Message from the Board Chair and President & CEO

The 2019-20 Alberta Health Services (AHS) Annual Report is being completed and delivered at a truly historic point in not only the evolution of AHS, but also in the lives of Albertans and the collective experience of our country and the world. The fiscal year concluded with Alberta on the verge of experiencing the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic – one of the most devastating healthcare crises to grip the globe in the past century.

For many Albertans, the potential health risks posed by exposure to the coronavirus are compounded by the extreme economic and social impacts being experienced across the province. Unemployment is high, commodity prices are low, critical services have been restricted, and concepts like ‘physical distancing’ and ‘self-isolation’ that were completely foreign to Albertans mere months ago are now common in our daily language.

We are grateful to all Albertans who heeded the warnings, followed the advice of the Government of Alberta and medical experts, and reduced the spread of COVID-19. Without those actions, the devastating toll on Albertans would have been so much worse.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the COVID-19 pandemic, its impacts on the physical and mental health of Albertans, and the demands it has placed on the AHS workforce, is the single-most significant event AHS has experienced since its formation in 2009. At the same time, AHS’ strong pandemic response and support provided to all Albertans is a testament to the benefits and importance of a single public provincial healthcare provider; the sharing of information, best practices, and purchasing power was crucial in the entire province battling the novel coronavirus.

The backdrop to the pandemic is a sustained economic downturn in Alberta which has significantly impacted government revenue and spending. This has required a renewed focus on the part of the public sector to be responsible stewards of every tax dollar spent – all while the public healthcare system is under new and constantly changing pressures imposed by the pandemic. The pandemic has exacerbated an already challenging situation and it will be years before the health system can recover financially.

Despite the strain placed on our system as the 2019-20 fiscal year concluded, we could not be more proud of the way our AHS teams have risen to the challenge. One of the most rewarding things we have seen since this pandemic reached Alberta in early March (2020) is that even in the face of an unprecedented public health crisis — where many healthcare services have been changed or paused or restricted — the overall quality of the care being offered remains very high. Even during a pandemic, our strong training and experience guided effective clinical decision-making, and commitment, compassion, and teamwork amplified the truly world-class care being provided to our patients.

The COVID-19 pandemic — and the extraordinary efforts shown in response to it — became the primary focus of the healthcare system as 2019- 20 closed. However, in reflecting upon the past year, we must not overlook other key milestones and accomplishments:

• AHS was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for the third year in a row and was also named one of Alberta’s Top 75 Employers, Canada’s Top Employers for Young People, and Canada’s Best Diversity Employers. This is attributed to the dedication, collaboration, and hard work of our staff.
• In 2019, Accreditation Canada surveyors conducted more than 1,800 interviews at 28 locations across AHS. Surveyors highlighted our caring, compassionate people and the collaboration that occurs at all levels of the organization. Overall, AHS performed remarkably well on the five foundational standards that were assessed, including meeting all of the Required Organizational Practices (ROPs) in the Governance and Leadership standard sets.
• AHS launched the first wave of Connect Care, Alberta's new provincial electronic clinical information system, in November 2019. More than 17,000 users now have access to the system in Wave 1 sites across Edmonton Zone.
• In collaboration with municipal and provincial partners, AHS supported the northern wildfire response in May 2019 which displaced residents, clients, and patients from their homes, communities, and healthcare facilities.
• AHS received recommendations from the Blue Ribbon Panel Report on Alberta’s Finances (MacKinnon Report) and the AHS Performance Review by Ernst & Young (EY). Both reports recognized the many strengths of AHS’ integrated systems and identified areas where we can continue to lower costs and become more efficient in service delivery. Under the guidance of the Board, AHS began implementing some of the AHS Performance Review recommendations. Much of this work has been put on hold to address the critical work of protecting Albertans from the global pandemic. As we begin relaunching this work, the pandemic has highlighted how carefully we must look at opportunities from both an efficiency and quality and safety lens.

As AHS enters the 2020-21 fiscal year, there are ongoing uncertainties; no one knows how long the pandemic will last, or how many Albertans will be exposed to the virus, or how many will require care. The long-term economic outlook for our province and our country also remains unclear. As Alberta’s largest public sector organization, we recognize and reaffirm our responsibility to deliver high quality care while finding efficiencies and carefully managing our finances during a time of fiscal restraint.

It is difficult to say what the long-term impacts of COVID-19 will be on our healthcare system, but we know there are fundamental and lasting changes that will most certainly come about – both in terms of how the system is administered and how care is delivered on the frontline. However, as is always the case in Alberta, springtime brings with it hope and optimism. We have confidence in the expertise and the resiliency of our almost 130,000 physicians, staff, and volunteers to not only help us get through this challenge, but to make a real difference in the lives of the patients they serve.

We are pleased to present this report that highlights our achievements in 2019-20, and look forward to continuing this important work in the year ahead. We will continue to focus on health system sustainability while maintaining our commitment to improved patient outcomes and safety. Together, AHS does amazing things every day.

June 24, 2020