As EDs get more overcrowded and blocked up, our EMS crews can't get back out to the community for the new emergencies. Current govt solution: don't fix flow downstream in the hospital, just add more EMS Hallway spaces outside of the ED There's no coordinated plan...

AB - this is how we treat our seniors! Pt in late 60s, confused/delirious from an infection. Needs admission. INT med says admit to Fam Med bed, except no beds in hosp. Pt waiting >48hrs in a recliner CHAIR in the ED for transfer - no dignity, privacy, very little care. 1/2

Take a look at this EIP (admitted pts in ED) data for the MIS ED before and after opening up their brand new ED! This is perfect constipation illustration: building a bigger rectum doesn't help fix constipation (and yes the ED has become the bunged-up rectum of our HC system) 1/2

Danielle Smith and the UCP are experimenting with HC - fragmenting the system, neglecting workforce and capacity, and adding private care delivery and private pay options... The data is very clear the experiment is a failure...

Calgary: you aren't going to escape the UCP Mount Everest of ED overcrowding either. EIP = admitted sick pt stranded in the ED = new emergency pts can't be seen = EMS can't drop off their pts to be available for new emergencies = delayed care for ALL threadreaderapp.com/... 1/2

AB: Here is the EIP data (for ALL major EDs in the province) Indexed to Population growth. Obviously increased pop plays a role... but workforce, hospital and LTC capacity, complexity, technology, and GOVT POLICY make a massive impact. UCP GOVT POLICY has only made this worse! 1/2

Here's what these INSANE EIP (sick pts stranded in the ED) mean and why you should care: 4625 = the Equivalent of the UAH + RAH + Stollery EDs being permanently CLOSED to new emerg pts the ENTIRE MONTH Please share widely. Talk about this. It's a crisis and govt is MIA threadreaderapp.com/...

4625 EIPs in the month of JUNE is a TRUE DISASTER not just "immense pressure" as prev HC Minister Jones admitted If you want a functioning emergency care system in our province, can you please help? Ask the Premier what she intends to do to correct this IMMEDIATELY 4/4

Please HELP Alberta! This is real data from EDM EDs It shows the worsening trend of completely blocked EDs Share widely and talk about this! Help bring this to the Premier/govt's attention (maybe call into her radio show, as that seems to inform govt policy!!!) 1/4

> 6 months since the tragic WR death of Mr. Sreekumar Govt has forgotten him. Public promises were made, but no progress has been made. No ACCOUNTABILITY. The Premier and Ministers have moved on... 1/6

Hey AB: Our functional ED capacity in the Edmonton area has been devastated We have NEVER had overcrowding in our EDs that looks like this in our summer (typically we see admitted volumes decrease in the summer) > 6mnths since Mr. Sreekumar's tragic death, NOTHING is better 1/2

UCP "believe" in a "free market" for HC but not Oil! Soon to be announced: BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars spent de-risking a pipeline for oil corporations making record profits, while actively cutting funding for ABs with severe disabilities living below the poverty line.

Happy Canada Day! 🇨🇦 I love this country! Hope everyone is able to take some time to celebrate this great country!

Visited my colleagues at the UofA ED yesterday… truly a disaster zone. Only but for the amazing efforts of HCWs that show up is it barely functioning. Challenge to Premier Smith: skip a day at the Calgary Stampede and spend 24 hours in the ED WR of this every day rodeo!!!

Instead of LaGrange defaulting to "it's bad in other provinces too", I challenge her to go spend 24hrs sitting on a WR chair in each of our ED WRs... she wouldn't dismiss ABs concerns as exaggeration or hyperbole if she did. Start with the UofA... 3/3

It would be a good time to remind ALL Albertans that this Premier and this government does NOT have a mandate for what they are doing to fair and equitable HC Access. They ran on a Public Health Guarantee. The Premier lied, and simply cannot be trusted.

Canadian Politician Legacy: Tommy Douglas fought for fair and equitable universal HC for all. Smith and LaGrange's will be known as the vanguard of the death of this Canadian virtue. This WILL impact ALL Canadians if the Federal govt (and all ABs) refuse to intervene...

Here I fixed the govt's PR propaganda: "Here's a 100 bucks... to distract you from not being about to afford shit, and that you are going to have to pay out of pocket for HC"

Yes, the queues for Eye Surgery are far too long! Yes, the govt (prov and fed) absolutely should improve these waits Govt's plan: if you are rich and wealthy you get to the front of the queue (while the public queue will get longer... look at MRIs, we already have the evidence)

Reposting (it was buried in a previous post): Here are some HC Tips I can think of to do with the 100 Dani Distraction Dollars... What other tips can you all think of... Help fellow ABs out, as govt privatizes and these ED waits are only going to get longer...

This guy… He pretends he doesn’t know who is in charge of upholding the Canada Health Act… the one his govt is actively violating…. It likely cuz he wants to separate from Canada But worse, the hypocrisy: did his govt run on private HC and destroying the Canada Health Act?!!

This didn't age so well: "Under no circumstance, will any Albertan ever have to pay out of pocket for access to... to get the medical treatment they need." Except for surgery... (for now). You see Premier, govt sanctioned pay to jump the queue is a "circumstance" 1/2

1-buy a nice comfy seat cushion (for 12-20hr ED WR wait) 2-keep some for taxi fare (when you are bleeding out and EMS isn't available) 3-also some for the vending machines (while waiting days in hallways when EMS can get you but offloads you to a long non-private hallway!) 3/3

Hey AB, Smith and Lagrange keep saying there's a done deal for the TLP role (the long promised WR ED doctor) ... there isn't. They are either ill-informed, or intentionally misleading (= nice way of saying lying). 1/3

If you are worried that HC won't be there in a safe and timely manner for you or your loved ones, demand better from the govt - they work for you. Thanks to all those who came out. Thanks to Friends of Medicare for hosting. 3/4

Let's keep talking about HC Alberta. Share your stories, put a human face on the impact of worsening HC Access Across the province. Forget about ideology. Let's just talk facts. Talk about what is really happening in your community. 2/4

Alberta Urgent Conversations Provincial Tour is complete! 25 Communities, 1 virtual, 1000's of Albertans engaged, 10,750Km driven! Consensus exists that HC is NOT going in the right direction. 1/4

To the wealthy ABs buying the govt's snake oil of private-pay panacea: 15K for a knee repair, but don't forget to save 20 bucks for the cab when EMS can't respond to your post-op complication p.s. the cab will dump you into an overflowing ED, prepare to wait with the rest 1/3

Another one bites the dust! The AHS Chief Medical Officer fired - or let go with no notice and no replacement, "was always part of the plan" they'll likely say. Soon we'll have no one with operational experience in leadership! (Reminder: new ACA org is NOT Operational)