Recovery Alberta will hopefully lead to improved services: CEO
By ANNA SMITH Local Journalism Initiative on September 4, 2024.
asmith@medicinehatnews.com With the official transition from Alberta Health Services to Recovery Alberta, approximately 10,000 staff and physicians have been transferred as they continue to provide addiction, mental health and correctional health services. One of the biggest goals for this transition, says Kerry Bales, CEO of Recovery Alberta, was to ensure the avoidance of disruptions to vital services, including for those providing them. “A few of the things that we wanted to make sure we had in place was that the different systems and tools we have to support clinicians and staff in the work that they do for the patients and families remain unchanged,” Bales told the News on Tuesday. “We continue to have the same systems that they would have used the day before the transition as they do after the transition, and that’s going to continue on into the future.” Both patients and providers can expect to have the same levels of care and capability as they had come to expect with Alberta Health Services, including no changes to the terms of employment, benefits, or pensions for health-care workers. However, Bales also says this change toward the new entity as it was formed in July is also an opportunity. “When we transitioned on Sept. 1, I’ve been characterizing it as a lift and shift of services, so all of the services that are currently in place in the area continue to be in place and are being delivered in the same manner,” said Bales. “Going forward though, I think it’s going to be extremely important that we get out and continue to work with your local community, with your local partners, municipality and others, along with the Government of Alberta, to make sure that we are understanding what are the needs of the community that might currently not be met.” His goal, and his hope he says, is this more specialized entity will allow more flexibility and responsiveness to best fit the specific needs and strengths of each community. “We want to be able to take a balanced approach between working with local communities to make sure that we’re addressing their needs, but then bringing to bear a provincial organization that’s particularly focused on mental health addiction and correctional health services,” said Bales. “We recognize that we are not the entire solution; no one entity is. So we’re going to be working closely with local groups, with Alberta Health Services and with the other provincial health agencies as they get established.” Bales says agencies will share systems for things such as documentation, allowing for smooth transitions of care if needed. “We’re in a time of ongoing transition, but the work that we’ve been able to do to establish Recovery Alberta has gone exceptionally well,” said Bales. “I think that bodes really well for the future of establishing the other health agencies as well as the future of integration and care for all the health agencies and Alberta Health Services.” 14-13
