Alberta Health system brutal

[1899b]

My 20 year old daughter spent Tuesday evening in the hospital on an IV due to a bad kidney infection. The kid (i still see her as my kid lol) knows all about the wait times in the Edmonton hospitals as she lives in Edmonton.

She went to Devon, waited 25 minutes in Emergency and spent the better part of the evening into Wednesday morning getting treatment.

No complaints on her behalf whatsoever...

It all still falls under the "Alberta Health Care" umbrella even though she went to Devon.

No different than the many Edmontonians coming to the Costco in Sherwood Park because its not as busy as the Edmonton ones.

It is what is folks.....

[Stinky Buffalo]

Originally Posted by Lefty-Canuck

During covid they screened everyone who walked into the hospital, seeing as I work at various hospitals there was NO ONE LOITERING and no one there who did not need to be there, they need to have staff screening all entrants again as a new initiative. When Timmy stubs his toe he doesn’t need 8 family support members present.

LC

That's a really good point, Lefty. I noticed that as well.

[jstubbs]

https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/ucp-dith...tter-1.6497040

“Internal Alberta Health Services documents obtained by CTV News Edmonton show the province is aware that the Edmonton region is on track to be about 1,500 hospital beds short of what will be required in 2026.

Even if the hospital was built by then, the deficit would still be about 1,000, the documents state.”

The UCP is actively choosing to play politics rather than build a hospital that is direly needed. Their excuse of the pipeline ROW is complete BS given it’s been two years since they’ve been spouting that with no solution provided—and frankly I find it incredibly hard to believe there wasn’t a mitigation strategy developed when the site was purchased as the pipeline would have obviously come up in due diligence.

It’s just sad.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by jstubbs

https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/ucp-dith...tter-1.6497040

“Internal Alberta Health Services documents obtained by CTV News Edmonton show the province is aware that the Edmonton region is on track to be about 1,500 hospital beds short of what will be required in 2026.

Even if the hospital was built by then, the deficit would still be about 1,000, the documents state.”

The UCP is actively choosing to play politics rather than build a hospital that is direly needed. Their excuse of the pipeline ROW is complete BS given it’s been two years since they’ve been spouting that with no solution provided—and frankly I find it incredibly hard to believe there wasn’t a mitigation strategy developed when the site was purchased as the pipeline would have obviously come up in due diligence.

It’s just sad.

As I posted from being in an emergency waiting room, a large percentage of the people there appeared to be alcohol or drug addicts, perhaps the solution is to deal with those addictions, rather than just handing out drugs and providing injection sites for the addicts? Reducing the demand on existing facilities seems like a smarter solution that just building more facilities to accomodate the increase in demand, due in large part to more addicts.

[Stinky Buffalo]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

As I posted from being in an emergency waiting room, a large percentage of the people there appeared to be alcohol or drug addicts, perhaps the solution is to deal with those addictions, rather than just handing out drugs and providing injection sites for the addicts? Reducing the demand on existing facilities seems like a smarter solution that just building more facilities to accomodate the increase in demand, due in large part to more addicts.

There's that, Elk, but also I'm seeing quite a few people in the ER that could easily have waited until the next day and go to a clinic, or self-medicated (sniffles/flu-du-jour).

[pittman]

Originally Posted by Stinky Buffalo

There's that, Elk, but also I'm seeing quite a few people in the ER that could easily have waited until the next day and go to a clinic, or self-medicated (sniffles/flu-du-jour).

No doubt about it. The ED ends up picking up the slack when primary care falls behind. This is the direct fallout of not having enough GPs working away at the front lines. Multiple reasons for that, but next time you hear about any government making cuts to primary care, speak up.

[Stinky Buffalo]

Originally Posted by pittman

No doubt about it. The ED ends up picking up the slack when primary care falls behind. This is the direct fallout of not having enough GPs working away at the front lines. Multiple reasons for that, but next time you hear about any government making cuts to primary care, speak up.

Oh, that's for sure!

Incidentally, I was just speaking with someone from the East Coast yesterday. He was saying that they have the same issue there with a lack of GPs that we have here.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by does it ALL outdoors

I haven't read this whole thread but has anyone had to go to DynaLIFE for bloodwork or tests lately?

I had an appointment, and walked out an HOUR AND A HALF after my appointment time, she could care less about my appointment, what a DISASTER they are!

If your in Edmonton you have another choice for lab work.

There is a small lab in the north east emergency clinic that almost nobody knows about.

Had to get blood work recently and went there, they got me in 5 min EARLY and I was out of there before my appointment time, it was beautiful.

DynaLIFE is a train wreck and needs to go!

And yet I was in and out for blood work in 15-20 minutes, I think that it has a lot to do with the particular location, and their staff. Private for profit businesses make more profit, when they do more volume, so generally tbey tend to be more efficient than government run corporations.

[jstubbs]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

As I posted from being in an emergency waiting room, a large percentage of the people there appeared to be alcohol or drug addicts, perhaps the solution is to deal with those addictions, rather than just handing out drugs and providing injection sites for the addicts? Reducing the demand on existing facilities seems like a smarter solution that just building more facilities to accomodate the increase in demand, due in large part to more addicts.

Building both more proactive and reactive healthcare programs and facilities (esp. for mental health & addictions) is a massive piece to relieving the burden on our healthcare system.

The need for more proactive mental health and addictions support IMO is the biggest one. Think of it like dental care: if you find yourself with a sore tooth, the best course of action is to go to the dentist, have the cavity filled and receive some instruction on how to avoid more cavities in the future, rather than keep going until you have a mouth full of rotten teeth that causes you to lean into abusing substances to cope with the pain.

It's the same deal with mental health. If you find yourself struggling with mental health, perhaps from a depressive episode, or unresolved trauma, best to see a mental health professional to get the tools to deal with the underlying causes, instead of turning to abusing substances to cope--which is what a lot of addicts ended up doing.

But in addition to that: how on earth are you going to sit here and say we don't need any more healthcare facilities just based upon your one anecdote despite a professionally written report on the matter?

The population of Edmonton proper has nearly doubled since the last hospital opened, and we are back to having substantial net population increases year over year from both immigration and provincial migration. And the baby boomer generation is only getting older and thus going to continue to require more and more healthcare services.

The day they opened the Grey Nuns they should have immediately began planning and focusing on building the SW Edmonton hospital. I guess we can thank King Ralph for instead blowing up hospitals and kiboshing the development of any new ones, and then Steady Eddy, Redford, et all for continuing to fumble the bag. At least Smith is certainly keeping that conservative tradition alive.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by jstubbs

Building both more proactive and reactive healthcare programs and facilities (esp. for mental health & addictions) is a massive piece to relieving the burden on our healthcare system.

The need for more proactive mental health and addictions support IMO is the biggest one. Think of it like dental care: if you find yourself with a sore tooth, the best course of action is to go to the dentist, have the cavity filled and receive some instruction on how to avoid more cavities in the future, rather than keep going until you have a mouth full of rotten teeth that causes you to lean into abusing substances to cope with the pain.

It's the same deal with mental health. If you find yourself struggling with mental health, perhaps from a depressive episode, or unresolved trauma, best to see a mental health professional to get the tools to deal with the underlying causes, instead of turning to abusing substances to cope--which is what a lot of addicts ended up doing.

But in addition to that: how on earth are you going to sit here and say we don't need any more healthcare facilities just based upon your one anecdote despite a professionally written report on the matter?

The population of Edmonton proper has nearly doubled since the last hospital opened, and we are back to having substantial net population increases year over year from both immigration and provincial migration. And the baby boomer generation is only getting older and thus going to continue to require more and more healthcare services.

The day they opened the Grey Nuns they should have immediately began planning and focusing on building the SW Edmonton hospital. I guess we can thank King Ralph for instead blowing up hospitals and kiboshing the development of any new ones, and then Steady Eddy, Redford, et all for continuing to fumble the bag. At least Smith is certainly keeping that conservative tradition alive.

So start a facility at one city hospital, to deal with the addicts, so they don't tie up resources and extend wait times at every ER.