AHS redeploys dozens of staff to help with surge in respiratory infections at children's hospital
Facing an intensive care unit operating close to – and sometimes above – capacity, Alberta Children's Hospital has been forced to redeploy 65 staff from a mix of units.
Alberta Children's Hospital head Marg Fullerton says the staff came from respite care at Rotary Flames House, as well as some outpatient clinics and even from corporate positions.
"We are sustained at a high level of overcapacity at this time," Fullerton said during a question-and-answer session with reporters late Monday afternoon.
"We have great sympathy for those families that we have had to postpone. But as soon as this respiratory surge eases, we will be rebooking those patients as quickly as possible," Fullerton said.
She says another 10 nurses are starting at ACH this January and the hospital will add a total of 12 short-stay beds by this Wednesday, including the staff to make them function.
So far this fall, 205 kids under the age of 10 have been admitted to hospital with influenza.
Twenty have been admitted to ICU and two have died.
Those numbers do not include other common and often serious infections such as RSV and COVID-19.
Fullerton also says there has been no request for assistance from the Red Cross, and that the system for now can hold up with existing staff.
She says people can help the hospital by staying home when sick, washing hands regularly, wearing a mask in crowds and by getting this year's flu shot.
Just 22 per cent of Albertans have received their seasonal flu shot, using up just over half of the province's supply of 1.9 million doses.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Calgary police shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers dealt with a distraught individual. The incident lasted almost 20 hours.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.