September 6, 2024
Our emergency response
Your efforts this summer have demonstrated again that Albertans can rely on AHS, even in the most difficult circumstances. (more...)
Recovery Alberta transition complete
All AHS Addiction and Mental Health and Correctional Health Services team members have transitioned to Recovery Alberta. (more...)
What you need to know about Shared Commitments, accreditation
Implementing AHS’ Shared Commitments can help your teams meet or exceed Accreditation Canada requirements. (more...)
Read the Health Workforce Strategy Year in Review
The Health Workforce Strategy (HWS) 2023/24 Year in Review is now live on Insite. (more...)
Rural community nursing program begins in Drayton Valley
Students from the Drayton Valley area are starting their studies to obtain a nursing degree without leaving the community. (more...)
Get to know your Employee and Family Assistance Program
Whether you’re looking to enhance your well-being or need additional support, there are resources to help you navigate life events. (more...)
Canada's first robot-assisted kidney transplant performed
Canada’s first robot-assisted kidney transplants were performed at University of Alberta Hospital this summer. (more...)
Second operating room opens in Rocky Mountain House
A second operating room is up and running at Rocky Mountain House Health Centre. (more...)
Attend Microsoft 365 Readiness Office Hours
IT is hosting virtual office hours to help staff ensure their files are compatible with Microsoft web apps and minimize disruption. (more...)
Learn how to include virtual care to support patients (date change)
Register for an upcoming Virtual Health webinar on Oct. 9 (new date) that will help clinics offer more virtual care options for patients. (more...)
September 6, 2024
Summer is nearly over and, if you are like me, you may be thinking: “Where did that go?” It has been an incredibly busy time across our organization as all of you continued to deliver excellence in your day job, even while many of you combined that with excellence in emergency response.
As autumn arrives, I have reflected on the past months with admiration of AHS employees. Having worked in the public sector federally and in two provinces, I have been involved in the response to all manner of emergencies. Governments generally have pretty good systems but the nature of an emergency is surprise and there is always something to learn.
In my experience, the emergency response systems at AHS are unparallelled both in their maturity and their adaptability. It is remarkable how all of you and your teams have come together to provide a seamless, prompt and compassionate response for Albertans. This was true in the Jasper-and-area wildfire, which had a devastating personal impact on many of our own people. It has also been true during the current E. coli outbreak at a Blackfalds childcare centre.
Your efforts this summer have demonstrated again that Albertans can rely on AHS, even in the most difficult circumstances.
So allow me to start this AHS Update with words of gratitude for all of you. I am proud of the work we do each and every day. I am proud of our Emergency/Disaster Management, Environmental Public Health, Operational and Support Service teams that ensure our organization is always well-prepared to respond to situations like these. I am proud of how we consistently rise to the challenge. And I am proud to lead this organization of talented and hard-working health professionals who do their very best for the people we serve.
For those of you impacted by this summer’s wildfires, please know we are here to support you in every way possible. Let us always take care of each other as we take care of others.
Sincerely,
Athana Mentzelopoulos
AHS President & CEO
All AHS Addiction and Mental Health and Correctional Health Services team members have transitioned to Recovery Alberta: the new, comprehensive provider of mental health, addiction and correctional health services in Alberta.
As we move forward, our focus continues to be on ensuring integration of care between AHS and Recovery Alberta. As part of transition planning, we have updated and confirmed many operational processes specific to Recovery Alberta, including for on-call, emerging issues and escalation processes.
Information on Recovery Alberta, particularly for those of you with patients and clients asking about this transition, can be found on Recovery Alberta’s new external and internal websites, including this FAQ.
This is an important accomplishment for healthcare in Alberta and for the future of mental health, addiction and correctional health services in our province.
Shared Commitments, introduced in April, are AHS’ standard approach to patient rights and responsibilities. They aim to improve the healthcare experiences of Albertans by engaging them in their care, while helping healthcare providers build strong and trusting relationships with them.
They will also help AHS to meet or exceed the requirements of Accreditation Canada, which requires that patients and their families are provided information about their rights and responsibilities, and given information about how to submit a patient concern or suggestions for improvements.
If your site is going through accreditation this fall, it’s important you understand the Shared Commitments and how to use them. For example, discuss them with patients and families, share patient resources, and—for those on Connect Care—document the conversation.
Many resources have been developed for staff and healthcare providers, as well as patients and families. If you have other questions, reach out to shared.commitments@ahs.ca.
The Health Workforce Strategy (HWS) 2023/24 Year in Review is now live on Insite.
The Year in Review report provides an overview of the accomplishments and challenges from the first year of the HWS and lays out an anticipated roadmap for entering Year 2.
The report also tracks the progress of the HWS’ key performance indicators across all four quarters and provides an annual comparison for the past four years.
Nine students from the Drayton Valley area are set to start their studies and gain hands-on training on their way to obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree — all without having to leave their home community.
Offered for the first time in Drayton Valley, the rural community nursing program builds on the successes AHS and the University of Calgary have experienced in Wainwright since jointly launching the program there in 2021. The program aims to reduce barriers to learning, recruiting students to healthcare careers, and encouraging graduates to stay in their home communities.
Students of the Drayton Valley program will take part in both in-person and virtual learning opportunities, gaining valuable skills and hands-on experience from instructors and seasoned nurses.
The Drayton Valley program will run for two cohorts of students, with intakes this year and next, with the goal of preparing 18 nursing graduates.
Your Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP) offers a variety of resources and services tailored to your needs, and provides support for you and your immediate family through everyday life events.
Explore services including:
For more information about EFAP, see the overview or learn more about each service.
To get started, contact the EFAP intake line at 1-877-273-3134. This service is free, flexible, confidential and available 24/7. Physicians can contact the AMA Physician and Family Support Program, a confidential 24/7 support line, at 1-877-SOS-4MDS.
Questions? Contact wellness@ahs.ca.
AHS’ Dr. Max Levine has performed Canada’s first robot-assisted kidney transplant. This minimally invasive technique involves smaller incisions and faster recovery, opening the door for patients who might not otherwise be suitable candidates for transplant surgery.
Dr. Levine trained in Belgium last November, learning to apply a robotic surgical platform to transplant surgery by precisely controlling robotic arms from a large, arcade game-like console. In June, he used the University of Alberta Hospital’s da Vinci Xi Robotic Surgical System, with a few new parts, to perform the historic procedure on two low-risk patients.
Avoiding the need for a large incision means the robotic technique can be safely used for patients with an increased risk of complications, such as those with a higher body mass index.
The two successful cases officially launch Edmonton’s Robotic Renal Transplant Program, with the next cases likely in the fall.
A second operating room (OR) is up and running at Rocky Mountain House Health Centre.
The first procedures in the new operating room took place this spring, enabling many patients to receive care closer to home without having to travel or be away from family. Surgical wait times will be reduced. Should there be an emergency C-section, the facility has space to accommodate it while other procedures are taking place.
In addition to supporting the site’s existing surgical offerings, the new OR has enabled the expansion of services to now include knee-replacement surgery.
The Government of Alberta first announced a $10-million funding allocation to build the new operating room at Rocky Mountain House Health Centre in 2021. Originally intended to be a room for minor surgical procedures, the room was upgraded to an OR when the Rocky Health Foundation raised $750,000 to buy equipment for the new space.
Staff who share computers will soon move to the web-only versions of Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Word, which work differently from desktop applications. 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. IT is also hosting virtual office hours to help answer questions about the playbook:
Visit Microsoft 365 Web Apps to learn more and to register. Please review the playbook before attending.
Join AHS’ Virtual Health team for an upcoming webinar, Increasing Your Virtual Care Footprint: Moving Your Clinic Forward to Include More Virtual Care. In this webinar, the team will provide an overview of best practices in virtual care, considerations to take when introducing virtual care, common barriers, and potential mitigation strategies and available resources for clinicians, patients, families and caregivers.
Register to attend this event, which has been rescheduled to Oct. 9 from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
