Time for military support in 'overwhelmed' hospitals: Alberta health-care union leaders
The leaders of four health-care unions and the Alberta Federation of Labour implored Premier Jason Kenney to submit a formal request for assistance from Ottawa as hospitals grapple with increasing numbers of COVID-19 patients.
The leaders of the health-care unions in the province, representing 100,000 people working in the system, sent a letter Saturday saying it was their assessment that hospitals were no longer on the verge of collapse but that they were “actually collapsing in front of our eyes.”
The presidents of the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA), the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE), the Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) and the Canadian Union of Provincial Employees (CUPE) all signed the letter.
“We are writing today as the presidents of Alberta’s largest health care unions and Alberta’s largest worker advocacy group to urge you in the strongest possible terms to call on the federal government to immediately deploy the military, the Red Cross and all available medical staffing resources from other provinces to assist our province’s overwhelmed hospitals,” the letter read.
As the fourth wave of COVID-19 surges across Alberta, the province has begun to implement extraordinary measures to make room for the daily average of 20 new patients being admitted into the province's ICUs.
Alberta Health Services (AHS) began sharing and training staff on its critical care triage protocol, outlining how life and death decisions should be made if the province’s health-care system is overwhelmed past its breaking point, this week.
Field hospitals have been prepared in Edmonton and Calgary and surge ICU beds in hospitals, AHS said.
Alberta has 310 ICU beds including 137 surge beds, AHS CEO Dr. Verna Yiu said on Thursday. Eighty-six per cent of those beds are occupied – largely by COVID-19 patients.
- Triage protocols made public by Alberta Health Services
- Alberta reports 2,020 new COVID-19 cases, 18 deaths
- 'We're tired of being tired': Nurses rally in support of healthcare workers
The letter was also sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Rachel Notley, the leader of the official opposition.
“There are no more nurses in our province who can be deployed. There are no more paramedics,” the health care union leaders said. “The tank is empty. The well is dry.
“So please, on behalf of our beleaguered members on the front-line of this crisis, and on behalf of all Albertans, we are officially asking you to request help from the federal government.”
Steve Buick, press secretary to the minister of health, told CTV News Edmonton in a statement that no requests for aid from Ottawa or the Red Cross have been made by the province yet.
"The military and Red Cross would have limited ability to provide clinical resources, so no requests have been made to them to date," Buick said. "If and when their assistance is needed, for example, to provide equipment or logistical support such as patient transport, we’ll support requests as appropriate."
- B.C. willing to help Alberta in COVID-19 battle, but needs hospital space: Horgan
- Ontario confirms the province will help Alberta with overwhelmed ICUs
- Manitoba premier providing pharmaceutical help to Alberta
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jay Rosove
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Quebec judge orders bus driver to stand trial for 2023 daycare crash deaths
A judge has ordered a Quebec man to stand trial on charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of two children killed when a bus rammed into a Montreal-area daycare last year.
Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.