May 17, 2024
May 17, 2024
AHS continues to monitor wildfire activity across the province in collaboration with our partners, including Alberta Health. (more...)
Health Workforce Strategy (HWS) highlight — Retention
The HWS vision for retention is to create safe, inclusive and respectful workplaces where workers are engaged in meaningful work. (more...)
Local leaders given local purchasing ability
Local leaders and front-line managers have authority to make purchasing decisions operating within the budgets they’re accountable for. (more...)
Access support to develop a personalized plan for better nutrition
Our Employee and Family Assistance Program offers coaching to help you integrate healthier eating into your lifestyle. (more...)
Mental Wellness Moment - Helping family or friends during a disaster or emergency
Dr. Nicholas Mitchell provides advice on how to help family members or friends as they deal with a disaster or emergency. (more...)
AHS updates food guidelines
AHS has updated its patients-and-family guidance on bringing food from home to AHS facilities. (more...)
Prevent privacy breaches with a 30-second pause
Privacy breaches cause harm to patients and affect their trust in AHS. Most privacy breaches are preventable. (more...)
Register for a cultural competency webinar
Register now to learn practical tips and tools for enhancing cultural competency in healthcare settings. (more...)
Hand Hygiene Excellence Award winners named
Clean Your Hands Day was May 5. AHS recognizes the outstanding dedication of our staff to hand hygiene excellence. (more...)
May 17, 2024
AHS continues to monitor wildfire activity across the province in collaboration with our partners, including Alberta Health, Alberta Wildfire and local municipalities.
On May 14, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo issued an evacuation order for several local communities to allow for fire-suppression efforts. Northern Lights Regional Health Centre and Willow Square Continuing Care Centre remain open, though patients and residents with higher care needs have been proactively relocated over the past few days to sites throughout the province.
Zone Emergency Operations Centres have been stood up in North, Edmonton, Calgary and South zones, as well as the AHS’ provincial Emergency Coordination Centre to support the evacuation and placement of patients and residents. AHS’ proactive planning has been ongoing and teams are prepared to respond as the wildfire situation changes. Thank you to everyone across the organization who are engaged and supporting this work in all capacities.
See latest updates on AHS response.
The Health Workforce Strategy (HWS) vision for retention is to create safe, inclusive and respectful workplaces where workers are engaged in meaningful work, and supported in their professional growth and personal health and well-being.
To help realize that vision, AHS has launched new resources over the last year, including:
Our People Survey results further confirm the value employees place on a healthy work environment, and having conversations linked to their progress and development. Engagement and retention are personal and multi-faceted, with many internal and external factors that determine why someone chooses to leave an organization. The HWS supported the launch of internal transfer surveys and refreshed exit surveys to help understand these factors and inform AHS’ ongoing retention efforts.
All expenditure decisions, including purchases, are made in accordance with AHS’ Delegation of Approval Authority (DOAA) policy. The DOAA policy supports sound management of AHS’ resources by providing staff and leaders with appropriate levels of delegated financial authority to make commitments and local purchasing decisions within the budgets they are accountable for. Discretionary spending may require additional vetting and approval above normal DOAA levels.
Purchasing occurs within the parameters of value and financial stewardship, and responsible procurement factoring in safety, operating requirements, infection prevention and control, housekeeping, workplace health and safety, and sustainability.
Questions? Contact your Business Advisory Services (BAS) or CPSM representative.
If you’re looking for simple and personalized nutritional plans, the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) offers nutritional coaching. Work with a nutritional counsellor who will guide you in developing a plan to help you maintain a healthy weight, eat healthier, boost your energy levels and address your dietary needs.
Contact the EFAP’s intake line at 1-877-273-3134 for step-by-step support. You will be asked a few questions and then connected with a registered dietitian for a personalized assessment and nutritional plan.
Physicians can contact the AMA Physician and Family Support Program, a confidential 24/7 support line, at 1-877-SOS-4MDS for options and support.
For additional resources:
Questions? Contact wellness@ahs.ca.
In this Mental Wellness Moment, Dr. Nicholas Mitchell — Provincial Medical Director for Addiction and Mental Health with AHS — provides advice on how to help family members or friends as they deal with a disaster or emergency.
AHS has updated its patients-and-family guidance on bringing food from home to AHS facilities.
In addition to meals provided at our sites, patients and their families may choose to bring in food items to complement the meals provided in the hospital. Familiar foods from home can provide patients with comfort and improve food intake to help with their healing journey.
AHS remains committed to providing diverse and healthy food options while fostering an environment of diversity, inclusion and cultural safety. Staff are encouraged to inform visitors about this option, offering guidance on dietary needs and facilitating shared meal spaces, ensuring a compassionate approach to patient care.
For more information, please refer to the updated guidelines or email nfsfeedback@ahs.ca with any questions.
Privacy breaches cause harm to patients and affect their trust in AHS. Breaches pose a risk to AHS and can have serious consequences for the individual responsible.
Most privacy breaches can be prevented. Take a 30-second pause to reflect on the information you are about to collect, access use or disclose, and consider how the InfoCare Behaviours could help prevent a future breach.
Privacy has launched a new resource called 30-Second Pauses to highlight recent real-world examples of AHS breaches and how they could have been prevented.
Visit Legal & Privacy to read the first 30-Second Pause, which details how outdated contact information in a patient’s file led to a privacy breach.
AHS is celebrating ‘What Matters to You?’ day on June 6 from noon to 1 p.m. Engagement & Patient Experience has partnered with the Calgary Zone Patient- and Family-Centred Care Grand Rounds to present a webinar for staff, physicians and volunteers, Cultural Competency in Healthcare: Understanding What Matters to Patients & Families.
Navigating cross-cultural healthcare interactions with confidence and sensitivity can be daunting, especially when it comes to asking about someone’s culture. In this webinar, you’ll learn practical tips and tools for enhancing cultural competency in healthcare settings. You’ll also learn:
Clean Your Hands Day was May 5 and AHS is proud to honour those who've surpassed expectations, earning the 2024 AHS and Covenant Health Hand Hygiene Excellence Award for their exceptional devotion to infection prevention. See the list of winners.
Every action in hand hygiene matters, contributing to a safer and healthier environment for everyone. All your efforts truly make a difference.
