Group of 17 central Alberta mayors lobby province for changes in health care

May 8, 2023 | 2:46 PM

A group of 17 central Alberta mayors has joined to lobby the provincial government for changes in how healthcare is delivered in their communities.

The Town of Sylvan Lake, who’s mayor Megan Hanson was a signatory, said the group has written a letter to provincial Health Minister Jason Copping requesting to meet to share their concerns and explore possible solutions.

Through meetings and discussions over the past few months, the group states they have identified a number of common challenges and concerns shared among their communities and other municipalities across the province. Their concerns include health care service levels, staffing challenges, Emergency Medical Services shortfalls, inequities in health care funding to central Alberta communities, and Emergency Department closures, which they say are impacting residents’ access to service.

In their letter to Minister Copping, the group said, “Our attempts to collaborate with and inform AHS [Alberta Health Services] Central Zone of our communities’ concerns have not resulted in any outcomes and it would appear that our efforts/concerns are not being considered at this level…With no end in sight nor a clear path forward, we feel the need to address these concerns before they become an unmanageable crisis.”

Their letter also noted, “We would welcome the opportunity to explore ways and means in which we can strive to make central Alberta a health care employment destination of choice.”

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In March 2023, the group confirms they also submitted a Request for Decision to the Alberta Municipalities’ Spring Municipal Leaders’ Caucus requesting “that the Alberta Municipalities Board advocate for municipalities across the province to be included in the decision-making process when it comes to health care issues concerning their communities, which currently are being made almost exclusively and unilaterally by Alberta Health Services and the provincial government.”

That Request for Decision achieved 89 per cent support by municipalities across the province. In their letter to the Health Minister, the group said, “this level of support clearly demonstrates a province-wide frustration with many aspects of health care services.”

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The group states they are currently awaiting a response from the Health Minister to their letter.

AHS said in a statement, “We recognize that our rural communities have concerns around recruitment and retention of physicians and other healthcare professionals. Recruitment and retention of healthcare staff is extremely challenging across North America, and globally.

AHS is committed to working to address such challenges through a number of initiatives. We have, and will continue to, work with our communities to address concerns and welcome their ideas and input.”

Due to limited media responses during election period, the Government of Alberta pointed to their Health Workforce Strategy, a framework for the province’s health workforce planning, which considers the need to manage immediate challenges, while preparing to meet future needs.

by rdnewsNOW Staff

Group of 17 central Alberta mayors lobby province for changes in health care

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