Emergency measures considered as Alberta Children's Hospital struggles to keep up with patients
Alberta Health Services (AHS) is eyeing emergency provisions to deal with a surge of patients inside the Alberta Children's Hospital.
Those measures would help redeploy resources and bring more staffing hours to the hospital, which is experiencing long wait times and a rush of new patients.
AHS met with health unions this week to discuss the move.
A statement says the "measures are taken only as a last but necessary step to ensure we can continue to provide quality care to our patients." They'd help redeploy resources and could force mandatory overtime and cut staff vacation hours.
It could become necessary as thousands of Albertan children fight COVID-19, RSV and influenza.
Recent reports say ER wait times at the hospital have been as high as 18 hours this month.
"What it means for Alberta's most vulnerable and sick is that when they go to seek health care, unfortunately, there may not be the resources," said Bobby-Joe Borodey with the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees. "You're going to see wait times up, you're going to see staff that are ill and not being able to come into work because they are stressed and they are getting sick."
The Alberta Children's Hospital has seen a recent increase in its daily emergency visits of 20 to 30 per cent.
On Friday, that facility and the Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton were both at or above 100 per cent inpatient capacity.
WORKING TO EXPAND CAPACITY
AHS says a fast-track area has been activated inside the hospital.
It'll aim to expedite treatment for patients with less serious conditions, which could get more kids in and out the door.
It could also free up staff to see to those who are critically sick or injured.
- Red Deer ICU full, new patients being diverted to Edmonton or Calgary: AHS
- Stollery hits capacity during 'unprecedented' surge in respiratory illnesses
The hospital will eventually receive other changes to help, though firm dates for their implementation have yet to be set.
They include a new six-bed, 24-hour-a-day observation unit and discharge areas in the inpatient units.
POLITICAL POWER?
Alberta's new Premier wants to reform the entire system and has identified EMS and ER wait times as priorities.
Danielle Smith fired the AHS board earlier this month and brought in Dr. John Cowell as official administrator. She's confident he can accelerate system changes.
The opposition isn't optimistic.
- 'Warped stance on COVID': Fired Alberta Health Services board member calls out Smith
- AHS board dismantling just a 'new round of chaos,' no real solutions: NDP
"We are seeing pressures across most jurisdictions in Canada, but here in Alberta, it has been made so much worse by decisions of this government," NDP Health Critic David Shepherd told CTV News. "They repeatedly chose to act last and act least. So certainly, there are systematic problems, but they have been made far worse and are going to take some time to turn around."
The NDP wants to see more emphasis put on the province's relationship with workers. Shepherd says without steady leadership, the wait time issues could only get worse as staff leave the province or decide to take jobs elsewhere.
The Health Minister was not available for an interview.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
B.C. theatre to pay $55K to neurodivergent actor in discrimination case
British Columbia's human rights tribunal has awarded a neurodigergent actor, who was diagnosed with sensory and learning disorders, more than $55,000 after finding that a Kelowna theatre company discriminated against him because of his disabilities.
Who's responsible for regulating cannabis stores operating under the sovereignty banner?
It's not quite clear who is supposed to be regulating so-called sovereign cannabis stores or even ensure they're benefiting Indigenous communities.