April 20, 2021
Connect Care’s Wave 1 Implementation has been named the 2021 recipient of the Canadian College of Health Leaders’ 2021 3M Health Care Quality Team Awards (Across a Health System). Shown here, Emergency Department nurse Jesse Alook, left, and third-year resident Raymond Chu admit the first patient under the Connect Care system at 4:31 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 3 — launch day at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton.
Story by Gregory Kennedy
The bold launch of a trailblazing, patient-centred system designed to create consistent care across the province and recognition for a stellar nursing career have garnered Alberta Health Services (AHS) two prestigious national awards from the Canadian College of Health Leaders (CCHL).
Connect Care’s Wave 1 Implementation has been named the 2021 recipient of the Canadian College of Health Leaders’ 2021 3M Health Care Quality Team Awards (Across a Health System).
Deb Gordon is the 2021 recipient of the CCHL’s Nursing Leadership Award for her decades of growth, achievement and leadership as a Registered Nurse who now serves as Vice President and COO, Clinical Operations for AHS.
”It’s with great pride that I congratulate our winners,” says Dr. Verna Yiu, AHS President and CEO. “Here at Alberta Health Services, we’re very fortunate to have such an amazing Connect Care team as well as someone of Deb’s calibre.”
For almost two decades, the CCHL’s National Awards Program has been showcasing the success of exemplary individuals and teams, encouraging knowledge exchange, and celebrating excellence while stimulating replication of leading practices across the health industry. The awards recognize the importance of leadership, commitment and performance.
Wave 1 of Connect Care launched Nov. 3, 2019 across parts of Edmonton Zone, in a move away from an out-of-date system that in many instances relied on paper records and notes, and towards a sophisticated, comprehensive system that allows patients to interact with their own healthcare teams, and helps clinicians see patient information in one place.
Since then, Waves 2 and 3 have brought Connect Care to the rest of Edmonton Zone as well as to the western side of the North Zone. Future regional launches, with the final Wave 9 expected in 2023, will make the system provincewide.
“We are thrilled to receive this award,” says Dr. Francois Belanger, Vice President, Quality and Chief Medical Officer. “We applaud all our teams for their dedication and commitment to Albertans, as they worked through our first implementation’s challenges and successes.”
“This award recognizes the effort and dedication of the more than 22,000 frontline staff, including 3,000 physicians who paved the way for Connect Care across the province, in the first launch,” adds Sean Chilton, Vice President, People, Health Professions and Information Technology. “Congratulations to all on this well-deserved award. Your work has allowed us to better prepare for the next waves and the future of healthcare in Alberta.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Yiu says she considered it an honour and a privilege to nominate her longtime colleague for the Nursing Leadership Award.
“As President and CEO of Alberta Health Services, the largest provincialized healthcare system in Canada, and in my clinical work as a pediatric nephrologist, I have been privileged to work with Deb for more than 30 years — and have watched with admiration her advancement through progressive leadership roles in healthcare to her current role.”
“I was truly shocked and surprised to learn that I had been nominated for the National Nursing Leadership award,” says Gordon, “and then truly humbled and honoured to hear I had been selected as this year’s recipient. I would like to sincerely thank those who nominated me and also extend thanks to the Canadian College of Health Leaders and to Baxter Canada, the sponsor of the award.”
Since her graduation as a registered nurse in 1985, Gordon quickly went into management roles within a few years, first as a coordinator, to patient care manager, to senior director, senior operating officer, and then VP and COO for the University of Alberta Hospital, Stollery Children’s Hospital, Mazankowski Heart Institute within the former Capital Health Authority in Edmonton.
“I have always been very proud to be a Registered Nurse and never more so than in these challenging times where nurses and all those working in healthcare have made absolutely outstanding contributions in caring for Albertans,” adds Gordon. “Their incredible work always, and especially so during this pandemic, truly inspires me.
“To me, this award represents ongoing commitment to quality patient care, innovation, resilience and leadership. I am grateful for this acknowledgement and what it represents for all of us at Alberta Health Services.”
“At heart, Deb is first and foremost a nurse,” adds Dr. Yiu. “This was very evident when she was a manager of an 18-bed unit — and it’s equally evident today in her role where her decisions affect the health services delivered to millions of people in Alberta — with responsibility for an $8.8B budget, more than 64,000 staff, 14,000 volunteers, 8,800 physicians and 100 hospitals, and more.”
Today, Gordon continues to build an incredible legacy in nursing, from her work in shaping the future of pediatrics and providing nursing care, to her ongoing push for innovation across a massive health system.
AHS will be officially honoured with the CCHL awards — along with several others for various projects across the organization — on June 16 through an official presentation.
