November 15, 2024
Planning for the future
Over the past few months, we’ve been addressing our budget challenges while supporting the refocusing of our healthcare system. (more...)
Join the health minister at a telephone town hall
You are invited to join Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Health, for a series of live and interactive telephone town halls starting next week. (more...)
Stay active during colder months
The winter season can make it challenging to stay active but there are easy ways to maintain your fitness routine at home. (more...)
Our People Survey closes in one week
If you haven’t had the chance to complete Our People Survey, be sure to share your thoughts. Nov. 24 is the last day to take the survey. (more...)
Sign up for Secret Santa by Nov. 29
Sign up by Nov. 29 to be paired with your Secret Santa and help spread joy across AHS this holiday season. (more...)
New resources to support the appropriate use of antibiotics
From antibiotic resistance to penicillin allergies, these resources aim to educate prescribers on the appropriate use of antibiotics. (more...)
Learn about chronic pain treatment with free virtual webinar
The Alberta Virtual Chronic Pain Program is hosting a two-hour virtual event focusing on the treatment of chronic pain in adults. (more...)
AHS launches 2024 Toys for Tickets Campaign
AHS is bringing back the Toys for Tickets campaign this holiday season. (more...)
Register for Virtual Health Highlights 2024 webinars
Three new webinars explore Collaborative Virtual Care: Driving Impact and Innovation Across AHS. (more...)
November 15, 2024
First off, thank you to all the staff and physicians who’ve shared comments and questions over the past several months. Your feedback continues to be invaluable as we build our new structure as a healthcare delivery organization. We invite your continued feedback.
As the government’s healthcare refocusing continues to evolve, the role of AHS continues to be defined. It remains clear we are an organization with an important mission. Our team of clinicians, physicians, support staff and volunteers are responsible for supporting the health needs of Albertans. We will continue to embrace our role during this time of change and beyond.
While supporting the refocusing of our healthcare system over the last few months, we’ve been addressing our budget challenges. AHS will become an acute care service provider, reporting to the Acute Care provincial health agency, and we will continue to be one of the largest employers in Canada.
We’re grateful for all your efforts, especially as we keep a focus on budget management while providing quality patient care. The Core Review initiative has successfully found opportunities to improve our processes and cut costs with minimal disruption to our service delivery and workforce. More than 900 initiatives have been identified and, so far, more than two-thirds of these have been approved for implementation. Cost pressures arising from population growth and inflation will continue to push us to contain costs and achieve greater efficiencies.
We’ve also identified opportunities to reduce administrative burden so we can improve the delivery of care for Albertans. This includes, automating tools to capture leader-rounding in the North Zone, streamlining meetings in Central and Calgary Zone to save leaders and staff time, as well as ongoing work to streamline our required organizational learning program to enable teams to continue to focus on patient care across the organization. We are keenly anticipating further results and efficiencies from our work to reduce administrative burden and want to thank everyone who has contributed their insights and ideas. One of our goals is to ensure every employee is clear about their accountability and has the tools they need to be successful in their roles and support the best care for all our patients.
We have already seen some early successes with our efforts to reduce overtime and reliance on agency nursing although we recognize there is still more to do. In an effort to move away from using more costly agency nurses, North Zone has bolstered its Locum Nursing Program through recruitment and improvements to access. In the last year, 96 nurses have been recruited to the program, expanding the roster to more than 320 nurses, and recruitment efforts continue. The locum request process has been streamlined, making it easier for managers to submit requests and obtain approvals. The improvements are increasing use of locum nurses. Registered nurse locums have already worked 101,476 hours in the first two quarters of this fiscal year, compared to 47,174 for the entire 2023 fiscal year. The move to use fewer agency nurses is having an impact on the budget – agency nursing costs have been reduced by 40 per cent compared to the same time period last year.
North Zone continues to closely monitor the use of agency nurses, and is using locums, recruitment and education strategies to reduce utilization wherever possible. There is much learning we can draw from these results across the organization.
We want to express our appreciation to everyone in AHS for your continued dedication to our organization and, more importantly, to the Albertans we serve. It isn’t easy working in a changing environment but your dedication has allowed us to accomplish a great deal this year.
Wherever you work, you play an important role in our healthcare system, as we provide a patient-centred, quality health system that’s accessible, culturally safe and sustainable for years to come.
Sincerely,
Athana Mentzelopoulos
President & CEO
Michael Lam, CPA, CA, CHE
Interim VP Corporate Services & CFO
You are invited to join Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Health, for a series of live and interactive telephone town halls starting next week to discuss updates on refocusing the health system and provincial health agencies.
You may register for one or multiple telephone town halls by using the links below. If you do not choose to register, you can still participate and listen online.
Explore resources and programs that keep you moving and healthy all winter long.
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.
Be heard! If you haven’t had the chance to complete Our People Survey, be sure to share your thoughts. Nov. 24 is the last day to do the survey. It takes about five minutes and is completely anonymous.
We want to hear from everyone at AHS, Alberta Precision Laboratories and Recovery Alberta. Check your email for your unique link from Gallup or find your link on AHS.ca.
Please take the time to share how you’re doing and how we can best support you. If we don’t know, we can’t help. It’s important, as the more people we hear from, the more representative the results will be.
Leaders, be sure to check your participation rates to see where your team is at and encourage participation.
Resources and supports are available on Insite. Questions? E-mail engage@ahs.ca.
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 Nov. 29 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.
AHS joins others across Canada and around the world to raise awareness about antimicrobial resistance, during World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (Nov. 18-24). To support the appropriate use of antibiotics, AHS’ Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) has developed some new resources:
The ASP encourages healthcare workers to re-examine how these life-saving but limited drugs are being prescribed to ensure we preserve their usefulness. If you have questions or need support, reach out to AHS.AntimicrobialStewardship@ahs.ca. Visit Insite for more information.
Healthcare workers are invited to join a free virtual presentation on the most up-to-date evidence in the treatment of chronic pain in adults. Attendees will also have the chance to learn about the Alberta Virtual Chronic Pain Program, including how patients are supported to manage their chronic pain and who is eligible for referral to the program.
Register for a webinar:
AHS is bringing back the Toys for Tickets campaign. Anyone who has received an AHS parking ticket between Nov. 8 and Dec. 20 can donate a new, unwrapped toy in original packaging, valued at a minimum of $25, as an alternative to paying their fine.
Donated toys should be suitable for children aged newborn to 17 and can be dropped off at any AHS parking office during office hours from Nov. 16 to Dec. 20. Contributions will bring smiles to children across Alberta, making this season brighter for families in need.
For more information on the Toys for Tickets campaign, including guidelines and participating drop-off locations, please visit AHS.ca/toysfortickets.
Next week, AHS’ Virtual Health Team is hosting Virtual Health Highlights 2024. This year’s theme is Collaborative Virtual Care: Driving Impact and Innovation Across AHS. The webinars showcase the benefits of the Virtual Health team, clinical and technical programs working together to achieve positive impact for patients, providers and the organization.
Celebrate Digital Health Week (Nov. 18-22) and the many successes in virtual care delivery during the three upcoming Zoom panel presentations. Each panel will include a discussion and Q&A.
Register now for one or more of our sessions:
