Alberta Health Services

Every day, Albertans have access to fresh water. That doesn’t happen by accident. For World Water Day we highlight how AHS helps ensure water safety for the public, shining the spotlight on our Environmental and Public Health team in Central Zone. Our Central Zone team of 34 public health inspectors (PHIs) is responsible for regulating over 870 public primary water systems throughout central Alberta. These include places not connected to a municipal or regional system, such as rural schools and community halls, public pools, campgrounds and restaurants. Inspectors ensure water provided to the public is safe for human consumption and recreation, conducting regular sampling and treatment when necessary. In 2024 alone Central Zone PHIs responded to almost 1400 service requests, testing more than 36,200 water samples for drinking water, aquatics and recreational water. Inspectors are also a helpful resource for regulators and operators of over 400 public secondary and private community water systems across central Alberta, providing treatment advice and inspection services for mobile home parks, small rural subdivisions and Hutterite colonies. AHS also supports Alberta Environment and Protected Areas (EPA) when situations arise that could impact the safety of the water provided for human consumption in Alberta communities. Finally, AHS inspectors are there to help homeowners and businesses with valuable information on dealing with clean up after natural emergencies, explaining water sample results, and providing guidance on taking care of wells and operating a business safely during a boil water advisory. Visit the ‘Drinking Water’ section of our webpage to request a water sample, and learn more about ensuring access to clean drinking water in your home https://lnkd.in/g96EJcua

"I enjoy helping people navigate a world that can sometimes feel too overwhelming to face alone," says Mishonne Temple, a social worker in Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary. Social workers like Temple go beyond medical care to assist patients through life’s most challenging moments – often when there are no easy answers. “This can range from managing the cost of medication to finding an alternative living arrangement. We also provide emotional support with new diagnoses or end of life situations, which happen often in an acute care setting,” she explains. “It can sometimes feel like finding a destination without a map,” Temple adds. But day in and day out, she is dedicated to helping patients through unimaginable journeys. “For them, it’s a day they’ll never forget, and I do not take that for granted”. March is Social Work Month and we are grateful to have so many compassionate social workers caring for Albertans every day.

We continue to see social media posts claiming to offer free Health Care Assistant (HCA) courses provided by AHS. AHS is not offering free HCA courses - this is a scam. We only offer training to current AHS employees. For legitimate HCA opportunities, please visit our website: https://lnkd.in/gKkfq2Vk   If you suspect an account is posing as AHS, send us an email at info.cybersecurity@ahs.ca and report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.    #FraudPreventionMonth #FraudAwareness #RecruitmentFraud

We’re seeking passionate and skilled Clinical Perfusionists to be key players in the exciting world of cardiopulmonary support, where cutting-edge technologies and life-saving care come together. Be at the forefront of innovative therapies like intra-aortic balloon pumps, autologous blood processing, and transplant organ circulatory support all within the Clinical Perfusion scope. Join our life-saving team at Canada’s largest VAD implant center, the Mazankowski Heart Institute in Edmonton, apply now: https://lnkd.in/gA3Sw5Kx #AHScareers #CardiovascularPerfusionist #ClinicalPerfusionist

Meet Kendall van Diepen, a clinical dietitian based in Edmonton who helps patients with complex gastrointestinal conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, and gastroparesis. “Sharing food with friends and family are some of my fondest memories,” says Kendall. “As I got older, I wanted my love of food and interest in nutrition to be part of both my career and lifestyle.” Kendall’s passion lies in making nutrition science easy to understand and debunking common food myths. “There’s so much misinformation online that leads people to unnecessary restrictions. It’s incredibly rewarding to tell someone, ‘Yes, you CAN eat that!’ after they’ve been avoiding it for months or years.” On #DietitiansDay, AHS is proud to recognize dedicated dietitians like Kendall, who help Albertans feel confident in their food choices. #ThankADietitian

Now hiring! Acute Care Coverage is currently recruiting for multiple positions in the Edmonton Zone, and Associate Physicians are needed for Surgery inpatient units, Family Medicine, Neurology, Thoracic, General Internal Medicine, Pulmonary, Orthopedics, intensive Care Unit, and Psychiatry. International Medical Graduates (IMGs) who have submitted a complete application package to ACSAP and shared the applicable documentation according to the requirements listed on the program website are eligible to apply. Apply by June 6th, 2025: https://lnkd.in/gJxUYRDq #AHScareers #HealthcareCareers #AlbertaJobs

James McNeil’s journey with illness has been shaped by a deep desire to make a difference, even in the face of a terminal diagnosis. At 73, living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), McNeil is finding meaning in the time he has, and offering a voice to those who need to be heard as a volunteer with Alberta Health Services. A year ago, McNeil joined the Citizen Advisory Team at Calgary’s South Health Campus. He later became a Patient-Family Advisor, conducting interviews to gather feedback on improving patient care. “Having been in the same state—from being in hospital to being worried, ‘Am I ever going to walk again?’ to ‘How quickly is my IPF going to progress?’—I could understand to some degree their confusion, their fears,” he says. McNeil’s health challenges began in 2010 with a heart attack that led to an urgent visit to Calgary’s Foothills Medical Centre. Over the next several years, he would be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, severe diabetic neuropathy, and eventually, IPF. It was in 2016 that an eagle-eyed doctor noticed an unusual shadow on a chest X-ray and referred McNeil to a respiratory specialist. After a series of tests, his IPF diagnosis was confirmed, along with a sobering prognosis: most patients with IPF, a disease that causes lung scarring and makes breathing difficult, live only three to five years. He tried one of the two medications approved to slow the progression of IPF, but the side effects were debilitating. He and his doctors decided to stop treatment, knowing there was no cure. Despite the growing toll on his health, McNeil remained focused on giving back. He and Wanda, his wife of more than 50 years, put their affairs in order. But McNeil wasn’t ready to let his illness define him. Instead, he’s drawn on a lifetime of advocacy and community involvement—a commitment he and Wanda have shared throughout their marriage. For the past 25 years, Wanda has volunteered with the Children’s Hospital Aid Society (CHAS), supporting children across Calgary, while McNeil has focused on building a healthier society through his work with the University of Calgary and the Rotary/Mattamy Greenway project. “Even though I am considered palliative, and the goal is to keep me comfortable as the IPF progresses, I am not going to be that guy waiting for the inevitable to happen as I try to be the best version of myself each and every day,” he says. “I decided that if I couldn’t change the outcome, I could still make a difference.” If you are interested in volunteering with AHS, visit AHS.ca/volunteers.

Provide clinical support in a brand-new state-of-the-art facility and join a provincial team with far-reaching influence! We're seeking an analytical, precise, problem solver for the role of Medical Physicist at the Arthur Child Cancer Center in Calgary. You’ll have the opportunity to work with some of the best and brightest within your field, conduct research, publish papers, and teach and mentor future clinicians in Diagnostic Imaging and Medical Physicist excellence. This could be the opportunity for you - apply now: https://lnkd.in/gjbsZuR3 #AHScareers #MedicalPhysicist #DiagnosticImaging #Calgary

Imagine your favourite song coming on the radio, and how much you’d love to sing along. But the words just won’t come. You draw a total blank. Or every time you speak, putting a sentence together can be a mentally tortuous affair. For Tara Livingston, her bleak new reality hit in the blink of an eye, following a hemorrhagic stroke on Nov. 8, 2023. Her brain bleed left her living with aphasia, a condition that causes people to have problems with communicating, including speaking, writing and understanding speech and written words. “It breaks my heart. All of my lyrics are gone. The soundtrack of my life; it’s all gone,” says the former Anglican priest and divorce mediator, in halting sentences, with brief pauses, as she gathers and assembles her thoughts before speaking. While some stroke survivors are left with degrees of paralysis on a side of their body, or other mobility or physical issues, Livingston experienced no issues in this regard, which renders her disability invisible to those she meets, which can leave her flustered, or worsen her aphasia in stressful situations. “I have times when it’s very difficult for me to even think about talking to strangers. I’m afraid that people are going to treat me like I’m not smart. That I’m not competent. And sometimes, this gets me down. But Livingston is not alone in her struggles. She’s found a strong ally and healer thanks to her speech-language pathology care team at Alberta Health Services, accessing help to adapt, relearn and regain as much of her lost abilities as nature will allow. “Tara’s very bright. Very competent. While she sometimes struggles to get her information across or articulate her words, she comprehends everything that’s going on,” says Kevin Lindland, speech-language pathology professional practice lead, Rehabilitation & Specialized Clinical Services, who gave her speech therapy in the weeks immediately after her stroke at Foothills Medical Centre. To fully embrace “Tara 2.0”, as Livingston describes her reinvention, she went so far as to far as to hold a farewell ceremony for her old self. “In the summer, I had a little funeral for myself. It was also a celebration of transformation, because I was wallowing in self-pity there, and I needed to have an ending point of that. Since then, I’ve been feeling so much better about my future.” “I want you to understand … that I’m fantastic!”

Curiosity and a craving for adventure inspired Registered Nurse (RN) Christopher Viola to try locum nursing. “I was already working for AHS (for more than 20 years), but I wanted to experience what it was like working as a travel nurse versus a regular full-time job. I enjoy a small-town atmosphere and wanted to see more of Alberta.” “My first assignment was in High Prairie; I was there for a month,” he says. “I took three weeks off and then went to High Level for six months. After that I took a few months off, and now I’m in Fort Vermilion. It’s definitely remote, but I like the peace and quiet.” “My kids are all grown up now so I can travel more,” he adds. “I choose to work longer assignments for stability of staffing and to help sites who need my services. The best part of working as a locum nurse is the flexibility. You can pick and choose your work, where you want to go and how long you want to stay.” Developed with rural and remote communities in mind, the program brings relief to sites with longstanding vacancies and recruitment challenges. AHS’ locum nurses reduce reliance on overtime and agency nursing as well as address front-line workload issues and service interruptions. “It’s the AHS version of travel nursing,” says Kim McGlynn, AHS Relief Team program manager with North Zone Staffing Services. “The intent of the North Zone RN/RPN Locum program is to provide experienced nurses to sites struggling with staffing. Locum nurses go to these sites on temporary assignments, and after a short orientation, are able to hit the ground running.” While he’s always enjoyed being a nurse, Viola says he’s found a fresh level of job satisfaction through his new adventures and the people he’s met as a locum nurse. “Making a difference in the lives of patients and clients — and being appreciated for the work that you do — it’s really satisfying. That feeling of being wanted, while making a difference, is second to none.” Read more about locum nursing at https://lnkd.in/gWFHraqe