News for Alberta’s health workforce

The College of LPNs and HCAs of Alberta Council recently updated bylaws regarding decision-making and committee practices. The Council also granted full approval to the HCA program at Red Deer Polytechnic and conditional approval to HCA programs at Training Inc., Northern Lights College, and Red Deer Polytechnic's satellite campus.

The Alberta government is providing $5 million to Bow Valley College to develop a proposal for a new Health Care Centre of Excellence. This funding will support project design and cost estimation to potentially expand training programs for nurses, pharmacy technicians, health care aides, and therapy assistants.

The Enoch maskêkosihk Recovery Community has been completed with $35 million in provincial capital funding. The 75-bed facility provides no-cost, culturally grounded addiction treatment for up to 300 people annually in the Edmonton region. Treatment services are scheduled to begin this December, offering support for up to one year.

Alberta has increased acute care capacity to over 9,000 spaces, including 221 permanent beds and 194 temporary beds. The province also launched a Provincial Integrated Operations Centre to coordinate resources and a Triage Liaison Physician program to place doctors in emergency waiting areas. Additionally, hospitals are implementing automated daily staffing reports to improve resource management.

Health Quality Alberta has published a guide and toolkit designed to foster civility within health care environments. These materials aim to support safer care outcomes by improving professional interactions.