official Administrator, will be responsible for the governance of AHS. The AHS Board has been dissolved. (more...)
Get support while working shifts
Support is available if shorter days are impacting your sleep and energy levels, especially if you work outside of typical business hours. (more...)
Mental Wellness Moment — seasonal affective disorder
Dr. Nicholas Mitchell explains what seasonal affective disorder is, and how it is diagnosed and treated. (more...)
COVID-19 status & cases in Alberta
Latest hospitalizations, ICU update and information on variants of concern and wastewater surveillance. (more...)
Additional vaccine option now available for children
The Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine for children aged six months to four years is another option now available. (more...)
Interim CEO video message – the impact of philanthropy
On Nov. 15, many charitable organizations celebrated National Philanthropy Day. Last year, foundations raised more than $285 million for healthcare. (more...)
Understanding distress over family and visitor access restrictions
Watch a discussion about decision-making behind visitation restrictions, the link to experiences of moral distress and how to address it. (more...)
Clinical Ethics launches Lunch ‘n’ Learn series
The series explores healthcare issues, identifies ethical considerations and provides a framework for thinking through challenging situations. (more...)
Sign up for Secret Santa
Sign up by Dec. 2 to be paired with your Secret Santa and help spread joy across AHS this holiday season. (more...)
AHS centre in Ponoka welcomes stranded youth hockey team
An AHS facility in Ponoka provided shelter for a youth hockey team that was involved in a vehicle pileup on Hwy 2 on Nov. 5. (more...)
Our hospitals are extremely busy, particularly in our urban centres. We are experiencing an early start to the respiratory illness season and a steep rise in the number of patients seeking emergency department care. This is happening in jurisdictions across Canada and around the world, as we see increased respiratory illness and more patients with more severe illness.
Our front-line teams continue to be very busy and I am grateful to all of you for providing care during these challenging times. We are doing all we can to add capacity at our major urban hospitals, bring emergency department wait-times down, and support those patients who are having to wait longer than normal.
Please make sure to book your annual influenza immunization and, once you receive the vaccine, let us know through the Got My Flu Shot form. Also ensure your COVID-19 vaccinations are up to date. Vaccination offers powerful protection from serious illness caused by respiratory viruses. I join our medical officers of health in encouraging Albertans to wear masks, especially in crowded indoor spaces, if they choose. Also, please remember to adhere to our AHS continuous masking directive at your work site.
Thank you for everything you do, each and every day.
Mauro Chies
Interim AHS President & CEO
November 18, 2022
Please print and share with your teams as needed
The Minister of Health announced yesterday the appointment of Dr. John Cowell as the Official Administrator for AHS. He will be responsible for the governance of AHS. The AHS Board has been dissolved. The Minister of Health has also announced several immediate priorities: to improve EMS response times, decrease ER wait times, reduce wait times for surgeries, and develop long-term reforms through consultations with front-line workers.
Dr. Cowell previously served as Official Administrator for AHS, CEO for the Health Quality Council of Alberta, and President and CEO of the Workers’ Compensation Board of Alberta. Dr. Cowell also taught for three decades at the University of Calgary.
AHS continues to focus on urgent priorities, including the Alberta Surgical Initiative, Emergency Medical Services, and Mental Health and Addiction, while improving local decision-making and patient flow and access, and strengthening our Workforce Strategy through recruitment, optimization, and retention.
AHS continues to make progress in its 10 priority areas. The following are updates on specific initiatives connected to some of the 10 priorities.
Health supports available virtually
Three new virtual innovations are making influenza information and other health supports more accessible for Albertans.
To share information about influenza, Alberta Health Services (AHS) has launched an online Ask an Expert page. Through the page, Albertans can submit common questions about influenza vaccine and virus, and receive responses from AHS medical officers of health within two working days. Note: this page cannot be used for personal medical advice or individual health assessments. Health Link has also added a new Virtual Hold feature: Albertans can request a call back, instead of waiting on hold, when there is a queue for Health Link 811 nurse advice. In addition, Albertans can now text the word ‘flu’ to 88111 and receive information on influenza vaccine and illness by text.
As always, information on influenza and COVID-19 vaccines is also available at www.ahs.ca/vaccine.
On Nov. 6, AHS completed the largest launch of Connect Care to date, adding more than 25,000 staff and physicians at 135 sites in all five AHS zones to the system. Launch 5 has gone smoothly thanks to all the hard work, commitment and dedication of everyone participating.
There are now more than 75,000 staff, physicians and other healthcare providers using Connect Care to provide care for patients in North, Edmonton, Central, Calgary, and South zones. There are also more than 144,000 patients using the MyAHS Connect patient portal into Connect Care to manage their health.
The Community Engagement and Communications team captured many launch moments, including this video, which provides a sense of the value and benefits of Connect Care to patients and providers. The full Connect Care implementation timeline is available here.
AHS signs short-term surgical contract
AHS is taking important steps to reduce wait times for procedures such as hip and knee surgeries.
Approximately 6,000 additional publicly funded orthopedic procedures will be conducted at two chartered surgical facilities in the Edmonton and Calgary zones. In Edmonton, the new facility will be run by Enoch Cree Nation in partnership with Clearpoint Health Network (formerly Surgical Centres Inc.). While this facility is being built, AHS has signed a short-term contract with Alberta Surgical Group for two years, to provide a minimum of approximately 3,000 surgeries each year. The Calgary operator will be named once additional due diligence is complete.
This is the latest in a series of strategies underway to improve healthcare and ensure timely access to surgical procedures. These contracts will support our goal to seek innovative solutions for patient-centred surgical care now and for the future.
AHS continues to work diligently to recover to pre-pandemic surgical status. Over the past four weeks, the average weekly volume for surgical activity is 101 per cent of our pre-pandemic surgical volumes. The surgical wait-list for adults sits at nearly 68,400, compared with about 68,000 in February 2020, before the pandemic. Approximately 154,800 surgeries have been completed in the 2022/23 fiscal year.
New provincial lab services model brings changes
A new provincial lab services model is bringing changes to healthcare providers in appointment booking, collection sites, test menus and ordering supplies. In many areas, community lab services will transition to DynaLIFE, while acute care lab services will be operated by Alberta Precision Laboratories (APL).
All zones will experience some transition, but the major changes for primary care providers will be in Calgary and Central zones (starting Dec. 5) and South Zone (starting Feb. 28, 2023).
As hospital labs focus on the emergency, inpatient and urgent needs of acute and ambulatory hospital patients, community patients will no longer be able to access lab collection at larger urban centres, and this includes AHS and APL staff and physicians. Community patients can continue to access lab collection at community lab locations.
Patients will also experience some of these changes, depending on the community they live in. For details, visit DynaLIFE Physician Hub website.
EMS meets with rural leaders at conferences
As part of our ongoing commitment to build relationships with local communities and officials, EMS participated in the Alberta Municipalities and Rural Municipalities of Alberta fall conventions. EMS has been listening to communities and the public over the last few months and has heard that more dialogue is needed. EMS appreciated the opportunity to meet many new municipal leaders, and to hear their thoughts and concerns directly. Several opportunities were identified for further conversation, including presentations to municipal councils. Community leaders are invited to learn more about EMS services here.
Southern Albertans invited to healthcare planning
AHS is inviting residents of southern Alberta to help create a healthcare plan that will serve their communities for the next 10 to 15 years. AHS is now hosting a series of engagement sessions throughout South Zone. Residents can join in-person or online. Those unable to take part in one of the live sessions can share their thoughts via our online survey until Dec. 15. Visit our online engagement portal on Together4Health to learn more about South Zone healthcare planning.
Peace HAC event focuses on recruitment, retention
On Nov. 15, the Peace Health Advisory Council (HAC) held a virtual engagement event focused on healthcare professional attraction and retention in the Peace region. A panel of presenters included talent acquisition and physician resource planners from AHS, and rural community development from Rural Health Professions Action Plan (RhPAP). Participants learned about the logistics of recruitment and discussed where there are opportunities, challenges and successes for attraction and retention in the area. More than 60 people attended, including 25 elected officials.
Feedback on childhood immunization sought
AHS is seeking the thoughts, ideas, concerns and opinions of Alberta parents and guardians on childhood immunizations. Parents or caregivers of a child or children between the ages of newborn and 15 are being asked to take a few minutes to complete this survey and share their thoughts and opinions on childhood immunization. This feedback will help AHS better ensure the information we provide is what Albertans need to help them make immunization decisions for their children and family. The survey is at ahs.ca/childvaccine, and is open until Dec. 31. The survey is confidential.
Between June and October, Health Minister Jason Copping and AHS representatives visited 21 communities across the province as part of a Health Engagement Tour. The minister and AHS representatives wanted to hear from Albertans — including community leaders, municipal elected officials and front-line health-care staff, physicians and volunteers — about healthcare in their communities: what’s working, what’s not, and what can be done to make improvements. More than 1,075 Albertans participated.
We are now seeking feedback from front-line leaders, staff and physicians to explore key themes that emerged from these conversations, identify opportunities to take immediate action, and plan for medium- and long-term change. Visit our online engagement platform Together4Health to help prioritize the themes that we heard, complete a survey on local decision-making or to ask a question.
AHS is focused on improving the efficiency of our healthcare system and increasing Albertans’ access to care, connecting them to safe, high-quality healthcare regardless of where they are located. From Nov. 14 to 20, we celebrate Digital Health Week, an event that brings together patients, healthcare organizations, clinicians, government, and industry to build relationships and show support for digital health.
Digital Health is changing the delivery of care and plays a key role in AHS’ service provision and the health of Albertans. AHS is creating innovative models of care delivery to connect Albertans with information and healthcare, across the province. Learn more.
If you’re feeling fatigued, there is help through Shift Worker Support to keep you healthy, support your well-being and help you maintain a balance between your family commitments, social life and work. To access Shift Worker Support, call the EFAP intake line 1-877-273-3134. You’ll be set up with a specialist who will reach out to explain the supports available to you and continue to check in as you access resources. Questions? Contact wellness@ahs.ca.
Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is a disorder that's marked by symptoms of low mood, low energy, changes in sleep patterns and changes in appetite. For people in the northern hemisphere, those with SAD start exhibiting these symptoms in late October and early November when we start seeing significant reductions in daylight. In the latest Mental Wellness Moment, Dr. Nicholas Mitchell, Provincial Medical Director of Addictions and Mental Health, explains what SAD is, and how it is diagnosed and treated.
Hospitalizations and ICUs
As of Nov. 14:
Variants of Concern
Alberta Precision Laboratories continues to closely monitor SARS-CoV-2 variants. From Nov. 7 to 13, an average of 67 per cent of positive samples were strain-typed. Of those, the seven-day rolling average was 95 per cent Omicron BA.5 lineage, three per cent Omicron BA.4 lineage, and two per cent Omicron BA.2 lineage. There are several lineages that are being closely monitored for increased growth potential. Specifically, increases in BQ.1.1 (a sublineage of BA.5) have been seen in Europe and the U.S., while XBB (a recombinant of two BA.2 sublineages) is on the rise in Singapore. Forty-three cases of BQ.1.1 and six cases of XBB have been identified in Alberta to date. There is no evidence these globally rising lineages cause more severe disease than other Omicron lineages.
SARS-CoV-2 variants and recombinants occur as part of the evolution of SARS-CoV-2, and are being monitored as we remain in frequent communication with our provincial and national public health partners.
Wastewater Surveillance
Wastewater can provide an early indication of COVID-19 infection trends in a community. For wastewater surveillance comparing weekly averages:
The above interpretations were made from available data as of Nov. 17 at 7 a.m.
Other notable COVID-19-related information
The Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine for children aged six months to four years is another option now available in Alberta. This vaccine is approved as a three-dose primary series for this age group, recommended to be administered at least eight weeks apart.
The Moderna vaccine product is also available for children aged six months to five years and is approved as a two-dose primary series for this age group, with doses provided at least eight weeks apart.
For both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, children with certain immunocompromising conditions are recommended to receive an additional dose as part of their primary series.
Before beginning or continuing the primary vaccine series, it’s recommended children six months to five years wait eight weeks after a positive COVID-19 test.
Appointments for either option are available through the Alberta Vaccine Booking System, or by calling Health Link at 811.
National Philanthropy Day recognizes philanthropic individuals and organizations across North America, and their exceptional contributions to the charitable sector.
AHS is incredibly grateful to our 69 foundation partners who support advancements to healthcare. In 2021, they raised more than $285 million for healthcare. They also invested $82 million in support of local and system-wide AHS priorities and $24 million toward health research.
AHS works closely with the foundations to make sure we are supporting shared goals and investing these donated dollars where they will have the most impact. Joining the AHS Vlog today to discuss philanthropy and the work of their foundations are:
In a recent panel discussion, experts uncovered the many layers to decision-making behind family and visitor access restrictions at AHS. Watch the recording to learn the collective impacts of these restrictions on patients, families and staff, the link to experiences of moral distress and strategies to address it. Find more resources here:
Many everyday issues in healthcare are complex with unclear answers. Identifying and thinking through challenging issues using an ethics lens can give insight into navigating them. Ethics Lunch ‘n’ Learn Series explores common healthcare issues, identifies the ethical considerations at play, and provides an ethical framework for thinking through challenging situations. Each 30-minute session focuses on a case study with a Q&A to follow.
Join the first session of the series: Collaborating with Family Caregivers. The case study focuses on finding pathways to patient care while dealing with strained relationships.
Discover more sessions in the series.
AHS is an organization of people who love to give. We give every day, providing care, help, support and treatment to Albertans whenever they need it. But it is also important to give to one another and connect — and that’s why we invite you to participate in Secret Santa again this holiday season.
All you need to do is sign up by Dec. 2 and you’ll be connected with your Secret Santa as part of a holiday card exchange. You can opt to use a traditional card or one of our many holiday e-cards. We hope you join in on the fun and help spread joy across AHS this holiday season.
An AHS facility in Ponoka provided shelter for a youth hockey team that was involved in a vehicle pileup on Hwy 2 on Nov. 5. Almost 30 members of the Sherwood Park Crusaders needed a place to stay when their team bus was towed. The Town of Ponoka arranged for them to stay overnight in the gymnasium of the Centennial Centre for Mental Health and Brain Injury. By the time the team arrived at 7:30 p.m. by school bus, AHS staff had set up mattresses, quilts, blankets, pillows — as well as a projector so the kids could watch a movie. They left the next morning. “Although offering this type of support isn’t what we typically do, circumstances like this open up opportunities for us to create a safe place for people in need and that’s exactly what we did,” says Roxanne Stelmaschuk, Director of Brain Injury and Specialized Services at the centre.
Our hospitals are extremely busy, particularly in our urban centres. We are experiencing an early start to the respiratory illness season and a steep rise in the number of patients seeking emergency department care. This is happening in jurisdictions across Canada and around the world, as we see increased respiratory illness and more patients with more severe illness.
Our front-line teams continue to be very busy and I am grateful to all of you for providing care during these challenging times. We are doing all we can to add capacity at our major urban hospitals, bring emergency department wait-times down, and support those patients who are having to wait longer than normal.
Please make sure to book your annual influenza immunization and, once you receive the vaccine, let us know through the Got My Flu Shot form. Also ensure your COVID-19 vaccinations are up to date. Vaccination offers powerful protection from serious illness caused by respiratory viruses. I join our medical officers of health in encouraging Albertans to wear masks, especially in crowded indoor spaces, if they choose. Also, please remember to adhere to our AHS continuous masking directive at your work site.
Thank you for everything you do, each and every day.
Mauro Chies
Interim AHS President & CEO
