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By Justin Goulet

Alberta government hosting more engagement sessions on health care

Mar 21, 2024 | 1:05 PM

The Government of Alberta wants to hear residents’ thoughts on health care.

More engagement sessions have been announced to obtain feedback on the provincial health care system.

In November, it was announced that the current version of Alberta Health Services (AHS) would be scrapped in favour of a single provincial health system. That system would be split into four units, managed by primary care, acute care, continuing care and mental health agencies. The government said all the provincial bodies would work together for an integrated approach.

READ MORE: Alberta revamps health care system, creates separate units

Since then, over 2,500 people have participated in in-person sessions to provide their input, with 18,000 offering thoughts through online tools and roughly 10,000 participating in virtual town halls.

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Due to the popular response to these sessions, Alberta Health has added 22 more to its slate.

“Our goal is to build a stronger health care system informed by Albertans with real stories and real experiences. These engagement sessions have highlighted the importance of ensuring the new health care system is informed by front-line health care experts, as they have the most knowledge of the current system and the challenges and gaps that exist,” says Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange.

“With Albertans’ help, we will build a refocused health care system that better supports the well-being of front-line workers and prioritizes the needs of patients,” she adds.

In-person engagement sessions will wrap up in mid-April. The government says new engagement opportunities will be developed for front-line workers and Albertans.

“Refocusing the health system has brought Albertans together – all coming to the table and voicing what is working well in the current system, what are the challenges, and how it can be improved,” says Christian Tokarski, manager of governance at Covenant Health.

“Covenant is looking forward to transforming the health care system together with a focus on holistic system outcomes where our patients and residents are at the core of all decision-making.”

A list of the locations, dates and times for the added engagement sessions is at the provincial government website.

Meanwhile, Livingstone-Macleod MLA Chelsae Petrovic has been named parliamentary secretary for health workforce engagement to support the government’s ongoing communication with health care workers and residents.

READ MORE: Southern Alberta MLA to assist health minister