June 25, 2015
Story by Tara Grindle; photo by Shelly Willsey
Kathrin Sierra thanks her lucky stars every day for the services of Health Link.
In fact, she finds it exciting to be helping with the launch of the new, easy-to-remember 811 Health Link phone number — because she believes the advice she received from a Health Link nurse in 2013 could well be the reason she’s walking today.
“I was having trouble walking and I decided I would call Health Link for advice,” says Sierra, who often recommends Health Link to family and friends. “The nurse was great and asked lots of questions. In the end, she thought I needed to go to the emergency department.”
Through further testing in hospital, a spinal tumour was discovered and Sierra was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“If I had waited any longer, I probably would have been paralyzed,” says the 44-year-old Edmonton resident.
Health Link — Alberta Health Services’ free, 24/7 health information and advice line —supported more than one million Albertans last year, often preventing unnecessary trips to the emergency department.
Of those who called with a health concern, nearly half (48 per cent) were given advice to care for themselves at home, 36 per cent were told to visit their doctor or another health care provider and just 16 per cent were advised to go to the emergency department.
Albertans are readily embracing the change to the new number; more than half of Health Link callers are already dialling 811.
As of June 21, 68 per cent of callers dialed Health Link using the new 811 number. Other callers used the service’s previous 10-digit phone numbers, which will remain in service during the transition to 811.
“We’re pleased so many Albertans have responded positively to our move to a simple, easy-to-remember number for Health Link,” said Lara Osterreicher, Director of Operations for Health Link. The statistics affirm that moving to the provincewide 811 number was the right decision and something Albertans would welcome.”
Sierra says she hopes the move will help Albertans to keep Health Link in mind.
“I’m so excited that it’s 811 and I don’t need to go to my fridge magnet and look up L-I-N-K on my phone.”
Watch Kathrin’s Story (YouTube video)
For more information on Health Link services, please visit MyHealth.Alberta.ca/811 .
