I'm Back!

I'm sure that you know that I'm back home now from the hospital.  My son Rhys has tried to keep everyone informed. 

My surgery was a complete success and I should be back  to normal (or my version of normal) in about three weeks.

I would like to again thank the surgical staff and the staff of Nursing Unit #82 at the Rockyview Hospital in Calgary.  Those folks work so very hard doing what they do so very well!  For a while I felt a little guilty for my constant and unrelenting criticism of Alberta's severely broken health care system.

Then I realized that those hard working, dedicated folks at the Rockyview are not where the problems lie!  Those people are working so very hard to keep the sinking health care ship afloat.  We need to support them, and help them in any way we can to get those higher up in the health care system to realize what's going on and to start moving toward fixing it!

Thank you to all those who sent me their best wishes for a speedy recovery.  Those wishes meant a lot to me!

August Coffee at Beiseker Airport

photo courtesy Rocky View Weekly

I have cancel this month's Coffee Time and Open House at the Beiseker Airport.  Each third Saturday of every month I put on a big pot of coffee and my wife bakes some goodies for Coffee Time.  We enjoy the coffee, the goodies, and "plane talk" between 10:00 a.m. and Noon.  Everyone is welcome!

Unfortunately, this month's date comes two days after my long awaited surgery so I will not be able to set things up this time. 

See you all on September 17th!

Ears Bitten on Airdrie Health Care

An old cowboy will tell you that if you've got a green horse or one that's a bit wild and you want to get up into its saddle you get a helper to bite the horse's ear.  The theory being, that the bite on the ear will distract the horse's attention from what's really happening.  After the rider is safely in the saddle the helper will let go of the horse's ear and make a run for the fence;  the rider is on his own!

I fear that the good people of Airdrie are having their ears bitten.  All this rhetoric about creating only a "24 hour health care" facility is distracting the good people of Airdrie from what should be the goal; getting a full fledged hospital in that great little city! 

Getting a 24-hour health care facility is obvious and should start to happen within the next few months.  Getting the hospital will take much longer.

We need a regional association, created to keep pushing for that hospital!  As mentioned on this blog, before, it took Vaughan, Ontario more than thirty years to finally get the province to listen and get a real hospital built.  We can't wait that long!

Hospital Lessons from Vaughan, Ontario

While pushing for a real hospital in the city of Airdrie, I've been yipping on about that city being the largest city in Canada without a hospital.  I was wrong!

That dubious distinction belongs to the City of Vaughan, Ontario, located outside Toronto.  It's now a city of around 300,000 - and they still don't have a hospital!  The Ontario provincial government has been telling the good folks of Vaughan that they don't really need a hospital.  Because hospitals cost a fortune to build!  And after all, Toronto is just down the road -- and they have hospitals.  This discussion has been going on for years now.

Vaughan was a small city of less than 50,000 only 30 years ago.  It was (and is) one of the fastest-growing communities in Ontario.  But a number of Ontario governments said a hospital would be too expensive for such a small place!  Nothing happened. 

Now they're coming up on 300,000 residents, and the Ontario government is saying, "Holy crap, they need a hospital!  Why didn't anybody tell us?"

Does this whole story remind you of another small city just outside Calgary, with a similar story to tell?

The good news is that I understand  the new Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital is now under construction and will be completed in a couple of years.  But its total cost will be be much higher than it would have been had they built it a few years back, when the need for a hospital in Vaughan was first identified by people living in the city.

They say that those who do not know history are destined to repeat it.

Well Premier Notley, there's a bit of history for you.  What's the plan?

Federal Election: Focusing on the Ball

As the federal election campaign grinds on, I think many have lost sight of the real issues.

This whole thing surrounding the trial about Mike Duffy's Senate expenses appears to be taking up a huge amount of attention by the media, at the expense of everything else.

So let's focus on the real issues;

1. Canada's public infrastructure is crumbling.  How will our new federal government address this?
2. The terror and upheaval in the Near East created by the Taliban, the Islamic State, and a few other extremist groups needs to be brought to an end!  Will Canada be taking a meaningful part in that process?
3. Canada's economy continues to sputter along.  How will the new government address Canada's teetering on the edge of recession?
4. In most provinces in Canada, including ours, the health services program is totally screwed up.  How will our new government take steps to remedy this health care shortfall?
5. Many of Canada's aboriginal people are in crisis.  What will our new government do about it?  What past federal governments have done is obviously not working at all!
6. The pipeline/oil exploration/oil sands debate continues.  The world needs Canada's oil!  Right now, oil prices are way down but supply-demand calculations show that can't last for ever.  How will our new government make sure Canada can move it's petroleum products quickly, safely and environmentally friendly to markets?  

There are other issues, but those are the six which I think should be addressed by all candidates in practically every speech they make.  Let Mike Duffy stew in the mess he seems to have created for himself, and lets focus on the real issues!

Questions for the Candidates: Health, Education and Social Services

This last question is about 'HESS.'  In my view, every time our provincial government wants to tighten the belt, they start by reducing funding to Health, Education and Social Services!  Funding for these three areas is hard enough as it is, but tougher times make it almost impossible.

• Plans for new or upgraded health facilities are put on hold or dropped completely.
• Funds to school divisions are frozen or reduced even though student populations are ever-increasing.
• Health workers, social workers and teachers are asked to accept reduced or frozen salaries even though their jobs are becoming more difficult.
• Funding for new neighborhood school construction is years (sometimes decades!) behind the identified need for the facility. 

Question #5:  If your party forms Alberta's next government, how will it maintain needed funding to Health, Education, and Social Services while addressing these tough economic times?

Airdrie Health Survey

Alberta Health Services has initiated an online survey to gauge our health needs in the Airdrie area!  I haven't participated, but I plan to in the near future.  Many of the folks hereabouts are focusing their efforts on the creation of a 24 hour urgent health care facility in Airdrie.  That's a good start!

But while this is an admirable goal, it falls short of what this area around the City of Airdrie really needs - and that is a full fledged hospital!  When I'm talking hospital, I'm not talking about a small hospital such as those we find in Three Hills, Drumheller or Didsbury.  While these are wonderful facilities for the communities they serve, they fall short of what this area needs.  I'm talking about a complete care facility - such as the general hospitals in Red Deer, Medicine Hat or Lethbridge - but one similar to the South Health Campus would be ideal.

I believe that Airdrie is the largest city in Alberta (and perhaps all of Canada) without a hospital!  For any kind of serious health treatment, perhaps more than 100,000 people in the area have to scamper into Calgary, to wait in the already crowded health system and facilities, there!  The good folks of Okotoks and Alderside now have a fantastic hospital facility - the South Health Campus - gradually opening up close to them at the southern edge of Calgary.  We on the north side must be second class Albertans?

We need a similar facility, built somewhere immediately north or immediately south of the City of Airdrie. 

I urge you all to participate in the health survey and let all of those who read the results know that we do not like being treated as second class Albertans!

Airdrie Needs a Hospital!

The City of Airdrie is among the fastest growing communities in Alberta.  But I understand that, with a population approaching sixty thousand, Airdrie is still without plans to have a hospital there!

I think that is ridiculous and disgusting!  Calgary has the new South Health Campus, which is a beautiful facility, but it certainly was never designed to help the folks from up north here - it's just too far away!  We need a similar facility built somewhere right around Airdrie!  NOW!

I've been told that over 1200 babies are born in Calgary hospitals each year to Airdrie parents!   New moms are transported down one of the busiest highways in Canada, to a hospital many kilometers away from their home communities.  New dads have little choice but to either get a hotel room in Calgary, sleep on the hospitals' floors, or commute from Airdrie to visit their new families!

What kind of a system is that?

Those in the Provincial government say that Airdrie's huge and rapid growth was hard to predict.  Well, predict it or not, it's here!  So what is going to be done about it?

I say let's shelve the "Big City Charters," for now and concentrate all resources on addressing this health care crisis in Airdrie.  I'm sure the mayors of Calgary and Edmonton would both agree that this is a much more pressing problem!   Our new Premier, Jim Prentice, must be made aware of this situation.  He's been too quiet on this crisis so far. 

What are we going to do about it?

Hospital Parking!

Photo courtesy of the Calgary Sun

The cost of parking at Alberta's hospitals and health care centres is appalling.  When one visits a family member or friend in a hospital in this province, they are subjected to artificially high parking fees!

There is no option but to pay up.  Visitors are a captive clientèle!  They need to visit their sick or injured friends or family members. Thee is nowhere else to park around many hospitals.  Many facilities do not have decent public transit access (which is moot for us out-of-towners, anyway).  You want to visit a hospital; you pay!

I have learned that in many cases the revenue generated by parking fees accounts for less than 1% of the total revenue for that hospital!  That appears to be a lot of hate and discontent generated over such a paltry contribution to the overall budget. 

I have also learned that some health facilities hire private companies to operate their parking facilities.  These companies are allowed to attach huge fines to those who park longer than they should.  In some cases that penalty fee goes directly into the coffers of the parking company - the hospital doesn't see a dime of that money.

I believe there should be a small fee for parking at a city hospital or medical clinic, but I think those  fees are getting completely out of hand!  Maybe our Minister of Health (Fred Horne) needs to check out this situation.

Getting Healthier

As most of you know the most exercise I usually get is running off at the mouth!

Lately I have decided to change that. My wife and I joined a fitness program at Genesis Place in Airdrie.  Genesis Place is located on East Lake Boulevard in East Airdrie so it's easy to get to from here. We have been learning how to exercise for heart health and for body strength.

I have always hated exercising, but I am actually enjoying this program. The facility there second to none and the folks there helping us are friendly, encouraging, and very professional!

If you have a faltering New Year's resolution or just want to be a little healthier I strongly suggest you contact the folks at Genesis Place in Airdrie.