I am so proud to represent an organization in which exceptional people and excellent teams work hard every day to take care of Albertans in times of crisis, in times of recovery, and in times of wellness.
Alberta Health Services (AHS) is approaching its 10-year anniversary as Canada’s first and largest provincewide health system. Over this time, we’ve met the health and wellness needs of patients and their families at every stage of life through the dedication and skills of the more than 136,000 physicians, staff and volunteers who choose to work here.
I have the privilege of working both on and behind the front lines. I see our AHS CARES values in action and witness the meaningful difference made in the lives of others, one caring interaction at a time.
Two years ago, we launched Our People Strategy to help us build a values-based culture in which we all feel safe, healthy, valued and included, with opportunities to reach our full potential.
We know that when our people are more engaged at work, the quality of patient and family experiences improves. And so, we want our people to thrive, challenge themselves and grow their careers here. Our innovative programs and resources help people gain skills and timely access to the technology, information, tools and research they need to do their best work.
For those considering joining the AHS team, I encourage you to read the stories on the following pages to learn more about what we do, who we are and where we work. And for those who work here, I appreciate everything you do every day—for Albertans, each other and yourselves. It’s an honour to lead this organization, and I look forward to continuing to support, engage with, and guide you.
Dr Verna Yiu
At the end of the day, all of us—whether we’re in healthcare or not—we’re all patients; we’re all family members. We all have our own individual stories and it is storytelling that will connect all of us. We often ask patients, ‘What’s the matter with you?’ when we should really be asking, ‘What matters to you?’ It’s just a change of two simple words and it makes the biggest difference.
On the importance of storytelling
The first step is about awareness (of unconscious bias). Once you become aware, the onus is on us to have the conversation and to be advocates for Indigenous Peoples when there are no Indigenous People around. And then we need to talk about it amongst ourselves and to acknowledge the impact we have on others. Until you can come to that self-realization, it’s very hard to move forward.
On diversity and inclusion
I hope that you take some time for yourself ... take a breath, enjoy the time with your family, enjoy the time with your friends and really get some rest. There are many of you who are going to be working over the holiday season and I just want to let you know that we very much appreciate your dedication and commitment.
On holiday wishes to the AHS community
Through Our People Strategy, Alberta Health Services continues to build a workplace where we feel safe, healthy and included. AHS does not tolerate any form of harassment, bullying, abuse or threats. No one should be subjected to any form of unwelcome behaviour, or feel threatened in any way.
On harassment
For me, volunteers are an integral part of the healthcare team. I want to acknowledge and thank all the volunteers for their countless hours of dedication and commitment to improving healthcare for Albertans.
On thanking AHS’ 14,300 volunteers during National Volunteer Week
To provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.
Our four foundational strategies guide our efforts to sustain safe, high-quality healthcare delivery for the benefit of all Albertans:
© Alberta Health Services 2018. Terms of Use Privacy Statement