Flash - December 3, 2012 Meeting Notes

Visiting Guests: J. Wilson and others

Visiting Rotarians: Annie Kamarainen, M. Dawe

Blaine Dushanek: Has filled every hole for the Salvation Army Kettles except for one on December 15 from 1-3 PM at Wal-Mart.  One hand went up.

Mac Johnston: Depleted his resources by $20 as he had been honored by the law society for his 50 years of practice.  He’s saving the rest for his retirement.

Dean Williams: “Seven in a row” that’s how many games the Rebels have now won under Brent Sutter.

Ken Johnston: $10 to introduce his bank colleague, Janet Wilson.  She’s taking his place at the downtown branch.

Grant Edmonds: Visited his mother-in-law in Lethbridge who is now 92.

Gail Surkan: Returned from a trip in Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, returning from 45°C to this.

Diane McDonell: Said the Renaissance Festival was a near sell out.  The Red Deer Chamber singers sang well.

The Fine: Was for the bankers and accomplices who didn’t turn up at all on Friday night November 30^th game.

50/50: Drew Glen Labuc’s ticket.  He said if he won he would give the proceeds (about $200) to Annie for Christmas.  He drew a joker.

Sgt Wing: Gave some dietary tips for Christmas.  If you followed them you were sure to put on 5-10 lbs.

Annie Kamarainen: Has been shopping and shopping for more luggage to take her acquisitions back to Finland.  Attended the Peter Pan theatre presentation at the college.  Decorated the Christmas tree which she thought was a little early.  In Finland it’s done on December 23.  Her host parents said the kids wouldn’t wait.

Kerry Bales: Introduced by Grant Edmonds.  He’s the senior VP of AHS (central Alberta).  He was delighted at this large “almost standing room only” Rotary crowd.  Delighted to have no heckling.  Said the organization in AHS is now based on the “Diad model” which means that there is a physician paralleling the administrative person.  Her counterpart is Evan Lundel, whose the zone medical director.  AHS has 94,000 employees, 99 acute hospitals, 5 psychiatric facilities, 8118 beds and 21,683 continuing care beds.  In central Alberta the zone is serving 453,000 people.  It stretches from Sundre to Lloydminister.  There are 31 hospitals, 801 doctors, 11,828 employees and 25,000 volunteers (that means 2.3 beds per 1,000).  The government is attempting to increase local decision making by creating 11 health advisory councils to adapt to local needs, improve response times and decrease bureaucracy.  Bruce Buruma is chairman of the Red Deer advisory group.

Local initiatives include a stroke care prevention and treatment program and unit.  Length of stroke stay has dropped from 9.3 to less than 6 days.  The 5 year action plan includes opening of the new cancer (2013), expansion of ophthalmology (moving it to Innisfail), accelerate the transfer of emergency short stay cases to home care, move more orthopedics to Olds.  There are 400 new senior spaces (part of a thousand per year addition in Alberta).  Philanthropy does make a big difference.  Latest dollars goes to histopathology.

In the Q&A Kerry felt the current model was superior.  Improved communication.  There are more community open houses.  Costs are coming down as is bureaucracy.  Effectiveness is up.  Jim Foster noted these objectives are the same under the last model.  The AHS has gone away from the program model.  It’s hard to have the same program in Edmonton as Didsbury.  Performance indicators are being better tracked.  Centralization has given more leverage to provincial buying power.  Obamacare will have no impact.  Demand will increase as the population ages.  Central Alberta has the highest utilization rate in AHS.  Still Canada is 23/29^th in the OECD measures, and we spend the 4^th highest.  There’s a high dependency on emergency and acute care services.

Next Meeting: Meeting Gail Surkan (December 10), Christmas party (December 17)