The CAMROSE BOOSTER, March 31, 2015 – Page 12
New ambulatory care clinic reduces waiting times at St. Mary’s Hospital By Murray Green
Covenant Health St. Mary’s Hospital Camrose has created a new clinic to reduce wait times for patients. Patients waiting for ambulatory care at the St. Mary’s Hospital emergency room have experienced a shorter wait time since last November because of a new ambulatory care clinic dedicated to meet the needs of stable outpatients. “It is way faster. We don’t have to wait anymore and that saves a lot of time,” said patient Ryan Lee, who loves the new clinic and service. “It is a lot quieter at this clinic than sitting in emergency.” He needs a ride from his Bashaw area home for iron blood infusions. Ryan started the journey once a week seven years ago and it varies to about one trip a month now. “Before we couldn’t make other appointments because it took all day to for Ryan to receive an iron infusion, said his mother, Kathy Lee. “Now we are trying it once a month for six months and see where we are at then. His anxiety level has gone down, so I could slip away if I had to. I couldn’t before.” With emergencies always taking priority, the one and a half hour procedure often took a full eight hours to complete, which took a full day out of the lives of the patients and, in some cases, a caregiver as well. This new space allows patients to receive the care they need sooner, better serving the community of Camrose. The clinic has served 198 patients to date and could reach as many as 60 patients a month. “The Ambulatory Care Clinic has taken a large volume of patients out of our emergency department. This change does not affect the
Covenant Health St. Mary’s Hospital Camrose registered nurse Leora Hopfe and emergency manager Michelle Bowman assist patient Ryan Lee in the new ambulatory care clinic.
emergency wait time because emergency patients were always seen first. Emergency care is based on a triage system where the sickest patients are always seen first. These outpatients have standing orders and therefore can be treated by a nurse without seeing a physician and with no wait time,” explained Michelle Bowman, emergency room manager at St. Mary’s. “From 2008 to 2010 it averaged five hours for an infusion because I had a higher dose,” said Ryan. “Emergency only has 11 beds, so Ryan alone was taking up a bed for five hours. Often we had to take him out of the bed because we needed it, so he would have to sit in the waiting room having his infusion. This clinic is now a huge difference for all of our out patients,” said Bowman. “The staff that I have
met in the whole hospital has been great,” added Ryan. “The outpatients coming to the ambulatory care clinic are so pleased,” continued Michelle. “You have a time booked and now you know that you will be seen in a timely manner.” The new clinic operates on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. allowing for the treatment of up to six patients at one time. Patients are referred to the clinic by a physician and are given an appointment, ensuring they no longer have to wait in the emergency room queue and they get treated in a timely manner. Some examples of procedures an ambulatory care patient may receive include infusion of blood and blood components, intravenous medication infusions, phlebotomies and other treat-
ments as prescribed by their physicians. The clinic was in the planning stage for two years before it opened last November. “The room was used for education purposes before. Originally it was two semiprivate rooms. Over the years it has evolved into many different things,” explained Michelle. Covenant Health is Canada’s largest Catholic health care organization with over 14,000 physicians, employees and volunteers serving in 12 communities across Alberta. A major provider in Alberta’s integrated health system, Covenant Health works with Alberta Health Services and community partners to positively influence the health of Albertans through a broad range of programs and services.
ASBA welcomes decision on exams The A lberta School Boards Association welcomed the government’s decision to drop the amount diploma exam marks count towards an Alberta student’s final mark from 50 per cent to 30 per cent. “This decision was a long time coming and it positively impacts high school students in this province,” said ASBA president Helen Clease. “Today’s decision will be met with cheers from students, parents and staff. Communities have been telling school boards for a long time that this is one of their priorities.” At the ASBA’s November 2014 meeting, 82 per cent of Alberta school boards supported a motion calling on the government to drop the weight of diploma exams. Clease also welcomed the 24 new partnerships that will allow Alberta high school students to earn post-secondary credits or workplace certification in fields like carpentry, welding, esthetics, and accounting. “These partnerships support school boards’ efforts to create new pathways for student learning. Anytime we can create these opportunities for students, it is a good thing,” said Clease.
Round Hill community comes together for Mike Twerdun Submitted
It is always amazing to see a tiny community like Round Hill come together when a need arises. On March 13, a packed community hall full of family, friends, neighbours and community volunteers enjoyed enough potluck to feed everyone fourfold. Two hundred plus donations for a silent auction displayed generosity that surpassed anybody’s expectations. The bidding on the silent auction was brisk with many items having many bidders. A live auction was held for a few selected items which provided some entertainment for the evening. The auctioneer was able to coerce lively bidders to pay over a hundred dollars for a homemade pie. People not only gave through the auction but they also
were very generous in cash donations. This combined for an evening which raised over $20,000 net for Mike Twerdun to cover his medical costs for the operation to improve his eyesight. Mike is affected with a degenerative eye disorder called Stargardt disease. While macular degeneration generally is associated with aging eyes, the inherited form known as Stargardt disease can affect children and young adults. It affects approximately one in 10,000 people and is characterized by central vision loss early in life. Stargardt disease causes the light-sensitive cells in the inner back of the eye to deteriorate, particularly in the area of the macula where fine focusing occurs. Central vision loss also occurs, while peripheral vision usually
is retained. The disease is diagnosed by the presence of small, yellowish spots of deteriorating tissue sloughed off from the coloured or outer covering of the retina. Vision loss from Stargardt disease generally begins to occur within the first 20 years of life, particularly in early childhood. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly when retinal damage will occur, or how fast it will progress, because variations can occur even among family members with similar inherited tendencies. Symptoms of the disease can include blurry or distorted vision, inability to see in low lighting and difficulty recognizing familiar faces. In late stages of Stargardt disease, color vision also may be lost. In some cases, a person with Stargardt may reach middle
age before vision problems are noticed. Progressive vision loss can eventually lead to blindness in some cases. Mike grew up in Round Hill and became involved with the community while in high school with the local fire department. He took a job out of high school that limited the time he was home; this, in turn, limited his ability to volunteer for the fire department. Three years ago he started to work for Banack Farms and has been able to again become a very dedicated member of the fire department. Early in February, Mike found out he had been accepted for clinical trials where a procedure would remove stem cells from his spinal cord and inject them into his eyes. The procedure was scheduled to be done in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida on March 3. Mike and his mother, Ruth, quickly made plans to travel, do the pre-procedure medical tests and finance the non-covered procedure. The procedure went well and following a post-op checkup they were able to return home March 6 to recover. Any recovery of his sight could take months to occur – it is now a waiting game. This event raised awareness of Stargardt disease and during the planning a couple of other families in the Camrose area came forward – as far as Mike knew he was the sole local sufferer of this disease. They have started a dialogue about the disorder and will monitor how Mike’s procedure works and if there are any improvements in his eyesight. It has given them hope for the future.