Province to begin public feedback tour on health-care restructuring

By ANNA SMITH Local Journalism Initiative on January 10, 2025.

asmith@medicinehatnews.com

The government of Alberta is seeking engagement from residents regarding the ongoing restructuring of the health-care system.

“In November 2023, Alberta’s government announced plans to refocus the health-care system to strengthen services, empower local decision-making, enhance support for front-line workers and improve health outcomes for all Albertans,” said the province in a release. “Throughout this process, the government has held in-person public sessions and used online tools to help gather feedback and input on the new system from Albertans and health care providers.”

Beginning Jan. 21, in addition to updating Albertans on the latest refocusing work and what it means for them, there will be a series of online engagement sessions hosted, focused on various communities throughout the province, to allow for the government to “gather perspectives on access to health care and the current experiences of the health care workforce, and identify opportunities to improve local decision-making.”

“From the very start, we have been committed to building a health-care system that works for every Albertan,” said Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Health. “By continuing the conversation, we are ensuring that their experiences, perspectives and expertise are reflected in our decision-making.”

The announcement of these engagement sessions follows the news of the appointment of Dr. Chris Eagle as chair and interim president and CEO of Acute Care Alberta, which will come into effect Feb 1.

“Acute care is the most complex part of the health-care system, and it’s critical that we have the right leadership in place to see this work through and make positive changes to the health-care system for Albertans now and into the future,” said LaGrange.

Eagle has significant experience supporting and leading health-care organizations and projects across Alberta, including his time as president and CEO of Alberta Health Services from 2010 to 2013, says the province, continuing on to say his extensive experience in the health field will allow him to guide the work to operationalize Acute Care Alberta.

For Medicine Hat, the online engagement session will take place on Jan 23, from 5-7 p.m. Registration for the session can be found on alberta.ca. A similar session will be hosted in Oyen on April 2.

10
-9