Health Secretary Adriana LaGrange will airlift sick babies if needed

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Sharp revelations that there may be no hospital room for Alberta's youngest patients sparked an outcry before the legislature on Tuesday.

“There's nothing worse than having a baby or having a baby in the NICU,” said Health Minister Adriana LaGrange, who hours earlier received a letter of protest from Edmonton-area medical leaders about the alarming stresses in the province's neonatal intensive care units. .

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LaGrange said his department and Alberta Health Services will provide him with a full briefing and options as soon as possible.

“At the end of the day, my priority is taking care of these babies and their families. If we have to fly them to Calgary or other provinces, I'll do whatever it takes,” he said.

“I've personally announced the Stollery and we're looking to expand into the Foothills space, which is already underway,” he said.

Neonatologist Dr. Amber Reichert signed the letter, which was signed by Dr. Mona Gill, president of the Edmonton Area Medical Officers Association.

A letter sent to LaGrange and Alberta Health Services president and CEO Afana Mentselopoulos cites the grim numbers.

The Edmonton facilities were running 95 percent to 102 percent of the time 30 percent of the time in the first three months of 2024.

A safe occupancy rate for the NICU is 75 percent. Alberta's NICUs have averaged 90 percent capacity over the past three years, but more than a quarter of the time they are at or above capacity.

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“By April, the capacity was close to 100 percent. While many sectors of the health care system are operating above 100 percent, the bed closures in the NICU in particular are really affecting babies,” Gill told Postmedia Tuesday.

In 2016, research indicated that 20 to 30 additional NICU beds were needed. The timing was perfect for the planned south Edmonton hospital, with 21 new NICU beds expected.

In 2022 and again in 2023, briefing notes were provided to Alberta Health that raised the alarm about the urgent need for beds, staff, transport teams and pediatric/neonatology teams.

“These are largely ignored,” Gill said.

“The lack of Tier 1 support — the health care providers who provide overnight care to hospitals — is a problem in the region, and we believe AHS and Covenant Health must be accountable for the crisis.”

Reichert said Tuesday that the Edmonton area has NICU beds and equipment ready to go, but they don't have the staff.

“My personal view on air transport of babies/families is that it would be a very expensive short-term band-aid that doesn't address much deeper problems,” Reichert said.

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“Our government should have supported the south Edmonton hospital, which will have 21 additional NICU beds. This project has been shelved (despite a large financial investment from taxpayer dollars) with no clear plan to immediately address the capacity crisis,” he said.

Equitable distribution of human resources across Edmonton-area NICUs is difficult because three are part of Alberta Health Services and two are under contract health, he said.

“Neonatologists work as a team to cover all NICUs, but we cannot provide effective and safe care without a team that includes bedside and charge nurses, dietitians, respiratory therapists, and level 1 providers such as neonatal nurses and clinical assistants. with our specialized experienced doctors.

Neonatal intensive care has a bit of an advantage because they can predict the number of admissions based on delivery numbers at a particular site, Reichert said.

“We need to have the manpower to care for the babies that are admitted, as well as resuscitate and support the newborns that come in every day. “Statistics show that every 10 babies need some kind of help to transition to 'life outside the womb,'” he said.

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The outgoing leader of the opposition PDP had harsh words for the UCP government.

“Recommending that babies be taken out of the province to get the care they need is a statement of failure by the UCP government,” said Rachel Notley.

“Daniel Smith should focus on doing what it takes to recruit and retain more important workers than nickel and diming them at the bargaining table and then writing slanderous press releases about them. That's not the way to ensure we have the health workers we need,” he said.

“He should reverse his decision to abandon the new hospital in south Edmonton, which would add new NICU beds in addition to the new Stollery to bring us to the minimum capacity needed for our young and growing population. This is the prime minister's most important job, but instead he spends his time whining about the prime minister's powers. Daniel Smith should understand this situation as an emergency.”

“AHS has NICU capacity across the province and our frontline teams continue to provide the best patient care possible,” Alberta Health Services said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.

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“Every child who needs intensive care will continue to receive it,” AHS spokeswoman Kerry Williamson said.

“AHS is experiencing significant patient demand in our major urban centers, including demand for neonatal intensive care unit services. However, there is capacity in the system.

“Fully ranges from 90 to a little over 100 percent, but again, we're at capacity,” Williamson said, referring to the province having 40 available beds as of Tuesday afternoon.

“During peak patient periods, our teams work closely with colleagues in other areas, and children requiring NICU care may be transferred to other sites if necessary.”

Seeing the delicate body of a 13-week-old premature baby in a glass cradle, wrapped in tubes and tapes — not even developed enough for cartilage in the nose or ears — can be terrifying.

The idea that the hospital might not have room is inconceivable, Notley said.

“My heart goes out to the families of the children who should be celebrating their children's birthdays in the NICU but are dealing with nightmares instead. It only adds to their grief to be told that the care their little one needs is not available in Alberta.”

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