1 week Ago By Cindy Tran
Article content At the end of October, when the Alberta government introduced a trifecta of bills surrounding amendments to health, education, and sports , among the proposed legislation was one that would dub the Ministry of Seniors, Community and Social Services (SCSS) a “custodian” under the Health Information Act. Under Bill 26 — the Health Statutes Amendment Act 2024 — proposed changes included “administrative amendments” that would designate SCSS a custodian — an organization or entity responsible for health information that can include physicians, chiropractors, nurses, Alberta Health Services, and Alberta Health. The province said the amendment would allow SCSS to bypass requesting Alberta Health for “health information they need to support Albertans.
” Seniors, Community and Social Services Minister Jason Nixon said in a statement to Postmedia the change would ensure seniors, people with disabilities, those facing homelessness, and other vulnerable Albertans have access to services for both medical and non-medical needs. “We are currently establishing a transitional committee that will help guide this transformation, and we will be consulting with key organizations, operators, and experts as work progresses,” Nixon said. In October, the Alberta government announced long-term care and supportive living programs would no longer be under the purview of the Health Ministry and instead named Nixon as the one responsible for continuing care across the province.
The changes are part of the government’s health-care system overhaul that is seeing Alberta Health Services broken up into four new agencies, including one responsible for continuing care. Improving connectivity According to SCSS, the amendment would allow the ministry to access the health information it needs to support Albertans without requesting information from Alberta Health. Eliminating the step is also meant to improve efficiency while supporting Nixon in his new role as sector minister for continuing care.
The amendment is said to improve connectivity among health-care providers and community support to ensure patients, their caregivers, and their information “can travel through the system more easily.” Health Minister Adriana LaGrange will remain the oversight minister and the minister responsible for the overall health-care system in Alberta. Alberta NDP health critic Sarah Hoffman said the province’s focus should be on investing in expanding capacity and addressing issues surrounding recruitment and retention when it comes to health-care professionals.
“I don’t think Albertans really care who’s at the top of the orgnizational chart,” Hoffman said. “They care that they actually get the right care in the right place at the right time, and we aren’t seeing that under the UCP or Danielle Smith, and I don’t think — if it’s Adriana LaGrange she wants to blame or Jason Nixon — that it’s going to change the outcome unless they actually start signing these deals that they’ve been negotiating and investing in building more capacity.” ctran@postmedia.
com @kccindytran.
