Western Standard - Stollery Children’s Hospital Receives Increased Support from Alberta Government

00:00:00.000 Thank you.

00:00:30.000 Good morning everyone, if I could just get your attention, we're going to start right

00:00:51.060 away. Good morning and thank you for joining us on what I believe to be a

00:01:05.460 historic day for the Stollery Children's Hospital. I am joined today by MLA Martin

00:01:12.660 Long who's the Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Health, by Dr. Lyle Oberg the

00:01:18.000 executive board chair for the Alberta Health Services by Karen Faulkner the

00:01:24.180 interim CEO of the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation and both of all of

00:01:30.820 these individuals are dedicated advocates who worked tirelessly to ensure

00:01:35.040 that the Stollery can continue to provide world-class care to children and

00:01:39.900 their families additionally I'd like to extend a warm welcome to Shelley Cormier

00:01:46.200 a parent of one of the patients here at the Stollery, actually two of the

00:01:50.460 patients at the Stollery because both your children have been part of the

00:01:53.920 Stollery. I was talking to them earlier and just want to thank you for being

00:01:58.140 here Shelley and your lovely family. Before we begin I'd like to take a

00:02:03.840 minute to offer my sincere gratitude to the dedicated health care providers,

00:02:08.520 staff and volunteers who provide exceptional care to Alberta's youngest

00:02:14.140 patients. Your unwavering dedication and compassion make a profound difference in

00:02:21.100 the lives of countless families. The Stollery has not only some of the

00:02:27.380 brightest minds in medicine, but it also excels in providing patients and

00:02:32.560 families with the intangibles, with kindness, with empathy, and maybe most

00:02:39.760 importantly with hope the team here at the Stollery meets children and their

00:02:45.820 families during some of their darkest moments moments filled with worry with

00:02:51.320 uncertainty and fear of the unknown in times of crisis the intangible aspects

00:02:59.860 of care matter greatly and for that I say thank you and I know everyone here

00:03:06.780 thanks you as well. The Stollery Children's Hospital receives more than

00:03:13.980 300,000 children annually. Can you imagine? 300,000 children cross through

00:03:21.180 these doors and actually they're spread out over 11 sites. It serves the

00:03:26.880 geographical area of more than 500,000 square kilometers and it has among the

00:03:32.660 highest inpatient volumes of any children's hospital in Canada. While the

00:03:39.140 staff go above and beyond to deliver world-class care, it is clear that more

00:03:44.060 space is needed to support the growing number of patients and to ensure our

00:03:48.560 providers can continue treating the unique and complex needs of children and

00:03:52.940 young Albertans. Building a standalone stallery will not only enhance

00:03:59.360 pediatric care but will also significantly contribute to broader

00:04:03.560 patient capacity in Edmonton by freeing up the existing space we can reallocate

00:04:10.640 resources to better serve adult patients ensuring improved health care services

00:04:16.180 for Edmonton and the surrounding areas with Alberta's population growing our

00:04:22.700 Our government recognizes that expanding capacity needs to be a priority.

00:04:29.700 Our government is committed to making smart, strategic investments in health facilities

00:04:35.200 and equipment to ensure that all Albertans have access to the quality health care they deserve.

00:04:41.600 Last year, our government committed $3 million to supporting the planning for a standalone

00:04:46.740 Stollery facility and today I am pleased to share that we are building on that commitment.

00:04:53.060 If passed, Budget 2024 will include a substantial investment in healthcare capital projects

00:04:59.860 and programs right across our province. This will include an additional $17 million for a total

00:05:07.620 investment of $20 million over three years to advance plans for a new standalone Stollery

00:05:14.340 Children's Hospital. To date, the planning process has been considering several

00:05:30.100 needs and priorities including increased capacity to serve Alberta's growing

00:05:34.860 population, larger clinical spaces, more private rooms, and spaces

00:05:40.620 built specifically for children and their families to support them during their time in the hospital.

00:05:46.860 We want kids to be kids even while they're in the hospital. It is important that our plans put

00:05:53.500 children and families first while also recognizing the need to upgrade facilities so that healthcare

00:06:00.060 providers can access new technologies and have the space they need to continue refining their skills

00:06:06.780 and areas of expertise. A new standalone hospital has been a dream for many for a very long time

00:06:14.940 and we want to make that dream a reality. I'd like to recognize and thank those who have

00:06:20.940 supported and advocated for a new facility over the years, especially our health care providers

00:06:27.180 and the Stollery Hospital Foundation. Together we will plan a state-of-the-art children's hospital

00:06:35.500 that meets the needs of Albertans and ensures children receiving care can go on to lead long

00:06:41.580 healthy lives and become astronauts like this lovely young lady over here wants to be thank you 0.96

00:06:49.340 at this time i'd like to invite parliamentary secretary martin long to say a few words again

00:06:55.580 thank you so much for being here good morning and thank you for making time to be here today

00:07:10.860 to celebrate another step forward in building healthcare access for young albertans we'd like

00:07:18.140 to echo minister lagrange's thanks to the staff at the stallery and members of the stallery hospital

00:07:23.660 Foundation who have been incredible advocates for children's health.

00:07:28.860 The Stollery, as it stands, has an incredible impact on helping children and youth, guiding

00:07:34.420 families through what are often stressful times.

00:07:39.480 Its reach extends beyond the physical space itself, intricately connected with facilities

00:07:45.220 across our province, including in the rural communities that I am so proud to represent

00:07:50.900 parliamentary secretary for rural health i was recently on a tour in a facility in rural alberta

00:07:58.820 where the staff described their their interaction with the stallery a portal in that facility

00:08:08.020 that links them directly to the stallery when needed and one evening a mum came in

00:08:15.220 in labor and it turned out that the it was going to be a beach birth without enough time to get

00:08:22.660 the mom to a different facility they relied on that portal access with the stollery staff

00:08:29.940 to guide them through the process to ensure that the mom and the baby both came out of that

00:08:35.300 circumstance alive and healthy that is one example of countless stories

00:08:43.380 of the impact the stallery has on rural families in that particular case that rural family was able

00:08:51.220 to stay in its community and have the salary come to them in many circumstances those families

00:08:59.700 experience the stallery in its full capacity by coming in through the doors here as a government

00:09:06.420 our goal is to make sure that as many albertans as possible have access to the care they need

00:09:11.780 that we do our very best to make sure health care providers staff and volunteers

00:09:16.020 have the resources they need and are empowered to do their jobs to the best of their abilities

00:09:21.540 as the province continues to grow we understand additional space is needed to support more

00:09:25.780 children and young albertans this investment means a commitment to the future of our great province

00:09:33.220 and the future of this great great facility the additional funding that has been allocated here

00:09:40.180 is an important step for the planning and preparation for a standalone facility.

00:09:45.300 The increased capacity and vision of a welcoming family-friendly space means we can give families

00:09:51.620 the best possible experience. We know the Stollery saves lives. We want to make sure that as many

00:09:59.620 children as possible can receive life-saving treatment from the world-class physicians

00:10:03.700 that choose to practice right here. I have no doubt that a new Stollery Children's Hospital

00:10:08.660 will succeed in doing all of this and much much more i look forward to this new facility and the

00:10:14.420 level of level of care we will be able to offer young alberts i'd like to now invite dr lyle

00:10:21.220 oberg to provide a few remarks

00:10:30.100 thank you very much martin and thank you very much to the minister and to karen for inviting me here

00:10:36.580 this is a great day um this is a day that has been a long time in coming for those of you who know my

00:10:43.140 background or may not know i was actually here when this facility when the university hospital

00:10:48.180 started growing um when it started we then saw the stallery join in as a hospital within a hospital

00:10:55.940 and now i think we're taking the next logical step which is a standalone facility a standalone

00:11:03.060 Children's Hospital for the Children of Alberta and I just couldn't be happier.

00:11:16.580 Alberta Health Services is 100% on board with this decision. It's 100% on board with staffing

00:11:24.660 and running the new facility as it becomes reality and I want the minister to know and

00:11:30.340 governments know and and everyone here to know that we will do everything we can to cooperate

00:11:35.940 to ensure that this facility is the top-notch facility in north america so

00:11:50.420 i want to also personally thank two people and i i know i'm no longer in politics but i do

00:11:57.540 know the work that they've done and i know the support that they have i want to thank premier

00:12:02.100 danielle smith and i want to thank minister adrienne lagrange for all the incredible work

00:12:07.380 and advocacy they've done on this facility sometimes you don't see it in the media sometimes

00:12:12.420 you don't see it i see it behind the scenes and the support that they have given for this facility

00:12:18.580 is absolutely incredible so ladies and gentlemen on i have four grandchildren in northern alberta

00:12:26.500 and i just want to say thank you very much for all of this thank you

00:12:41.060 hi there i'm karen faulkner i'm the interim president and ceo of the stoller children's

00:12:45.540 hospital foundation good morning and thank you minister lagrange dr dr oberg and mla long

00:12:54.100 and everyone for being here on behalf of our foundation and the board of trustees i want

00:12:59.700 to start by saying how incredibly excited we are for what this funding means for our families

00:13:07.220 and the stollery kids we stand here today in the building that stollery calls home

00:13:13.940 but it was never built with kids in mind stollery is woven throughout an adult hospital that was

00:13:20.660 built for fewer patients and simpler challenges. Children's hospitals are different. They make kids

00:13:29.140 feel special and help take away some of the feelings of being so lost and so alone. They

00:13:35.780 make families as comfortable as possible during the hardest time of their life and they bring hope.

00:13:43.300 Our vision for a new Stalry Children's Hospital includes the construction of a state-of-the-art

00:13:48.500 building, matching world-class care, and family-friendly spaces for

00:13:55.080 patients and loved ones, and a hospital that focuses on physical health

00:14:00.820 and mental health.

00:14:10.620 Today's announcement of continuing funding in the Alberta budget will

00:14:16.420 take us one step closer to a new stallery. To our community of supporters in backyards across Alberta

00:14:24.420 who rallied to advocate for a new stallery, thank you. Thank you for every lawn sign planted,

00:14:31.940 every event held, every family story told, and every email sent to your MLA. You made this happen.

00:14:46.420 Thank you to Minister LaGrange and your government for seeing the very real need in this hospital.

00:14:55.380 Today is a demonstration of how government and community can work together.

00:15:01.900 We are ready to work with you to bring this vision to life,

00:15:06.200 and when the time is right to raise up to $250 million from the community towards the new hospital,

00:15:12.900 and many of our supporters who are very engaged in this are here today in this

00:15:18.460 room for now I want to underscore the utmost gratitude to you and to the

00:15:31.460 government of Alberta this is absolutely without a doubt the best most needed

00:15:37.860 most necessary step that can be taken right now for families across Alberta and beyond. Thank you.

00:15:50.900 Now it's my pleasure to introduce Shelly, a mom of two remarkable kids, remarkable mom, 0.58

00:15:57.700 and her children are Savannah and Tristan, and she'll say a few words about what this hospital

00:16:02.660 means to them for more than a decade I've walked the halls of the Stollery

00:16:17.060 Children's Hospital navigating the complexities of parenthood with two

00:16:22.100 medically fragile children our journey began with Tristan just a year old

00:16:27.860 facing severe anemia and seizures. It was a very challenging time for our

00:16:34.100 family, one that saw us admitted to the Stollery for over a month. Then came our

00:16:40.460 daughter Savannah's diagnosis of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, uveitis and

00:16:46.620 glaucoma at the age of five. Since then we've leaned on the expertise of the

00:16:52.300 specialists and the ongoing infusion treatments provided here at the Stollery.

00:16:56.500 but our journey turned took an unexpected turn when our son at two and a

00:17:01.780 half years old suffered a tragic burn accident for more than 30 days we found

00:17:07.720 ourselves again in the care of the Stollery witnessing firsthand the

00:17:11.460 dedication of its staff and life-saving procedures including grafting and laser

00:17:16.880 treatments and dozens of surgeries alongside the burn treatment center team

00:17:22.680 We're incredibly grateful for the specialists and the exceptional care

00:17:26.820 provided by the Stollery team, yet alongside our gratitude lies a stark

00:17:31.500 concern. Time and time again we've witnessed incidents outside the hospital

00:17:36.540 walls that no child should endure or see, from fistfights to drug use, from

00:17:41.580 profanity to intoxication. It begs the question, should our children already

00:17:46.740 battling illness and injury be subjected to such environments? I firmly believe

00:17:52.280 that answer is no now more than ever we must unite to advocate for our new purpose-built

00:17:59.320 children's hospital a sanctuary where children can heal in safety and tranquility shielded from

00:18:05.800 the harsh realities beyond a haven where parents can find solace knowing their children are protected

00:18:13.800 and nurtured in a space designed with kids and families in need and in mind imagine the relief

00:18:20.200 of stepping outside with your child breathing clean air surrounded by peace a purpose-built

00:18:26.040 salary will not only offer a family focused environment but also quicker access to care

00:18:32.360 minimizing the wait times and maximize maximizing recovery chances let's join forces in our call to

00:18:40.040 action let's champion our children's health and well-being together let's pave the way for a

00:18:45.880 future where every child in need receives the care in a dedicated safe

00:18:51.160 space, a purpose-built Stollery Children's Hospital. On behalf of all the

00:18:55.960 families of the Stollery and other parents, thank you.

00:19:01.480 so I'm happy to take questions I'll turn it over to Andrea right now all right

00:19:18.820 thanks everyone just a note to any media on the in the room or on the phones that

00:19:23.620 all of our speakers today are available to answer any questions you have so with

00:19:27.980 With that being said, just a reminder, we're going to stick to one question and one follow-up and please state your name and outlet for the record.

00:19:35.340 If you're here in person, please line up at the mic and we'll start with those in the room.

00:19:38.820 So first at the mic, please go ahead.

00:19:41.120 Hi, Minister Brianna Carson-Smith with Global Edmonton.

00:19:45.040 I'll just pretend I can see you.

00:19:46.400 Oh, there I can see you.

00:19:47.160 Sorry.

00:19:48.060 I want to start on the Pharmacare opting out that you chatted about yesterday.

00:19:53.020 typically when a province decides to opt out of a program they're only allowed to

00:19:59.740 seek compensation if they guarantee that the same spirit of the federal program

00:20:04.180 is then enacted in the province so I'm wondering if you'll commit to making

00:20:08.380 drugs for both diabetes and birth control free to all Albertans who are

00:20:12.940 not covered by opting out of this program well Brianna I'm sorry I can't

00:20:17.440 see you but I can hear your question what I would say is that we already

00:20:22.540 provide over 5,000 drugs through our robust PharmaCare program here in

00:20:27.460 Alberta which includes diabetes medication which includes birth control

00:20:32.920 medication so we would be absolutely willing to enhance those programs all

00:20:38.680 we need is the federal government to provide those dollars to us and we will

00:20:42.620 make sure that we enhance the programs because we do have as I specified

00:20:47.380 yesterday in my my interviews that we have a very robust PharmaCare program

00:20:52.420 here in Alberta. So just clarifying you are committing to making those two drugs free to

00:20:57.340 anyone who's not covered? Well it's not just two drugs it's a series of different types of drugs

00:21:02.800 and different types of processes whether you know with birth control it's it's pills but there's

00:21:08.260 also in uterine devices etc so it's it's the gamut of what's available so what we currently

00:21:14.900 have available and fund we would look to enhance those absolutely but we need the dollars to do

00:21:21.900 that. We want to avoid the bureaucracy. I don't think the federal government

00:21:25.840 understands that provinces do have processes in place, they have suppliers,

00:21:30.800 they have an administrative network already set up and they're looking to

00:21:37.080 provide new, you know, something different which adds bureaucracy and

00:21:41.580 administrative burden on top of what we already have. So give us the dollars,

00:21:46.200 we'll spend it in those areas and I have to wonder is this actual universal

00:21:51.080 health care when in fact they're just providing in two specific areas diabetes and birth control

00:21:58.020 my understanding of pharma care and universal health care encompasses all medications okay

00:22:03.920 I'll take that as a yes just on the infrastructure funding in 2023 the premier put out a mandate

00:22:09.780 letter to Mr. Guthrie asking him to accelerate the construction timelines and reduce cost

00:22:14.920 of hospital projects can you give us a timeline on when we would see a standalone stallery open

00:22:21.120 and then also with the South Edmonton hospital when that project which has been stalled will

00:22:26.280 actually physically open just timelines on those two projects when they'll open well we have to

00:22:31.180 do more planning and that's why we're making this announcement on the South Edmonton hospital do

00:22:34.960 you have to do more on the stallery hospital we are actually going to do further planning

00:22:40.360 And on the South Edmonton Hospital, we are pausing to have a more comprehensive look at how we can better serve the needs of Edmontonians and all of the North Alberta that utilizes facilities within Edmonton.

00:22:58.360 And when we look at the fact that when we build the new standalone stallery, it will actually free up over 200 adult spaces here at the hospital we're currently in.

00:23:11.500 So no timelines.

00:23:12.500 All right, next question.

00:23:13.200 No timelines at this point in time.

00:23:15.760 Hi, Minister.

00:23:16.700 Shailan Skalski here with CTV News here in Edmonton.

00:23:19.560 Additional hospital space is great, but my understanding is what actually delayed children's surgeries back in December was a lack of staff and doctors to treat the children in those vets.

00:23:27.940 So what is being done to recruit and retrain doctors and nurses to this new facility and others?

00:23:33.320 Well, we are continuing with our robust, and I hate to use the word robust, but it is robust.

00:23:39.560 I don't want to overuse that word.

00:23:41.740 We are continually working with our workforce strategy to ensure that we have the staffing,

00:23:49.520 not just at this hospital, but at all hospitals across Alberta.

00:23:53.200 I would invite Dr. Oberg up to speak to that a little bit more fully.

00:23:57.940 as he represents the Alberta Health Services.

00:24:01.700 Thank you very much, Minister.

00:24:03.260 And obviously, when you open a new hospital,

00:24:05.420 there has to be a tremendous amount of new staff.

00:24:08.280 We're currently, as the Minister stated,

00:24:10.980 have several initiatives going that are looking at recruiting new staff.

00:24:16.620 In the last 10 days, we've hired 250 more frontline staff,

00:24:21.360 and we're certainly pushing that forward.

00:24:23.880 We recognize that we need it.

00:24:25.180 We recognize that we need more full-time staff.

00:24:27.940 and we're certainly certainly moving in that direction just to follow up in one

00:24:33.400 additional question at 250 frontline staff in the last 10 days do you have

00:24:36.600 any estimates in terms of how many have been hired in the last year to ensure

00:24:39.760 that these workforce strategies are in fact working and then just another

00:24:43.120 question for the minister in terms of specific commitments they'll be in the

00:24:45.900 budget to support family physicians we've heard an ongoing concerns from

00:24:49.180 that group in order to retain those professionals here in Alberta yeah I

00:24:52.820 don't do not have the numbers for the whole last year but as I say there was

00:24:56.820 250 in the last 10 days which is great we're going out and hiring nurses we're

00:25:02.520 going out and hiring LPNs we're hiring assistants we're hiring frontline staff

00:25:08.820 and I want to reiterate that the frontline staff are incredibly important

00:25:14.040 they're incredibly important to this facility the new Stollery facility and

00:25:17.920 every other facility in Alberta thank you dr. Oberg and I would add to that

00:25:24.180 that that also the College of Physicians and Surgeons have streamlined their

00:25:28.660 processes in particular with physicians and I know that in the last six months

00:25:33.540 alone they've registered over 200 and 60 no sorry it's over 300 physicians to

00:25:42.420 practice in Alberta of which about 170 were family physicians and that number

00:25:48.120 continues to grow you'll have to stay tuned for the budget and look at the

00:25:53.680 line item on physicians but I will stand by our commitment to making sure that we

00:25:59.720 have family physicians and clinics and practices across Alberta that are able

00:26:07.340 to be properly funded and sustainable for the long term and with that I'll

00:26:14.260 just remind everyone of the two hundred and fifty seven million dollars of

00:26:17.620 funding that we allocated before Christmas to sustain family practices

00:26:23.120 and then just look forward to budget day and sharing more information at that time.

00:26:30.080 All right. Thanks, everyone. Seeing no more questions at the mic,

00:26:32.560 I'm going to turn over to those on the phone and just a reminder

00:26:36.000 that we are going to stick to one question and one follow-up first on the phone. Please go ahead.

00:26:42.160 Catherine Gagowski, Alberta Today.

00:26:44.960 Hi. Thanks for taking my question. I'm hoping you can explain what the difference is in planning

00:26:50.160 that has already been done and what will be in this round of planning

00:26:57.360 i'm sorry could you repeat the question i couldn't hear you very well

00:27:02.640 oh sure so what is going to be done in this advanced stage of planning okay so so this

00:27:10.560 level of planning will now go into the next stage where it really uh starts to look at

00:27:16.320 where will this facility go what is going to be incorporated within the walls of that facility

00:27:23.760 how do we then take that to the next phase of a business plan a functional plan

00:27:30.240 which then leads to the design and and build stage so this really just takes it up a notch

00:27:38.720 before it was conceptual now we're making it become very real

00:27:42.400 Catherine did you have a follow-up because I'm committing to making sure that this planning

00:28:04.540 goes along very very quickly and that we all know that there is a need for this the current

00:28:11.020 Stollery as I indicated earlier is I understand spread out over 11 different sites when I came

00:28:18.140 to tour it here a few months ago you know we were walking all over the place as was indicated by

00:28:24.380 Shelley you know you're in amongst all the adults there's you know the mental health space for

00:28:29.260 children is very small very limited there's a huge need when we look across Edmonton and surrounding

00:28:36.460 area there's many hospitals dedicated to adults there's only one dedicated to

00:28:41.440 children in the north and that's the Stollery it deserves to be a standalone

00:28:45.340 and we will make sure it happens all right operator please put through the

00:28:50.860 next in the queue Rick Bell media good morning I have a question I'm not sure

00:28:59.740 if it's for the health minister or for dr. over for whom this will be a very

00:29:04.960 familiar question from past days what do you what do you say to frontline

00:29:11.440 health care workers such as nurses for instance who want substantial pay

00:29:17.840 increases in their negotiations and whose requests are far away from what

00:29:28.360 the government is or ahs is currently offering well um they call it negotiations because that's

00:29:36.760 exactly what happens you negotiate they start with a starting point we start with the starting point

00:29:42.680 and then we get to hopefully what will be a happy medium what i would say is nurses are valuable 0.93

00:29:49.320 health care professionals they do an amazing job um you know i've gotten nurses in my family

00:29:57.800 in my extended family etc and all of us have interacted with nurses they do a tremendous job

00:30:04.120 but we we do have to go through the negotiation process and get to a place where

00:30:09.480 we can all be happy and move forward

00:30:11.080 And supplementary, this budget that's coming out on Thursday, the Premier already indicated

00:30:21.380 in the TV address that there would have to be some restraint in spending, so given the

00:30:27.900 fact that she said there has to be some restraint in spending, not cuts, but definitely reductions

00:30:33.320 from spending increases of the past,

00:30:37.940 how can you possibly get to a happy medium

00:30:40.640 when I'm just doing a rough map,

00:30:42.440 the happy medium for nurses would be like a 10% 0.91

00:30:46.420 or 15% pay raise this year.

00:30:48.680 So yes, it's negotiations,

00:30:51.500 but how firm a line in the sand are you going to draw

00:30:56.700 when it comes to this bargaining?

00:31:00.660 Well, negotiations, as I said, Rick,

00:31:03.220 are just that, they're a back and forth.

00:31:05.960 And I know having been involved in negotiations

00:31:09.680 throughout my time as education minister

00:31:12.700 and previously when I was school board trustee,

00:31:15.040 there's a lot of back and forth.

00:31:16.380 There's a lot of give and take.

00:31:18.240 There's also items that are of a monetary value,

00:31:22.420 but there's always what are considered no cost items,

00:31:25.840 but there's always a cost to those as well.

00:31:28.280 I don't want to preempt the negotiations.

00:31:30.260 so I'll leave it to the negotiators

00:31:32.240 to come up with a settlement that works for everyone.

00:31:37.980 All right, thanks everyone.

00:31:39.200 Noting we have no one else in the queue,

00:31:41.120 that wraps up our press conference today.

00:31:42.820 Thanks everyone for coming out.

00:31:44.220 Thank you.

Western Standard - February 28, 2024

Stollery Children’s Hospital Receives Increased Support from Alberta Government

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