Alberta Releases Legislation to Overhaul Health Care With Four New Sectors, Including Mental Health

Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange speaks to the media about an E. coli outbreak linked to multiple Calgary daycares in Calgary on Sept. 12, 2023. The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh)

Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange has introduced legislation to overhaul the province’s health-care system by splitting its delivery into four sectors.

Bill 22, the Health Statutes Amendment Act, will create four new organizations in the health-care system: acute care, primary care, continuing care, and mental health and addiction, according to a government news release.

Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange told reporters in a May 14 news conference that the changes will “usher in an era of efficiency, accessibility, and patient-centered care.”

The changes resulting from the amendments are not merely bureaucratic, she said. “They represent a fundamental shift in how we approach health care in Alberta.”

Premier Danielle Smith announced the changes last November, saying acute care would focus on hospital and emergency care, primary care would manage day-to-day patient needs like visits to physicians or nurse practitioners, continuing care would oversee supportive care, adult day programs, and supportive living, and mental health and addictions will focus on treatment and supports for patients with addictions or mental health challenges.

Ms. LaGrange said the first sector will be mental health and addiction, with the development of Recovery Alberta over the summer.

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“Amid an addiction crisis, a refocused health system will allow for mental health and addiction services to get the attention, oversight, and focus they need,” Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Dan Williams said in the release.

Current Alberta Health Services staff will transition to the new provincial health organizations to ensure stability, she said. “There will be no job losses for staff who transition into the new organization, and every effort is being made to ensure that there are no interruptions to patient care or employment.”

Collective agreements will also be transferred with employees, who will keep their seniority and vacation time.

In total, 43 other acts will be amended as a result of the legislation.

Other Changes

Responsibilities of the oversight minister will include setting goals and targets for the Public Health Act, implementing and evaluating health policies, and determining allocations for financial, human resources, and physical resources, according to a technical briefing provided to reporters.

Sector ministers will be tasked with setting strategic direction for their sectors and deciding which types of health services will be delivered.